The default link manager in WordPress has always been feature–packed since the 1.0 release, though it could still use some hacking to do certain things. The blogroll import function has been something I’ve always wanted to work properly, but I couldn’t. Not that I tried or read the documentation that much, but I wanted it to do just one simple thing—display the 12 most recently updated weblogs in my blogroll. And with my reluctance to stop using blo.gs’s wonderful service, I decided to create a blogroll plugin instead; which queries blo.gs for my favorites.xml file every hour, caches the data, and displays my blogroll just the way I want it. I know it can be done using javascript, but I’d rather keep client–side scripting to a minimum and only if it cannot be done on the server end.
As a side note, I fixed some little nuances in wp–recent–links, taking us now to a 1.31 release. I’m planning to hack some nifty features soon, specifically to have links display like Photomatt’s asides and Jason Kottke’s inline remaindered links. I just realized this: using asides–styled links actually makes your site look like Dave Winer’s, but I’m not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing. 😉
Just a tip: the $post array produced by WP can be run through PHP‘s array_slice() to display the most recent entry prominently, with the rest styled differently.
Dave Winer is one of the coolest geeks “available”, but his design is just too default IMHO.
The only reason why I never started a linkblog (or installed wp-recent-links) is because I’m using Linkpool. That way, I kind of share my links to the whole world instead of just posting it on my—undervisited—website. And the great thing is, other people can also post links! 🙂
You think Dave Winer is cool? I think he whines too much about RSS. RSS should be far more successful now if he stops annoying people.
Linkpool looks nice. 🙂
Yeah, Linkpool in fact *is* nice, even though a linkblog has got its good things (and Linkpool has got its bads!):
On a linkblog, you can post the kind of links you think the people using Linkpool wouldn’t be interested in. More personal.
But then there’s Linkpool: once you run out of links, there will be other people picking up for you.
If the Linkpool webserver is down (and believe me, this happens more than once a month), all sites offering it take ages to load, resulting in crap. Using a linkblog would avoid this problem, as you probably will install it on your own webserver.
Just some thoughts…
Might do that cause have too many links thou I have got it to display only the most recent few in each category on the index page and all of them on the links page. Still a links blog linked from “more” or the ability to expand and contract each category would be a desirable hack.
Whilst installing WpRecent Links everything went smoothly until the recent-links-setup.php. I get a message back saying “couldn’t create a table”…is there any fix for this?
You could try to manually create the table, I don’t know.
Markku, check the readme file; the header saying “rp–blogroll” is pointing to the wp–recent–links project page…
I sorted it out, thanks, MaThIbUs! I decided it was easier to reinstall Recent Links and that seemed to do the trick. I’d have no idea on how to create a table manually.
Glad you solved your problem 🙂 And you can create tables manually using phpMyAdmin (or similar software)…
Mathibus, thanks for doing some support for me while I’m away. 🙂 The readme is pointing to the wrong project? I knew cut–and–paste wouldn’t make me rich…
You’re welcome 🙂 (Actually, I didn’t really do that much, eh?)
I myself installed the plugin successfully. (In case anyone would want to add me to their blo.gs blogroll, just click here.)
where do I find my favorites.xml number? I am subscribed at blo.gs and I have a favorite list, but no matter what, I can not find the number associated with that favorite list… 🙁
grr… nm. 2 seconds after posting I found it. I swear, I clicked onto that link before with no result 🙂
(blushing anyway).
marlyse, I’m glad you found your favorites.xml. 🙂