Custom post types add a level of flexibility to WordPress that makes this open-source Web development platform more useful on many levels. Whenever I have been faced with a Web-based task, especially one that involves organizing information, the first thing I do is examine WordPress to determine if it can handle the job. It usually can.

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As an Internet marketer and analyst, I need to be able to organize online marketing campaigns in a way that is trackable in Google Analytics. This is the perfect task for WordPress custom post types.

In this article, we’ll explain how to create a WordPress plugin that enables you to organize Internet marketing campaigns using trackable URLs, shortened versions of those URLs, and trackable QR codes that you can also use for offline marketing activities.

We’ll show you how to create this plugin in a way that maximizes ease of use and functionality. If you have other methods that you have found useful, please share them in the comments. Also, let’s remember that we are standing on the shoulders of WordPress developers who have laid the foundation for easier coding.

Here are the criteria for our custom post type plugin:

• It must provide a form in which users can specify a landing page to be tracked, the anchor text or content, the term (if this link is a PPC ad), and any additional information about this link.
• It must provide three custom taxonomy types, so that users can select the URL variables for source, medium and campaign name. This is a taxonomy type because they will be reusable across campaigns and posts.
• It must be organizable in the admin area and be displayed in the user interface.
• The output must include a Google Analytics campaign-trackable URL, the information about the URL in human-readable format, a shortened version of the URL using a URL shortener, and a QR code of the shortened URL.

The File Structure

This plugin will use three files. To set up the structure, create a plugin folder named campaign-tracker. Inside the campaign-tracker folder, create the following three PHP files:

• campaign-tracker.php
• ga-functions.php
• campaign-template.php

After you have created the files, we are ready to start adding the code.

The Plugin File

The main plugin file will be campaign-tracker.php. The content of this file will begin the standard way, by providing WordPress with the information that it needs to recognize it is as plugin. We then dive into setting up the CampaignTracker10 class and functions. We will set up our campaign custom post type and register the taxonomies that we will need. We will also initiate our admin interface.

   <?php
   /*
   Plugin Name: Campaign Tracking 1.0
   Plugin URI: http://www.convergeconsulting.org
   Description: Google Analytics Campaign Tracking system for WordPress 3.0 and above.
   Author: Joshua Dodson
   Version: 1.0
   Author URI: http://www.convergeconsulting.org
   */

   // Include the ga-functions.php helper functions
   include_once('ga-functions.php');

   if(!class_exists('CampaignTracker10'))
   {

      class CampaignTracker10 {

         var $meta_fields = array("gaca10-gaurl","gaca10-gaterm","gaca10-gacontent","gaca10-gadescription");

         // This function will create the custom post type. Thanks to Konstantin Kovshenin's example for additional examples of how to construct custom post types (http://kovshenin.com/2010/03/custom-post-types-in-wordpress-3-0-2089/), which inspired much of this.
         function __construct(){
            // Register custom post types
            register_post_type('campaign', array(
            'label' => _x('Campaigns','campaigns label'), // We're labeling the custom posts as Campaigns and also accounting for gettext appropriately
            'singular_label' => _x('Campaign','campaign singular label'), // Each post will be called a Campaign
            'public' => true, // These will be public
            'show_ui' => true, // Show the UI in admin panel
            '_builtin' => false, // This is a custom post type, not a built in post type
            '_edit_link' => 'post.php?post=%d',
            'capability_type' => 'post',
            'hierarchical' => false,
            'rewrite' => array("slug" => "campaign"), // This is for the permalinks
            'query_var' => "campaign", // This goes to the WP_Query schema
            'supports' => array('title'/* We only need the default title field, but we could use others such as 'author', 'excerpt', 'editor' ,'custom-fields'*/)
            ));

            add_filter("manage_edit-campaign_columns", array(&$this, "edit_columns"));
            add_action("manage_posts_custom_column", array(&$this, "custom_columns"));

            // Register custom taxonomies gasource (for the Campaign Source), gamedium (for the Campaign Medium), and ganame (for Campaign Name)
            // Campaign Source
            register_taxonomy("gasource", array("campaign"), array("hierarchical" => true, "label" => _x( 'Campaign Sources', 'campaign sources taxonomy label' ), "singular_label" => "Campaign Source", "rewrite" => true));
            // Campaign Medium
            register_taxonomy("gamedium", array("campaign"), array("hierarchical" => true, "label" => _x( 'Campaign Mediums', 'campaign mediums taxonomy label' ), "singular_label" => "Campaign Medium", "rewrite" => true));
            // Campaign Name
            register_taxonomy("ganame", array("campaign"), array("hierarchical" => true, "label" => _x( 'Campaign Names', 'campaign names taxonomy label' ), "singular_label" => "Campaign Name", "rewrite" => true));

            add_action("admin_init", array(&$this, "admin_init"));
            add_action("template_redirect", array(&$this, 'template_redirect'));

            add_action("wp_insert_post", array(&$this, "wp_insert_post"), 10, 2);

         }

Let’s give the columns on the admin screen some headings:

   function edit_columns($columns)
   {
      $columns = array(
      'cb' => '<input type="checkbox" />',
      'title' => _x('Campaign Title','campaign title label for edit columns'),
      'gaca10_ganame' => _x('Campaign Name','campaign name label for edit columns'),
      'gaca10_gasources' => _x('Campaign Source','campaign source label for edit columns'),
      'gaca10_gasmedium' => _x('Campaign Medium','campaign medium label for edit columns'),
      );
      return $columns;
   }

