I love efficiency. No really, I LOVE efficiency. In fact, desire for greater efficiency is what inspired Project Panorama. In an effort to grow my consulting firm, I found that more efficient work was more effective than adding bodies to the team (typically the way you grow a services company.) One common slow down was the need to update clients and team members on what had been done and what would be done next. Hence, Panorama was born. But my love for efficiency stems well beyond project management and plugins. I’m always on the lookout for ways to save time, work faster and keep my clients happy. Sometimes I find tools that accomplish all three. This certainly is the case with RenderWP, a new premium plugin on the WordPress block.
Most WordPress users have encountered a shortcode or two in their lifetime. As one of WordPress’ most powerful features, shortcodes allow you to add complex functionality, design and rich content to your content without having to learn PHP, CSS, HTML or Javascript. While invaluable, shortcodes have shortcomings. For one, they are cumbersome. In order to use shortcodes you have to first know they exist and then remember their exact syntax. Some plugins provide quick shortcode buttons, others require you read and remember the documentation… and some don’t even document their shortcodes!
Second, shortcodes appear in the editor as code, all be it simplified code. Sure, you can see where the shortcode will appear but you have no idea what it will look like or what will actually end up on your site. Working with shortcodes often requires saving and previewing, sometimes 3 – 4 times while you make adjustments. This process is slow and painful, regardless of skill level. Even as a developer I’m often frustrated at how long it takes to work with shortcodes.
RenderWP solves these problems, providing an all encompassing shortcode management platform. Lead developers Joel Worshom and Kyle Maurer (the makers of Betterify) had the following to say about RenderWP:
“It’s better than carrot cake”
“It seeks to empower people to do complicated things without learning code or hiring a developer.”
More than managing shortcodes, Render simplifies previously complex tasks like special content for logged in users, using columns, designing buttons and dynamically updated dates.
For someone like me, it’s Render has improved workflow in the following ways:
- I can work with, preview and launch content with shortcodes in less time
- My clients who are normally intimidated by shortcodes can easily take advantage of all their capabilities
- Clients who need the functionality of shortcodes need less training and support
Render comes with it’s own large database of functionality and shortcodes and integrates with several other premium plugins.
If your not convinced, just take a gander at the RenderWP introduction video. You’ll quickly realize the potential. What’s better? RenderWP even has a Project Panorama integration.