This git repo holds the custom code and theme assets for the Cumming Group web site. It's designed to support reliable testing and development of new features on a developer's local machine using Docker Compose and the official Wordpress/MySQL images.
The local development process is built on docker and node.js; installers can be downloaded from the NodeJS and Docker home pages.
- To start a local copy of the component library, run
npm start - Visit
http://localhost:8080
Running the start command compiles the design's CSS, JS, Fonts, and other static assets for use in Wordpress, then copies those files to the public_html/wp-content/themes/cumminggroup/assets/ directory.
- To start the local wordpress server, run
npm wordpress:start - Visit
http://localhost - To log into wordpress docker container (to run WP CLI commands, for example), use
docker compose exec wordpress bash - To exit the docker container's command line, use
exit - To shut down the local wordpress server, run
npm wordpress:stop
The upload directory's contents from the live or staging site should be copied to public_html/wp-content/uploads to ensure local image attachments etc work. The .gitignore file for this project will ensure it's not committed to the repository.
Similarly, backup snapshots of the site database can be placed in public_html/wp-content/backups and loaded using the wp import command. A top-level shortcut npm wordpress:loadsql can be run without entering the Docker command line, and will immediately import the db.sql backup file if it exists.
While the final version of the Cumming Group site may include additional third-party plugins added and configured by the Cumming Group team, the following plugins have been configured and tested with the new theme and content.
- CG Core: Custom plugin containing saved definitions of all Cumming Group custom post types, custom taxonomies, and custom fields. This prevents custom post type and field data from being lost if the Cumming Group theme is changed or disabled. This plugin must be enabled for the Cumming Group theme to function properly.
- Advanced Custom Fields Pro - Defines custom post types, taxonomies, and fields. This plugin must be enabled for the Cumming Group theme to function properly.
- Gravity Forms - user submittable contact and feedback forms.
- ACF Gravity Forms - Adds a 'Gravity Form' field type to the ACF plugin.
- ACF Quickedit Fields - Adds ACF fields to WP post administration pages.
- Gravity Forms CLI - allows bulk backup and management of forms from the WP CLI.
- Yoast SEO - SEO tag and social sharing metadata generation.
- Object Cache Pro - Redis cache integration, license included with Cloudways hosting.
- Query Monitor - Administrator-only tool for troubleshooting and testing.
Deployment to Cloudways is conducted via SFTP to the staging server; the Cumming Group custom theme and support code is located in:
public_html/wp-content/plugins/cg-corepublic_html/wp-content/themes/cumminggroup
Deployment consists of copying those two directories to their respective locations on the staging server.
The CloudWays support web knowledgebase documents the process of setting up a staging server, managing content and code on that staging server, and moving its code and content to the live server.
- We strongly recommend performing a backup of the CloudWays production server before moving the staging server to production; this ensures that if anything breaks, the previous version can be restored.
- Activate Object Cache Pro to improve Wordpress' performance. Instructions for enabling this plugin are specific to Cloudways, and can be found on the Cloudways Support Knowledgebase
- Ensure the Yoast SEO plugin is activated
- Using the CloudWays control panel, initiate the migration from staging to production.
Advanced Custom Fields Pro is a paid plugin with a yearly subscription cost. The site will continue to work properly even without registration, but site administrators will not be able to customize the site's fields and post types. Registration forms, and documentation its administration features, can be found on the ACF plugin's home page.