One of the things we get asked a lot ever since Directory released is just how it compares to GeoPlaces. Using this blog post I’ll do my best to outline the differences between these two directory themes. Instead of comparing them feature-by-feature I’ve devised several key areas in which these themes differ. Also, at the end of the post you’ll find a quick summary of each theme’s strengths. Quick Links (post index) Theme structure and ease of use Monetization Content management Location management and maps Pricing and summary Theme structure and ease of use Unlike GeoPlaces which is designed as a standalone WordPress theme where all functionality is within the theme folder, Directory is modular. The actual theme (the folder that goes into /wp-content/themes) isn’t in charge for most of the stuff I’ll talk about soon, its main task is to handle the design. The actual functionality is distributed across three main plugins: Tevolution, Tevolution – Directory and Tevolution – Location Manager. As you’d expect just by reading the names, Tevolution is the main star here. The plugin is tasked with handling features such as custom fields, price packages, login/registration and lots more. Because of a built-in caching system within Tevolution, Directory runs much faster than GeoPlaces. You’ll notice this both in the back-end and in the front-end. Also, Directory has been optimized to handle much more content. We’re actually planning on creating a demo site that will run Directory with 100,000 listings. The biggest benefit of modular design is from a development standpoint. With multiple themes relying on the same plugin we can introduce a new feature just by making changes to one plugin, no need to tweak each theme individually. However, this also brings me to it’s biggest drawback – ease of use. With GeoPlaces once you upload and install the theme, you’re ready to go. With Directory this initial process isn’t as simple and we noticed beginners struggling with it back when Tevolution was first introduced. Localization is another thing that is easier to do in GeoPlaces. The main reason for that rests on the fact Directory is made up of four separate folders, meaning you must translate four separate .po files. A good workaround for this is using WPML as the plugin allows you to pull strings from different folders and translate them using its String Translation section. Monetization In GeoPlaces the primary way to make... Read more »
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