The Ultimate TinyMCE Editor for WordPress
The default WordPress editor is designed for 80% of people. It’s simple to understand, simple to use and simple in terms of features.
However, advanced WordPress users often need more features and the Ultimate TinyMCE plugin is a good choice for them.
Here’s is a short guide to Ultimate TinyMCE.
Step 1: Installation
- Install the plugin by going to Plugins > Add New and searching for Ultimate TinyMCE.
- Click Install.
- After installation, click the Ultimate Tinymce Settings Page link to begin setup. You can also access the settings at any time from the dashboard menu Settings > Ultimate TinyMCE.
Step 2: Add buttons to your editing toolbar
- Go to the Default Settings Tab.
- Check the confirmation box > Load Defaults. If you don’t do this, you will only see standard buttons and won’t see any of the Ultimate TinyMCE buttons.
Below is a view of the default Ultimate TinyMCE set up. When you go to view the editor, remember you might need to click the “show/hide kitchen sink” button in row 1 of your editor to expand the number of rows.
Step 3: Adjust your view if needed
The full Ultimate TinyMCE screen makes for a pretty wide toolbar. In fact, it’s can be so wide that and you might find that it’s partially hidden behind your admin area widgets as in the image below. If this happens, you can edit the button list and remove or move some of the buttons.
Scroll down on the page and you’ll see the controls for the buttons and how you can choose to show/hide them and assign them to rows.
To manually assign your buttons to rows, set all buttons used in “Group One Buttons” to Row 3 and set all buttons used in “Group Two Buttons” to Row 4. This is only recommended and is not mandatory.
It also makes for a really crowded menu. When you’re in production you want to move as fast as you can, so eliminate any buttons you don’t think you’re going to use. Here’s what mine looks like after I eliminated unnecessary buttons. They buttons perfectly and only show the options I use most.
Ultimate TinyMCE also has an option to put a quick link on the admin bar at the top. This allows you quick access to add something back if you need it in a hurry.
If you want the full menu, but still have problems with it being hidden, you could change your Screen Options to show only one column. The width of the toolbar will also vary with your resolution.
Tip: If you’re on a PC, hold down the CTRL key and try rolling your mouse wheel to instantly adjust the size of your display to make it fit. Or permanently change the resolution on your monitor.
Unique Features to Ultimate TinyMCE
Ultimate TinyMCE comes with a shortcode dropdown that will automatically let you choose short code and instantly paste it.
When you are adding buttons to your toolbar, be sure to review all the miscellaneous buttons you can add. These can be a big help. There are also several plugins that will give you even more capabilities. These are available from the settings page.
This is like a carpenter sharpening a saw. Sharper tools make the work go faster and with less effort. It might seem like a small thing, but it really does make editing easier.
Cool, I’ve actually installed loads of little plugins that add the various features that are listed here.
Looks like the ultimate version is a good compilation.
Hi, Ultimate Tinymce developer here. I really appreciate your very informative write-up. It is posts like these that make it really easy for the masses to know they are getting a great plugin!
– Josh Lobe
Excellent post! Thank you so much for the time you put into this!
And to Josh, thanks for the great plug in! Thanks Mary
Love these tools. I am self taught to WP and blogging. I have been pulling my hair out until I found these tools.
Before I go after another plugin, do you have a way or a button to add widgets to pages or posts?