I have over 20+ years experience in the computer world. I’ve done everything from hardware to software to radio.
In a recent project for a web client, I am currently working to move them from WordPress to a static site. The problem is that we do not want WordPress to be involved. Not even as a headless CMS for this new site.
This meant I had to figure out a way to get that data out of the current site into files that I can use in the new static site.
Being more than just a JavaScript developer
Thinking through the problem I realized the simpliest solution was to have all the content currently on the WordPress site exported into markdown files that I could use in the SSG.
The simpliest solution I came up with was to use Python, have it connect via GraphQL to the Wordpress site, query the nodes and data I needed and then output a new markdown file with my SSG’s specific format for markdown files.
The result revealed duplicatate information. This is now being fixed by the client on the current main WP site, while I use the new markdown files as part of my development process.
The client can now continue to update the site till the new SSG is ready. I can then run my script again, then check for dups before worrying about building the new site.
Learn the fundamentals
I can’t share my scripts here, nor any information about the client, but I am reminded how important it is to understand the fundamentals of programming.
Who cares what language you use? If you understand the core concepts such as loops, conditionals, reading and writing files, streams, etc, you simply have to find the syntax for that language.
Realistically though, you need to understand how a program, script, or app, will only do what you tell it to do. So being able to break your problem down into steps, and then write the code to handle each step, is one of the most important skills you have as a developer.