Let’s specify which columns we would like to show up on the admin screen for this custom post type. We’ll have columns for campaign source, medium and name, in addition to the post’s title.

   function custom_columns($column)
   {
      global $post;
      switch ($column)
      {
         // The campaign source
         case "gaca10_gasources":
         $gasources = get_the_terms(0, "gasource");
         if ( $gasources && ! is_wp_error( $gasources ) ) :
         $gasources_html = array();
         foreach ($gasources as $gasource)
         array_push($gasources_html, '<a href="' . get_term_link($gasource->slug, "gasource") . '">' . $gasource->name . '</a>');

         echo implode($gasources_html, ", ");
         endif;
         break;

         // The campaign medium
         case "gaca10_gasmedium":
         $gamediums = get_the_terms(0, "gamedium");
         if ( $gamediums && ! is_wp_error( $gamediums ) ) :
         $gamediums_html = array();
         foreach ($gamediums as $gamedium)
         array_push($gamediums_html, '<a href="' . get_term_link($gamedium->slug, "gamedium") . '">' . $gamedium->name . '</a>');

         echo implode($gamediums_html, ", ");
         endif;
         break;

         // The campaign name
         case "gaca10_ganame":
         $ganames = get_the_terms(0, "ganame");
         if ( $ganames && ! is_wp_error( $ganames ) ) :
         $ganames_html = array();
         foreach ($ganames as $ganame)
         array_push($ganames_html, '<a href="' . get_term_link($ganame->slug, "ganame") . '">' . $ganame->name . '</a>');

         echo implode($ganames_html, ", ");
         endif;
         break;
      }
   }

Once our columns are set up appropriately, we should see the following columns (note that this example is with one campaign already added):

The next section enables us to specify which template we would like to use to display this custom post type. We will be using the campaign-template.php template:

   function template_redirect()
   {
      global $wp;

      // If the post type is set and is campaign…
      if (isset($wp->query_vars["post_type"])) {
         if ($wp->query_vars["post_type"] == "campaign")
         {
            // Then use the campaign-template.php file from this plugin directory
            include WP_PLUGIN_DIR.'/campaign-tracker/campaign-template.php';
            die();
         }
      }
   }

If a post is inserted or updated, then loop through the array and update or add the post’s meta data.

   function wp_insert_post($post_id, $post = null)
   {
      if ($post->post_type == "campaign")
      {
         foreach ($this->meta_fields as $key)
         {
            $value = $_POST[$key];
            if (empty($value))
            {
               delete_post_meta($post_id, $key);
               continue;
            }

            if (!is_array($value))
            {
               if (!update_post_meta($post_id, $key, $value))
               {
                  add_post_meta($post_id, $key, $value);
               }
            }
            else
            {
               delete_post_meta($post_id, $key);

               foreach ($value as $entry){
                  add_post_meta($post_id, $key, $entry);
               }
            }
         }
      }
   }

With the following function, we can add custom meta boxes for the admin screen where we edit the campaign:

   function admin_init()
   {
      // Add custom meta boxes for the edit campaign screen
      add_meta_box("gaca10-meta", "Campaign Information", array(&$this, "meta_options"), "campaign", "normal", "core");
   }

The following function is for the admin post meta contents. This lets us create the form in which we specify some of the variables for our trackable URL (except for the taxonomies). It also provides a read-only field that shows the shortened URL after the URL variables have been saved.

   function meta_options()
   {
      global $post;
      $custom = get_post_custom($post->ID);
      if($custom["gaca10-gaurl"][0]){
         $gaurl = $custom["gaca10-gaurl"][0];
      }
      else{ $gaurl = ''; }
      if($custom["gaca10-gaterm"][0]) {
         $gaterm = $custom["gaca10-gaterm"][0];
      }
      else { $gaterm = ''; }
      if ($custom["gaca10-gacontent"][0]) {
         $gacontent = $custom["gaca10-gacontent"][0];
      }
      else { $gacontent = ''; }
      if ($custom["gaca10-gadescription"][0]) {
         $gadescription = $custom["gaca10-gadescription"][0];
      }
      else { $gadescription = ''; }

      $url = trackable_url();
      if ($custom["campaign_tinyurl"][0]) {
         if($gaurl == '') { $shortenedurl = ''; }
         else{ $shortenedurl = create_tiny_url($url); }
      }

      ?>
      <label><?php _ex('Website URL:','website url label'); ?></label><input name="gaca10-gaurl" value="<?php echo $gaurl; ?>" /><br />
      <em><?php _ex('(e.g., http://www.google.com)','website url example'); ?></em><br /><br />

      <label><?php _ex('Campaign Term:','campaign term label'); ?></label><input name="gaca10-gaterm" value="<?php echo $gaterm; ?>" /><br />
      <em><?php _ex('(identify the paid keywords)','campaign term information'); ?></em><br /><br />
      <label><?php _ex('Campaign Content:','campaign content label'); ?></label><input name="gaca10-gacontent" value="<?php echo $gacontent; ?>" /><br />
      <em><?php _ex('(use to differentiate ads)','campaign content information'); ?></em><br /><br />

      <label><?php _ex('Campaign Description:','campaign description label'); ?></label><input name="gaca10-gadescription" value="<?php echo $gadescription; ?>" /><br />
      <em><?php _ex('(use to remind yourself about this specific link)','campaign description information'); ?></em><br /><br />

      <label><?php _ex('Shortened URL:','shortened URL label'); ?></label><input name="gaca10-gashortened-url" value="<?php echo $shortenedurl; ?>" readonly="readonly" /><br />

      <?php
   }
}

}

Here is how the “Add/Edit Campaign” screen will appear:

If CampaignTracker10 exists, then we initiate the plugin:

   if(class_exists('CampaignTracker10')){

      // Initiate the plugin
      add_action("init", "CampaignTracker10Init");

      function CampaignTracker10Init() {
         global $gaca10;
         $gaca10 = new CampaignTracker10();

      }
   }

Combine these functions into the campaign-tracker.php file.

