Building Web Apps with WordPress: WordPress as an Application Framework

WordPress is much more than a blogging platform. As this practical guide clearly demonstrates, you can use WordPress to build web apps of any type―not mere content sites, but full-blown apps for specific tasks. If you have PHP experience with a smattering of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you’ll learn how to use WordPress plugins and themes to develop fast, scalable, and secure web apps, native mobile apps, web services, and even a network of multiple WordPress sites.

The authors use examples from their recently released SchoolPress app to explain concepts and techniques throughout the book. All code examples are available on GitHub.

• Compare WordPress with traditional app development frameworks
• Use themes for views, and plugins for backend functionality
• Get suggestions for choosing WordPress plugins―or build your own
• Manage user accounts and roles, and access user data
• Build asynchronous behaviors in your app with jQuery
• Develop native apps for iOS and Android, using wrappers
• Incorporate PHP libraries, external APIs, and web service plugins
• Collect payments through ecommerce and membership plugins
• Use techniques to speed up and scale your WordPress app

Brian Messenlehner started his career as a software developer for the United States Marine Corps in 2000. Brian is the co-founder of AlphaWeb.com, AppPresser.com, and SchoolPresser.com, all web based companies that specialize in custom WordPress and mobile app development. Brian has been working with WordPress at an expert level since 2008 building custom web and mobile solutions for clients such as TIME Magazine, NBC, Microsoft, Discovery Channel, Constant Contact, Uber, Campbells Soup, HEB, Starbucks, YMCA, Newark New Jersey Public Schools, and The National Park Services, to name a few. Find Brian on Twitter: @bmess

Jason Coleman has been pushing WordPress to its limits for years and has helped launch several startups using WordPress as an application framework. Jason now leads development for Paid Memberships Pro, a membership-focused ecommerce plugin that powers many software as a service companies. Find Jason on Twitter: @jason_coleman