I have been struggling with WordPress.org for what seems like weeks. I find the simplest things take hours of fiddling, experiment and hair tearing frustration. I feel as though I have landed on another planet where there is no visible light, just infrared, but a) I do not know this and am bludering around in the dark and b) I need to simply switch on my infrared filter which would allow me to see but I can't find the switch. I have tried mining the WP codex but find it is written in infrared (if you see what I mean)... I have even tried WP for Dummies, but it too appears to be written for someone else.
The general impression is that it is easy to get started with WP. I have not found this to be the case.
I think I have found out why I am having such a hard time. I am used to creating static sites in PHP using a WYSIWYG authoring package. If I want text or a graphic somewhere I just open a text box or image and drag it there, I right click it and enter a URL to make a link etc. I understand that this has it's limitations, which is why I want to move some of my sites over to WP.
BUT, the transition to a theme based system is difficult. It would probably be easier if I had never used any other system. WP also defaults to the 'blog' model (for understandable reasons). Every page 'thinks' you want it to be a blog, with comments. I just cannot get used to this as most of my previous sites have been based on static pages, indeed I did not even know they were called static pages until I started using WP - I just thought of them as pages.
I would just love to find some advice on how to make the transition from static sites to a theme based CMS system - and maybe a guide to WP written by someone like me.
Surely I cannot be the only person who is having this problem... I will get there in the end, but my progress is soooooo slow. If anyone can point me at a resource which may shed some light into the gloomy cave that is WP I would be immensely grateful.
Thanks - RPJ
PS: If no one is able to help me, I promise to write the guide I when I find out.