The following taxonomy examples should also be on the “Add/Edit Campaign” screen after everything has been added. Here is the “Campaign Names” taxonomy:

Here is the “Campaign Mediums” taxonomy:

Here is the “Campaign Sources” taxonomy:

Similar to how traditional post categories are set up, you can create new categories or select previous categories.

A note on usage: When you begin to use the system, try to select only one category each from name, source and medium. One category per taxonomy type will prove to be most useful in your actual analysis in Google Analytics. So, as a general rule: one name, one source and one medium per URL.

The Helpful Display Functions

Each of the functions in this section is part of the ga-functions.php file. The functions have been separated from the other functions in order to keep the display functions together.

Our file will begin with the formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms function, which will display a URL-friendly version of the taxonomy terms:

   <?php
   /* Some Helpful Display Functions */

   function formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms($the_term) {
      global $post;
      $post_terms = get_the_terms( $post->ID, $the_term );
      if ( $post_terms && ! is_wp_error( $post_terms ) ) :
      $encoded_terms = array();
      foreach ($post_terms as $term ) {
         if(!$encoded_terms[] = $term->slug){
            $encoded_terms[] = urlencode($term->name);
         }
      }
      $return_terms = implode('+',$encoded_terms);
      return $return_terms;
      endif;
   }

The trackable_url function generates the trackable URL from the fields on the admin screen as well as the taxonomies. This appends the appropriate tracking criteria to the URL so that Google Analytics can use the variables and provide information based on these specific variables. To do this, we will use the add_query_arg WordPress function.

   function trackable_url() {
      global $post;
      $custom = get_post_custom($post->ID);

      // the url
      if ($custom["gaca10-gaurl"][0]) {
         $gaurl = $custom["gaca10-gaurl"][0];
      }
      else { $gaurl = ''; }

      // the term(s)
      if ($gaterm = $custom["gaca10-gaterm"][0]) {
         $gaterm = $custom["gaca10-gaterm"][0];
         $gaterm = urlencode($gaterm);
      }
      else { $gaterm = ''; }

      // the content(s)
      if ($custom["gaca10-gacontent"][0]) {
         $gacontent = $custom["gaca10-gacontent"][0];
         $gacontent = urlencode($gacontent);
      }
      else { $gacontent = ''; }
      $arr_params = array ( 'utm_campaign' => formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms('ganame'), 'utm_source' => formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms('gasource'), 'utm_medium' => formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms('gamedium'), 'utm_term' => $gaterm, 'utm_content' => $gacontent);
      return add_query_arg( $arr_params, $gaurl );

   }

The following functions take the campaign-trackable URL and shortens it with TinyURL. This method uses wp_remote_get to generate the shortened URL. It then saves the shortened URL to the post’s meta data when a post is saved. The trackable_url_tiny function enables us to retrieve the shortened URL in the template.

   // Save the shortened trackable URL to the post meta
   function save_shortened_meta($post_ID) {
      $url = trackable_url();
      $shortened_url = create_tiny_url($url);
      update_post_meta($post_ID, "campaign_tinyurl", $shortened_url);
      return $post_ID;
   }

   // Add an action to save it when the post is saved.
   add_action('save_post', 'save_shortened_meta');

   // Retrieve the shortened URL from post meta
   function trackable_url_tiny($url = null, $post_ID) {
      global $post;
      $custom_fields = get_post_custom($post->ID);
      $campaign_tinyurl = $custom_fields['campaign_tinyurl'][0];
      return $campaign_tinyurl;

      return $post_ID;
   }

   // Create shortened trackable URL through the wp_remote_get function
   function create_tiny_url($strURL) {
      $tinyurl = wp_remote_get( 'http://tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url='.$strURL );
      if( is_wp_error( $response ) ) {
         return 'Something went wrong!';
      } else {
         return $tinyurl['body'];

      }
   }

The trackable_url_report function is what provides the human-readable version of the variables. These are broken out by each section. The landing page, campaign name, source, medium, terms and content are all separated and displayed individually if they exist.

   function trackable_url_report() {
      global $post;
      $custom = get_post_custom($post->ID);

      // get the url
      if ($custom["gaca10-gaurl"][0]) {
         $gaurl = $custom["gaca10-gaurl"][0];
      }
      else { $gaurl = ''; }
      // get the term(s)
      if ($gaterm = $custom["gaca10-gaterm"][0]) {
         $gaterm = $custom["gaca10-gaterm"][0];
      }
      else { $gaterm = ''; }

      // get the content(s)
      if ($custom["gaca10-gacontent"][0]) {
         $gacontent = $custom["gaca10-gacontent"][0];
      }
      else { $gacontent = ''; }

      // The Landing page
      $url_info ='';
      $url_info.= "<strong>". _x( 'Landing Page:','landing page label') . "</strong> ";
      $url_info.= $gaurl;
      $url_info.= "<br />";

