The Featured Content Addon and the Content Addon API
The #1 most requested feature I get for Soliloquy is to be able to create a slider from featured images from posts. Featured content sliders seem to be abundant in the WordPress world, but they all lack one key feature: query power.
Sure – you can move the caption here and there, select 5 million different color schemes for your text and background.
But sadly enough, not a lot of effort or focus is placed on the ability to grab different and specific types of content that you can grab. The Featured Content Addon for Soliloquy is different. Take a look at some of the query settings for the Addon:
You have complete control over what type of content you want to present. This thing is straight up powerful. You can query multiple post types, multiple taxonomies (custom ones too), select specific posts to include or exclude, sort/order them by any one of the orderby parameters utilized in WP_Query, and the list could go on.
This means that you have the power to display exactly what you want. No more of this “just chose one category and it has to be from Posts” type of stuff.
For example, you’ve got the power in your hands to create custom featured content sliders straight from items categorized as “Design” and “Development” from your Portfolio custom post type.
This will even allow you to query multiple post types AND a shared taxonomy between them at the same time. Nice!
So yes, the Featured Content Addon can do your basic featured posts slider. But it can also do so much more, and I can’t wait to see some of the examples of stuff you create! Remember, Addons are only available to Developer license holders, so if you have a single license and want to upgrade, you can do so straight from your Member’s Area.
As a note, the Featured Content Addon is in Beta 2 and will require Soliloquy 1.3.9 to run. Here’s the rundown for getting it to a stable release:
- Beta 2 is still focused on the query and the query UI. I believe I’ve got all the query pieces worked out, but I’m still making improvements based on your suggestions.
- Beta 3 will add content control to the Addon. This means that you can select to display (or not) titles, excerpts, read more links, content limits, etc.
- RC1 will have all of the above fine tuned along with support for the Preview Addon. I’ll be making adjustments and fixes as they come.
- v1.0.0 release!
You can expect this release next week! 🙂
The Content Addon API
With the Featured Content Addon comes the Content Addon API – a powerful tool to allow me to create any type of content-related addon for Soliloquy. What does this mean for you?
It means that you can expect Addons to make sliders of specific types of content – Instagram, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, text-only slides, and even a mixup of them all.
I’m really excited about the possibilities of this and all the sweet things you can make Soliloquy do! Exciting things are to come!
Anna
I think it’s pathetic and misleading that you have to buy a developer’s license to get access to any of the add ons. The reviews on the wp plugin site are clearly based on the developer’s license version, not the single use license. And the elegant images you have on your site mislead you into thinking that as a single user I will also be able to create galleries and videos with the same features.
Frankly, I can’t see any difference AT ALL in the quality available through the soliloquy lite and the single users license, apart from the fact that you charged me $20.
The slider options provided for single users is no better than that provided by other completely free wp plugins, including your own.
I’m looking forward to posting a review on your plug-in on the wp site. I’ll happy change the review if you decide to provide single license users access to the add-ons upon which the five star reviews are clearly based and with which you built your own Web site.
Thomas Griffin
I’m sorry you feel this way. If you’ve taken any time to run through this site or looked over the pricing page, I’ve made it very clear that Addons are only available to Developer license holders. I’ve done my best to inform you about the product you are purchasing – it is your responsibility to carefully research and discern which option is the best for you.
There is nothing about the home page slider that you couldn’t do with a single site license. I’ve only customized it slightly with CSS, and there are no Addons being used with it. Addons are only on display on their respective pages.
The differences between Soliloquy Lite and Soliloquy are quite clear. Soliloquy uses a faster mechanism for displaying images, allows you much greater control over the slider through the options metabox, allows embedded video support, a slider widget – all coupled with dedicated support and updates. Please don’t blame your purchase on me.
Go ask around in the community and get them to tell you which slider is better. I’ve worked hard to build a good reputation in the community. I’ve helped contribute to WordPress itself, spoken at WordCamps and actively contribute help to the community on the whole. If you think another free slider does better, go ahead and use it – but I guarantee you it won’t have the quality of code, security or speed that Soliloquy features. I fight bling – I don’t make it.
Again, Addons are only for Developer license holders and it will continue to stay that way. It’s a way to provide extra value for those that find the benefit of having modularized code that they can add to and take away from Soliloquy for any given project.
I truly am sorry you feel this way and will strive to make more attempts to ensure that customers know what they are purchasing before they do it.
melvisleon
If don’t want this plugin, don’t BUY! Addons means extra features, like a car with extra features is more expensive than the regular car, RTFM, before buy.
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