Automated Editor can do a bunch of neat stuff with tags but one of the most popular uses with our beta users was the assignment of “common tags”, that is tags which we regularly use as bloggers but either sometimes forget to enter or just cba too. So here’s how you can use Automated Editor to take the pain out of tagging (at least the common stuff!)
Say your blog was about cooking, for example and you quite often use 5 main ingredients, of which you have to tag every time:
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If you use the Auction2Post wordpress plugin then you will likely benefit a lot from Automated Editor, as per this post at woodylabs. The mass automated replacement of bad phrases is something automated editor does more than well, and as it operates at point of publishing it is a lot more effective with your server time than using wordpress filters!
We added the import/export functionality recently to aid moving your rules between blogs, Auction2Post blogs being a perfect example of the benefit of this new feature, it being more than likely you want to replace/remove/operate in the same way across several sites.
One word of warning with rules files though – be careful what you import! Only ever import rules files that you trust, from places you trust. The reason being if you just import a rules file and setup a schedule without fully knowing what the rules file contains then you could be signing over access to your content to someone else, the rules file could place links in posts or do a number of different things. This post about Auction2Post and Automated Editor together has a trusted rule file in it, as woodylabs is a trusted resource, but always check through rules imported!
One of the most useful features of Automated editor is its search and replace function. You can set this up in a rule and use either replace one string with another directly, use regex to find matches and then replace them, or do the same to remove strings. Furthermore you can choose to just replace or remove a specific instance or all (e.g. replace 2nd instance or all instance’s of string ‘x’ with ‘y’) AND ALL THIS CAN BE RE-RUN AUTOMATICALLY!
There are a few important things to remember when using string/regex search & replace/remove within AutomatedEditor:
So remember, string replace is case sensitive, use spaces at the start of strings to get specific words and other similar tricks, triple think through your automation rules to avoid nearly-infinite loops and ask if you need more help!!
Looking to replace specific html with Automated Editor? It can do that quite well. Equipped with both string replacement and regex rule match replacement options you should be able to achieve almost any automatic string operation you need to with the plugin. It does it automatically too, did we say?
Anyhow for those who need a bit of inspiration on how best to replace a specific html element, or wanting some more information on how Automated Editor parses the HTML of wordpress posts you have hit the right page, here we are going to discuss in more detail the process of cutting only the specific bit of the post you want, or replacing (it removes or replaces…)
If you haven’t already checked out our future features page why not head over there now? It’s an ongoing list of the things we have not yet added to Automated Editor but would like to in the future. Voted on by the community of users, future features will hopefully keep us moving in a way that keeps everyone happy. Here’s a little exploration into our favourite possible developments.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know when one of your contributors posts a post with a specific string? Or perhaps how many times a string has been switched out for an affiliate link or seo friendly link on a specific blog? How about on some of the more automatic blogs, want to know the success rate of your newest set of rules, direct to your inbox? There’s quite a few ways we can think of combining email notifications/pushing into Automated Editor, it would be invaluable to mix email with the automation setup. This ones high on our list!
Wordpress does a lot of this for you, at least in terms of versioning. Automated Editor however is a little more brutal, or has to be to circumnavigate a few things. This is both good and bad (read the disclaimer if you haven’t already!) but sometimes it would be nice to be able to offer just a little more reassurance to our users. If we add this feature it will be the belt and braces to the plugin, backing up posts before changes, perhaps even integrated with email notifications as above and a step through system for seeing your changes in action (or reverting back to old versions of posts.) Perhaps backups could even be integrated into rules as actions. Perhaps.
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Just starting out using automated editor? want a bit of inspiration for your first rule? Well check out our video on making your first rule for the plugin or read some of the stuff we have used it for over the past few versions:
With all the powerful functionality in Automated Editor, it is ever important to understand what you are doing before you stroll in there and start schedules with new rules. There are lots of ways you could use Automated Editor badly and end up scaring, maiming and generally beating the crap out of your content, powerful features can go be used for bad, as well as all that good. In our series on What not to do with the plugin today we are going to look at creating loops. Not infinite loops, but near enough. Loops can be good, if your a programmer, bad if your using Automated editor to just replace something.
So you want to start by making a rule? Good idea, that’s the starting block. So you want to use string replace? Ok go ahead. You want to switch out Automated editor for your last “search and replace” plugin which used filters? Good idea!!
So you go right ahead, create a rule, name it and choose string replace. Hmmmm now what to replace. Ok lets go with replacing the string “Amazon” with a link out to Amazon “<a href=”http://www.amazon.com”>Amazon</a>”. Nice and simple, stick the two strings in the boxes and save it. Great. Or is it?
Next you go ahead and create a schedule, makes sense to put it to fire hourly, yeah? and why not hit all posts, it’ll update the old ones then! Might as well go ahead and unpause Automated Editor! NO. Step away from the plugin!
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Get it while its’ still on offer!