      // The campaign name
      $url_info.= "<strong>". _x( 'Campaign:','campaign label') . "</strong> ";
      $url_info.= formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms('ganame');
      $url_info.= "<br />";

      // The Source
      $url_info.= "<strong>". _x( 'Source:','source label') . "</strong> ";
      $url_info.= formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms('gasource');
      $url_info.= "<br />";

      // The medium
      $url_info.= "<strong>". _x( 'Medium:','medium label') . "</strong> ";
      $url_info.= formatted_utm_taxonomy_terms('gamedium');
      $url_info.= "<br />";

      // The term
      $url_info.= "<strong>". _x( 'Term:','term label') . "</strong> ";
      $url_info.= $gaterm;
      $url_info.= "<br />";

      // The content
      $url_info.= "<strong>". _x( 'Content:','content label') . "</strong> ";
      $url_info.= $gacontent;
      $url_info.= "<br />";

      return $url_info;
   }

The display_description function displays the description of the URL. We’ve broken this part out here in order to keep all of the pieces that are specific to the URL together. This is also the last function in the ga-functions.php file.

   function display_description(){
      global $post;
      $custom = get_post_custom($post->ID);
      $description = $custom["gaca10-gadescription"][0];
      return $description;
   }

   ?>

Combine these functions into the ga-functions.php file, and then we can move onto creating the template file.

The Template File

The final file that we will use to generate the view of the trackable URL is campaign-template.php. You will remember from the campaign-tracker.php file that we have a call in the template_redirect() function to redirect users to this template when viewing the custom post type of campaigns.

For display purposes, we will use the single.php file from the current default WordPress theme, TwentyEleven. You can, of course, use another theme and different styles.

First, we include the ga-functions.php file so that we can use some of our display functions. The campaign template also uses the Google Charts API to generate the QR code.

The following code will do all of the heavy lifting to display our campaign-trackable URL, the information about the URL, the shortened URL and the QR code. It will also allow us to edit the post if we need to change a variable. Simply drop this code into the loop.

   <h1 class="entry-title"><?php the_title() ?></h1><br />

   <?php
   echo "<strong>". _x( 'Description:','description label') . "</strong> ";
   echo display_description();
   echo "<br />";
   echo trackable_url_report();
   echo "<br />";
   echo "<strong>". _x('Trackable URL:','trackable URL label') . "</strong> ";
   echo "<a href=".trackable_url()." target='_blank'>".trackable_url()."</a><br />";

   echo "<strong>" . _x('Shortened Trackable URL:','shortened trackable URL label') . "</strong> ";
   echo "<a href=".trackable_url_tiny()." target='_blank'>".trackable_url_tiny()."</a><br />";
   ?>

   <br />
   <img src="https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=150x150&amp;cht=qr&amp;chl=<?php trackable_url_tiny(); ?>" /><br />
   <?php edit_post_link( __( 'Edit', 'twentyeleven' ), '<span class="edit-link">', '</span>' ); ?>

When we combine the code, the campaign template will be as follows:

   <?php
   /**
   * The Template for displaying all single posts.
   *
   * @package WordPress
   * @subpackage Twenty_Eleven
   * @since Twenty Eleven 1.0
   */

   // Include the ga-functions.php file so that we can easily display the results
   include_once('ga-functions.php');

   get_header(); ?>

   <div id="primary">
   <div id="content" role="main">

   <?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>

   <nav id="nav-single">
   <h3 class="assistive-text"><?php _e( 'Post navigation', 'twentyeleven' ); ?></h3>
   <span class="nav-previous"><?php previous_post_link( '%link', __( '<span class="meta-nav">&larr;</span> Previous', 'twentyeleven' ) ); ?></span>
   <span class="nav-next"><?php next_post_link( '%link', __( 'Next <span class="meta-nav">&rarr;</span>', 'twentyeleven' ) ); ?></span>
   </nav><!-- #nav-single -->

   <h1 class="entry-title"><?php the_title() ?></h1><br />

   <?php
   echo "<strong>". _x( 'Description:','description label') . "</strong> ";
   echo display_description();
   echo "<br />";
   echo trackable_url_report();
   echo "<br />";
   echo "<strong>". _x('Trackable URL:','trackable URL label') . "</strong> ";
   echo "<a href=".trackable_url()." target='_blank'>".trackable_url()."</a><br />";

   echo "<strong>" . _x('Shortened Trackable URL:','shortened trackable URL label') . "</strong> ";
   echo "<a href=".trackable_url_tiny()." target='_blank'>".trackable_url_tiny()."</a><br />";
   ?>

   <br />
   <img src="https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=150x150&amp;cht=qr&amp;chl=<?php trackable_url_tiny(); ?>" /><br />
   <?php edit_post_link( __( 'Edit', 'twentyeleven' ), '<span class="edit-link">', '</span>' ); ?>

   <?php comments_template( '', true ); ?>

   <?php endwhile; // end of the loop. ?>

   </div><!-- #content -->
   </div><!-- #primary -->

   <?php get_footer(); ?>

When the template is set up and a campaign has been added, then it should display the following page:

In Conclusion

By using WordPress custom post types in the method described, it is possible to organize marketing campaigns with the relevant Google Analytics campaign-tracking URL, shortened URL and QR code. This makes organizing marketing campaigns much simpler and more effective.

