Ecto


Ecto is a weblog client for Macintosh OS X and Windows available from ecto.kung-foo.tv. A 21-day trial version is free. We used version 2 for the Macintosh when writing this chapter.

Ecto has comprehensive Help files at ecto.kung-foo.tv/docs.

To set the Ecto preferences

1.

Open Ecto. If you have no accounts already set up the Account Assistant is displayed.

2.

Enter the address of your blog and click the Next button (Figure 17). Ecto attempts to download settings for your blog.

Figure 17. The Ecto Account Wizard steps you through the setup process for Ecto.


3.

Confirm the settings are correct (Figure 18):

  • System: this should be set to WordPress.

  • API: MovableType is the correct choice. API stands for application programming interface. This refers to the set of instructions that allow other applications to interact with your blog in certain ways, such as creating and editing posts.

  • Access Point: this is the address for your blog's xmlrpc file.

Figure 18. Ecto's Account Assistant has found the settings for our blog.


4.

Click the Next button. The Username and Password window is displayed (Figure 19).

Figure 19. Enter the username and password for your blog.


5.

Enter your username and password, then click the Next button. The account name window is displayed (Figure 20).

Figure 20. Name this account in Ecto.


6.

Give this account a name that is meaningful to you. If you use Ecto to post to several blogs, this name will let you know which one you're working with.

7.

Click the Next button. Ecto attempts to connect to your blog and displays a Default settings window (Figure 21). See Chapter 2 for more information on the specific settings.

Figure 21. Ecto allows you to set defaults for posting to your blog.


8.

Click the Next button. Ecto displays a confirmation window (Figure 22).

Figure 22. Ecto confirms your settings. Click the Finish button to exit the Account Assistant.


9.

Click the Finish button to exit the Account Assistant. Ecto displays the Entries & Drafts window (Figure 23) for interacting with your blog.

Figure 23. Ecto's main Entries & Drafts window resembles an e-mail application.


To edit an existing post

1.

Open Ecto.

2.

Double-click an existing post in the Entries & Drafts window (Figure 23) to open it for editing. The post opens into an editing window (Figure 24).

Figure 24. Edit a post in a separate window.


3.

Make changes as you wish.

4.

When you have finished choose Draft > Publish. Ecto displays an alert (Figure 25).

Figure 25. You've edited an existing post. Should Ecto publish it as a new post or as a change to the existing post?


5.

Choose the action Ecto should take:

  • Send New: the post will appear as a new post in your blog; the original post remains unchanged.

  • Cancel: the alert is dismissed; no new post is created; the original post remains unchanged.

  • Send Edit: this changed post replaces the original.

6.

Click the button to choose the action to take. The post edit window is closed and the Entries & Drafts window is displayed (Figure 23).

To create a new post

1.

Open Ecto and choose File > New Drafts. The New Draft window opens (Figure 26).

Figure 26. The Ecto New Draft window is rich with toolbars and buttons.


2.

Create your post:

  • Title: the title you enter here will appear as the heading for your post.

  • Main: type your post in the rich text area immediately below the Title field. Click the A button at bottom left of the window to use the rich text editor, and the <> button beside it to use the HTML editor.

  • Extended entry: use this field to enter content that should not appear on the front page of your blog. For more on this feature of WordPress see Chapter 3.

  • Options: in this tab you can set various options for a post, including comment options, categories, and keywords.

  • Formatting: in this tab you can set straight or smart quotes and choose a script to apply, if you have installed one.

3.

Choose options as required from the Draft menu to modify the date, preview the post, manage trackbacks, and validate the HTML (Figure 27).

Figure 27. The Ecto Draft menu provides options to modify the post date, manage trackbacks, add photos and attachments and even to validate the code.


4.

When you have finished choose Draft > Publish. Ecto closes the post window, sends the post to your blog and refreshes the list of posts in the Entries & Drafts window (Figure 23).

Tips

  • If the Options tab is not visible choose Draft > Toggle Display > Options to make it visible.

  • Hover over the buttons in the window to see a Tooltip showing what each button does.


To add a file to a post

1.

Open Ecto and create a new post or edit an existing post.

2.

Place the cursor where you wish the file to be inserted.

3.

Choose Draft > Add Attachment. The Open dialog box is displayed (Figure 28).

Figure 28. After you choose Add Attachment from the Draft menu, a standard Open dialog box allows you to choose a file to attach to your post.


4.

Navigate your hard drive and select the file to add to your blog, then click the Open button. Your file is added to the post, with a thumbnail image (Figure 29).

Figure 29. By default Ecto displays a thumbnail image in the post for an attached file.


5.

When you have finished editing choose Draft > Publish. Ecto closes the post window, sends the post to your blog and refreshes the list of posts in the Entries & Drafts window (Figure 23).

Tip

  • If you prefer a text link for your attachment double-click the file thumbnail and explore the options in the Attachment settings dialog box.


To add an image to a post

1.

Open Ecto and create a new post or edit an existing post.

2.

Place the cursor where you wish the image to be inserted.

3.

Choose Draft > Import from iPhoto. Select an image from the iPhoto browser dialog box that appears and click Import. (Figure 30). Skip to step 5.

or

Choose Draft > Add Attachment. The Open dialog box is displayed (Figure 28).

Figure 30. Choose the image from your iPhoto library through the Ecto iPhoto browser.


4.

Navigate your hard drive and select the image to add to your blog then click the Open button. Your image is added to the post.

5.

Double-click the image. The Attachment settings dialog box is displayed.

6.

Click the Basic tab and edit the image alt text to meet best practice requirements (Figure 31). Confirm or edit other settings as you wish.

Figure 31. Edit the image alt text and confirm other settings in Ecto's comprehensive Attachment settings dialog box.


7.

Click the Apply button when you have finished. The settings are saved and you are returned to editing the post.

8.

When you have finished editing choose Draft > Publish. Ecto closes the post window, sends the post to your blog and refreshes the list of posts in the Entries & Drafts window (Figure 23).

Tips

  • There can be many reasons why visitors to your blog may not see images. Alt text replaces any images that are not visible.

  • End alt text with a full stop followed by a space, otherwise it can just blend in to your text and look like a mistake.





WordPress 2. Visual QuickStart Guide
WordPress 2
ISBN: 0321450191
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 142

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