Custom post types make it very easy to set up a system by which to organize content. And we can get creative in how we use custom post types. They can be very useful when organizing content outside of the normal structure of WordPress and other content management systems (i.e. posts, pages, etc.).

Other possible uses of custom post types include the following:

• Manage client contacts,
• Create an employee directory,
• Keep an inventory of items,
• Organize other data.

Resources

You may be interested in the following resources and articles:

• “Custom Post Types in WordPress 3.0,” Konstantin Kovshenin
• “Custom Post Types in WordPress,” Justin Tadlock
• “Creating a TinyURL With TinyURL’s API,” Richard Castera
• “Getting Started With Infographics” (QR Codes with the Google Charts API), Google Code
• “Post Types,” WordPress Codex
• URL Builder tool Google Analytics
• “IQ Lessons,” Google Analytics

(al)

© Joshua Dodson for Smashing Magazine, 2012.

In today’s quick tip tutorial we will demonstrate how to create a cinematic “Transfarmers” Text Effect using the layer styles. Let’s get started!

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.

• Transformers Solid font
• Dark Metal texture from Texturemate.com
• Brushed Metal Pattern

Step 1

Make a new .PSD document, 1000 x 500 pixels, RGB color, 100 dpi and grey background (color #33333). Create a new layer and fill it with brushed metal pattern from tutorial assets section (any metal texture will do though). Now using the Blending Options, fill this layer with a Light Blue color and set the blending options to “Overlay”. Finally if you want you can add a gradient that include several white and grey tones, with a bright area in order to create a better effect for the background.

Step 2

Now create the text using this font: Transformers Solid. Use these settings: 70 pt – Anti-Alias: Sharp. Now rename this text: “3D”. Then go in the menu Layer > Layer Styles > Blending Options and use these settings:

Step 3

Duplicate the text and rename it “Base”. Right click on his layer and click to “Clear Layer Style” or in the Styles Palette click on the first style “Default style (None)” (It’s the same thing). Now move this text slightly to the right in order to create a “pseudo 3D effect” with the text below (Look the Step image). Then go in the menu Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use these settings:

Step 4

Duplicate the text “Base”. Right click on his layer and click to “Clear Layer Style”. In the Blending Options menu on the right set the fill to 0%. Now and use these settings in the menu Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options:

Step 5

Your text effect is almost completed. Now we have to create a text reflection. Insert all 3 levels of the text effect in a group. Duplicate this group. Right click on it and click to “Convert To Smart Object”. Right click on it again and click to “Rasterize Layer”. Then go in menu Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical. Now move it as the image shown and then with the Eraser Tool delete as long as you want in order to create a realistic reflection. Finally to make the text effect nicer I added some sparks with simple brushes and color lights with soft brushes.

Conclusion

Now your text effect is completed!

Toodledo is a service that’s been around for a while, that lets you manage tasks, notes, collaborate with friends and provides a huge set of features. So does their iPhone app, so let’s take a look at what it can do for you.

Getting Started

Tapping on Add Task will take you to a very simple form, where you can enter the task’s details and hit Add Task again to save it. For simple tasks, this is all you’ll probably need, but there are a lot more options if you feel like customizing it. Simply tap on Edit Details and you’ll get a lot more to change. For example, you can set the due date, add an alarm, change the task’s priority or even set a repeating pattern.

Adding a task, and setting a due date.

Tapping on Edit Details kind of automatically saves the task, so if you regret adding it, you’ll have to go to All Tasks and delete it from there.

Viewing Your Tasks

There are many ways to look at what you need to do. In All Tasks you’re literally viewing all your tasks. They’re sorted by importance by default, although you can change that by tapping right below the Add Task button. You can choose to sort alphabetically, by due date, even by distance from a specific location (which is kinda cool). The great thing about these options is that you can sort by, say, importance, then alphabetically and then by distance, for example. You can also choose different filters, where you can show tasks that are already done, hide them or just show the recent ones.

Different task views, and sorted by importance.

There are many other views, like the Folders option, where tasks are sorted by folders you specify when you create a task. One of my favourites is Locations, where you can actually view tasks on a map. If you specify locations for your tasks, you can see which ones are closer so you know where to go to get things done.

View your tasks on a map — take that Reminders app!

Location Based Reminders

This is worth mentioning and has its own section because it’s a great feature, but is a little hard to configure. First, go to the Settings pane and tap on Fields & Defaults. There, scroll to the bottom and under Unused Fields you’ll find one named Location. Drag it to the top so it sits under Fields Used. Go back, and you’ll see two more options under the Tasks category: Location Alarms and Locations. Tap on Location Alarms and turn the Get Alerts switch to ON. Customize the other options to your heart’s desire, but be sure to leave the Auto option selected, since this tells Toodledo to use your device’s location services.

Drag the Location field to the top, then enable Get Alerts.

Now, when adding a task, edit its details, and tap on Location. There, add a new one. Type a recognizable name like Home or Work, and set the location using the map. This way, when you get close to the location you set, Toodledo will remind you.

Customizing Your Experience

Toodledo has got to be one of the most customizable apps out there. The bad part is that it’s kinda hard to discover all of its features. Like the location based reminders I talked about in the previous section, there are many other features and task views you can unlock simply by diving into the settings. For example, go to the Settings pane, hit Fields & Defaults and slide the Tag option to the top. This will allow you to add tags to your tasks, and view them on the start page accordingly. You can do the same with contexts, for example, and even the reverse. Not really using the Starred Tasks feature? Simply slide that field to the bottom and it will disappear. That’s customization, alright.

Set up syncing to back up your tasks and notes.

Apart from the latter, you can set up syncing so all your tasks are backed up with Toodledo’s site. You can create an account right from within the app and sync everything. This is great since you can then use Toodledo from your browser if you’re on your desktop. You can also choose to use app badges and change the app’s start page, so you’re right where you want to when you fire up the app.

Final Thoughts

The app’s design seems a little weird at first, mostly because the icons don’t look like iPhone material. Appigo’s Todo app comes to mind here, where it has beautiful icons that go perfectly with iOS’ UI. Another thing that bothered me is the fact that you have to set a due date (and a due time) to set an alarm for a task. I prefer the way Apple’s Reminders app works, where you simply set an alarm and that’s it.

The thing I really liked is that you can customize the app to fit your needs very precisely. If you don’t need to star your tasks, simply remove that feature. Less clutter means less to worry about and more tasks getting done.

If you need more power than Apple’s Reminders, give Toodledo a shot, you will probably not regret it.

Hop in and get your game on!

Blot

Blot is a clone. It’s a strange, artsy clone of the very famous Jetpack Joyride from Halfbrick Studios, and somehow that doesn’t detract from its charm or fun.

You’ll control a blob of ink called Blot, and using the one-touch controls you will struggle to keep him safe as he speeds through gorgeous hand-sketched landscapes, avoiding floating pencils, pins and all sorts of obstacles. Collecting coins is a good way to work toward purchasing cool costumes and tools in the shop, and there are also “boost buddies” to keep an eye out for — they’ll help you achieve an invincible, Mario-style ultra mode where you can breeze along without fear.

One interesting aspect that differentiates Blot is the inclusion of ink colours. Dipping Blot in various colours will grant him certain abilities that help make progress easier against certain obstacles. This, combined with the tools you can buy are what makes Blot feel special, and with any luck the developers at Majestic Software will focus on these distinguishing elements for their future updates. Blot remains a very fun, if familiar, game.

Price: $0.99
Developer: Majestic Software
Download: App Store

Paper Monsters

Paper Monsters is one of the rare ones, folks. Somewhere between LittleBigPlanet and Paper Mario, this new title from Crescent Moon Games is an impeccably crafted side scroller with incredible visuals, charismatic characters, secretsand strong music.

The responsive controls will allow you to make your way through the game’s four worlds, and besides the usual running and jumping, you occasionally find yourself controlling vehicles, which add some diversity to the experience. Perhaps the coolest part is that, alongside the main game, there’s a separate mode called Dash that turns the game into an endless runner for some extra excitement.

Though it plays like an homage to the Mario series through and through, Paper Monsters is overwhelmingly beautiful and has emerged from its long development period as a perfectly tuned example of the genre, one that no one should miss out on.

Price: $0.99
Developer: Crescent Moon Games
Download: App Store

My Army

What happens when you mix a war game with social gaming? Well, something like My Army.

At its core, it’s a game where you use a clever combination of tilt and swipe/tap controls to guide your squadron through hostile territory, but what makes it special is the fact that your squad is made up of friends that you recruit yourself — from Facebook. As you tilt to steer your men through the action, you’ll have to tap on incoming mortar shells to detonate them before they strike you, and you must swipe at bombs to direct them away from your people.

Objectives help keep you busy as you make your way through the levels, and the fact that you’re playing with friends as avatars makes the action feel more intense. There are various points and ranks to be achieved, and you’ll also have a variety of Game Center achievements to work toward earning. Overall, a fun and straightforward combat game that’s easy to get into and socially savvy.

Price: $0.99
Developer: Bad Puppet
Download: App Store

Zombie Bunnies

Zombies we’ve seen, evil scientists we’ve seen … but zombie bunnies? Now we’re talking. Lavafish Studios brings us this quirky combination in order to tell the story of Good Dr. Bunny, whose experiments go awry and morph him into the evil Dr. Hare.

As you fly through the levels in his Bunny Ship (of Evil), you will use Dr. Hare’s zombie bunny minions to sow destruction and collect points. Citizens, structures, animals and anything else that gets in your way is just another target for your vicious zombie bunnies. Gameplay revolves around the completion of specific objectives that allow you to unlock upgrades to the Bunny Ship, as well as four different kinds of zombie bunnies.

The levels in the game are procedurally generated, and there are many levels of difficulty, so it’s nearly impossible to run out of things to keep you entertained in this strange little destruction simulator. Highly recommended and very addictive!

Price: $0.99
Developer: Lavafish Studios
Download: App Store

Dungeon Crawlers

As the title suggests, Dungeon Crawlers borrows many concepts from RPGs of old, though it presents them in a turn-based system that shifts the focus from mindless hacking and slashing to smart tactics that maximize your equipment and skills.

A sense of humour helps draw you into the story, and the distinct characters make it easy to get immersed in the game’s 3D world. Frequent references to popular fantasy classics bring in a healthy dose of laughter, but the self-referential humour is easy-going and well placed so that you won’t often find yourself distracted by it.

It goes without saying that there is a good amount of content in the game, but the best part is that the developers, Drowning Monkeys, have promised extensive and frequent content updates to help keep the game fresh and captivating. Any fan of the fantasy genre will find Dungeon Crawlers worthy of their attention, especially if you like your games with a bit of strategy built in.

Price: $1.99
Developer: Drowning Monkeys LLC
Download: App Store

What Have You Been Playing?

We hope you enjoy playing through some of these titles, but if you have your hands full with other games that we haven’t mentioned, we welcome your suggestions in the comments!

  

Every now and then, we release useful freebies for all of our highly valued readers. Today, it is our pleasure to present to you Cuberto‘s fantastic St. Valentine’s icon set  —  exclusively designed for Smashing Magazine and its loyal readers. The icons presented are available in transparent PNGs as well as Photoshop PSDs (128×128 px) and are perfect for any projects you have coming up for St. Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!

Download the Set for free!

This icon set is completely free to use for commercial or personal applications without any restrictions. Please link to this article if you want to spread the word.

• large preview
• download the .zip-package (.zip, 2 Mb)

Initial sketches of Cuberto’s St. Valentine’s icon set.

Quick preview of the icons in the set.

Behind the Design

As always, here are some insights from the designers:

“Our goal was not only to create nice icons but also a functional set that can be used in navigation elements as well as gifts throughout social networks on the upcoming sweet Valentine’s day. Please link to this article if you want to spread the word.”
 —  Peace and Love

Thanks Cuberto, we sincerely appreciate your time and your intentions!

(il)

© Smashing Editorial Team for Smashing Magazine, 2012.

Applying the right atmosphere and lighting to your artwork can be a tricky task. In this Tuts+ Premium tutorial, author Wojciech Pijecki will explain how to create a mechanically enhanced subject, in a sci-fi environment, using advanced shading techniques in Photoshop. This tutorial is available exclusively to Tuts+ Premium Members. If you are looking to take your photo manipulation and retouching skills to the next level then Log in or Join Now to get started!

Tuts+ Premium Members can login now for instant access to this tutorial. Membership to Tuts+ Premium gets you access to hundreds of exclusive premium tutorials, top selling ebooks, in-depth courses, member forums, and much more. To learn more about Tuts+ Premium, Take the Tour or Join Today.

DuckDuckGo Search is a very simple engine which borrows a lot of traits from Google’s UI. Their search functionality is easy to use and also includes extra features for custom searches — in this way you can limit to specific domain names or even search in alternate places such as Wikipedia. Their web app is certainly fantastic, but the company has done an even better job for their iOS app, which we’ll delve into after the break.

Launching the App

On first startup, the app runs very clean with almost no distractions. The layout is created from a tab bar with four icons labeled Search, Bang, Bookmarks and About.

Initially launching DuckDuckGo

In the search view, you have easy access to entering keywords located in the top bar. If you’ve used the app previously, then all your history of recent searches will display in the background view. You can tap any cell in the table to immediately display search results related to those keywords, which is great functionality for a search engine to adopt! You can alternatively choose not to record your history in the app’s settings.

On the results page each link is split up with a larger site description. I feel this can actually be very annoying and difficult to sort through. These descriptions don’t always provide context for the website, so it’s difficult to gauge how useful the website will be.

Mobile Search Results

As you move through search links, the HTML page will render into a mobile browser window. The top toolbar appends some handy function icons to go forward/back in page history, reload the current page or access a more detailed sub-menu.

You can also easily bookmark specific websites or share links with your Instapaper or Twitter account. DuckDuckGo boasts a whole slew of unique functionality. There is even a button used to re-open the current page in Mobile Safari if you prefer.

"web design" keyword search

The rendering engine is pristine and appears similar to Opera Mobile. Page transitions are very snappy — a big +1 in my book. I can’t stand slow applications and especially slow animation in search engines.

Down at the very bottom of each search result page is a small button to load more results. By default, DuckDuckGo limits the amount of links pulled out. This helps to reduce load time and gives you more accurate results to choose from. Notice, you can always tap the back button in the top-right corner to select a new set of keywords.

Using !Bang Filters

The terminology comes off as a bit silly, but the inner-workings of their search filter is profound. By quickly scrolling through the list of suggested websites you can perform a !bang search limited to another website URL. There are practically hundreds of different choices, even options including foreign websites like Amazon Germany.

There are plenty of practical uses for these filters. You may quickly pull results out from a number of infamous websites, and there are new domains added frequently. The developers have spent a long time building up this system and I really enjoy it!

Say you want to look up dog bowls on Amazon. Simply type: !amazon dog bowls and you’ll be taken to Amazon’s website, where you’ll get search results for dog bowls. This has to be one of the coolest features available in DuckDuckGo.

Accessing More Data

If you are confused about all these different !bang concepts, don’t worry. The developers have made things a bit easier so you don’t need to jump online and research this yourself.

special !bang searches

On the About tab you’ll find another small table view of links. These are mostly attached to pages on their website which actually load optimized for mobile settings. The first and second links read Goodies and Bang, respectively. Just going through these two pages should give you a much better idea about how their search engine functions.

Additionally, you’ll find a whole set of other handy links below. Their About and FAQ pages are an absolute must-read for newbies. This holds especially true for those interested in search engines who have never even heard of DDG before.

Keeping Things Simple

My favorite point to make about this application is within its simplicity. There is nothing too difficult to understand about searching with DuckDuckGo. The developers have documented custom bang searches making them super easy for anybody to use.

Additionally, the main search page features such a minimalist layout. There is plenty of room to fit the keyboard and search bar. Since the results are loaded within another view, the history of search keywords is a nice extra page effect.

extra web browsing features

Notably, the Bookmarks feature isn’t exactly the most handy. If you are a big fan of DuckDuckGo then you’ll likely find yourself within the app more than anywhere else. In this scenario you may be hitting the bookmarks menu more often than not!

Conclusion

Whether you’ve heard about this search engine before or are just being introduced, DuckDuckGo is a fantastic iOS application. It’s completely free to download and you will not regret giving it a shot. I am still a huge fan of Google — it’s set as the default home page on all my computers — but on your iPhone you’re in a completely different world.

Having an alternate search app can come in very handy at certain times. Not to mention that Mobile Safari, while great, can be very limiting in it’s own regard. I have to highly recommend that new users give DuckDuckGo a fair shot. You may discover some really cool features and develop a bond with this wonderful piece of modern search engine technology.

ImGame is a revolutionary idea which attracts gamers of all crowds! The app behaves as a check-in social network where you can share what game(s) you’re playing. Check-ins are performed in real time and you can even accept push notifications for when your friends are online too. Find out more after the jump.

Getting Started

When you first open the app you’re introduced with two options: you can either log in with an existing username or register a new account. It’s unlikely you already have an ImGame account, so hit the new account button and you’re brought to a fairly complex sign-up view.

ImGame signup registration form

All of the fields are required except for uploading a custom avatar. You’ll to have to enter a unique username, your first and last name, e-mail address, along with a secure password.

Alternate forms for new users

On the second page you’re offered the chance to fill out additional profile information. None of these fields are required, but they help your profile stand out a bit more in the community. If you connect with a Twitter or Facebook account, you can also choose to share each of your check-ins with those services. Adding game network accounts doesn’t affect your profile itself, but it does give other users options to contact you via alternate means.

Managing your Check-ins

From the main view you’ll notice three tab icons. The first is your activity feed set by default and it displays a list of all your friends’ check-ins. You will also appear in this feed, and if you tap on individual check-ins you can leave comments. It’s a great way to interact with your fellow gamers!

Now if you tap on the middle button, this brings up the check-in screen. On this view you can search for a specific game title or choose from a list of your most recent check-ins. Each game is displayed with box artwork and a tag referencing a specific console system. This is very useful when you are searching through popular titles that have been released on more than one console (Wii, PC, PS3, Xbox).

Live friend's activity list

Tap to select your game and this brings up the check-in screen. Similar to Foursquare, you are given a small space to enter some additional comments. If you choose to share your check-in on Twitter or Facebook, this comment is also appended. But notice this is an entirely optional process and you can check-in without any additional comment.

I really like this feature and how familiar the controls are. It works splendid as a check-in mobile app with a unique twist. Plus the more you check-in the more tokens you can discover!

Unlocking Points & Tokens

For each check-in you receive a set number of points added to your account total. Over time this builds up reputation and you can even unlock small tokens to display on your profile. Granted, this isn’t the only way to unlock tokens, but possibly the easiest.

The creators of ImGame were crafty to implement such a accessible token system. This mimics the rewards system of Foursquare where you can unlock badges as you go from place-to-place. It’s a brilliant strategy of game mechanics which keeps players interested in checking into more diverse titles.

Profile tokens listing

It’s definitely possible that the developers will release new tokens as time goes on. I’ve seen some really brilliant ideas including retro tokens, FPS, and I even unlocked one as a beta tester for the app. The game is always ongoing and it’s a blast to follow along with your friends.

Connecting with Others

In the final tab view is your personal profile. This includes your total number of check-ins, points, tokens and friends list. A fun feature, “pwnerships,” tallies the total number of games you are pwning right now. This list is calculated to include the games you’ve checked into the most, and other players can easily take away your pwnership with enough check-ins. It’s almost like a mayorship status for video games.

User profile view display

Also towards the bottom of each profile you can find a list of popular game network IDs such as PSN, Xbox Live, iOS Game Center, etc. This is possibly one of my favorite features added into ImGame. It lets players connect outside of the app who would have likely never met each other before.

But another alternative to finding friends is to use the search page. This can be accessed from the top right button found on your profile view. The network isn’t large at all, so there aren’t a whole lot of players currently active. But it’s still very easy to locate your friends search by username and by digging through other profiles.

Conclusion

I am really impressed with the progress coming out from ImGame. The two founders, Joshua Corliss and James Hall, have been working tirelessly to pump out bug fixes and updates. The service has come a long way since beta testing and there is still plenty of room for improvement. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and really enjoy gaming I highly recommend trying out this new social network. It’s 100-percent free to download and boasts some very impressive features.

We recently showed you the first sneak peek of Photoshop CS6 by Senior Photoshop Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes. Today, Photoshop Product Manager Zorana Gee released a new video showing even more features of CS6. In this video Zorana will explain two really nice enhancements to Photoshop; Background Save and some performance tweaks to Liquify.

The first feature that Zorana shows is Background Save. This is a feature that many users have been asking for. It will allow you to save your file and then continue working while the file is being saved.

Another fantastic feature that Zorana demonstrates is a performance tweak to Liquify. If you’ve ever worked in Liquify, you know that you can’t expand your brush beyond 1500 pixels. This is frustrating if you’re working on a really big image. In this video, Zorana works well beyond 1500 pixels. In addition, the Photoshop team has also improved the performance of Liquify so that it doesn’t tile. You can now use Liquify in real-time with no lag.

Layer comps are a great way to organize content inside Photoshop files. They allow you to save multiple design ideas in a single PSD while reducing the need to create duplicate layers. As you’ll see in this tutorial, layer comps can flow from Photoshop to InDesign making your workflow even more efficient. Let’s get started!

Tutorial Assets

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