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barrd.dev
Dave Barr
@barrd.dev
220 followers 200 following 73 posts
✫ Mostly Harmless WordPress Web Developer
✫ Co-Organiser @bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social‬
✫ Website: https://barrd.dev
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barrd.dev
Dave Barr @barrd.dev · Nov 27
The obligatory #Introduction post. I'm Dave, a Celtic techie that currently lives in #Bristol.

Some hashtags that cover my interests;
#WebDev #a11y #WordPress #11ty #Guitar #SciFi #Reading

🦣 mastodon.social/@barrd
barrd.dev
Safely render SVGs in WordPress by creating a custom wp_kses based escaping function that passes PHPCS, keeps security intact and preserves code.

barrd.dev/article/word...
WordPress, safely outputting SVGs without fighting PHPCS : barrd.dev
Safely render SVGs in WordPress by creating a custom wp_kses based escaping function that passes PHPCS, keeps security intact & preserves code.
barrd.dev
December 5, 2025 at 9:19 PM
barrd.dev
My sister “doing what she does best” making music and therefore spreading happiness. 😊
shirley-sings.bsky.social Shirley Barr @shirley-sings.bsky.social · 2d
It’s #bandcampfriday, I have a new single available to preorder, and I’m sharing a wee taste of this outrageously good Looper video created by the magical Marry Waterson to celebrate its release ❄️

You can preorder via Linktree in bio or via shirleybarrmusic.com

#wintersmith #independentmusic
December 5, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
🔥 Atomic Smash is hiring a Full Stack PHP Support Developer (£35–40k DOE). Office-first (3 days/wk, UK-only). WordPress / WooCommerce sites.

Strong PHP, WP, Woo, HTML/CSS/SASS, DNS + server skills needed. Learning time, flexible hours.

Full details 👇
bristolcreativeindustries.com/job/atomic-s...
Atomic Smash - Full Stack PHP Support Developer | Bristol Creative Industries
Read more about the Atomic Smash - Full Stack PHP Support Developer role, job benefits, company details and how to apply for the position.
bristolcreativeindustries.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:21 AM
barrd.dev
SpinupWP + Cloudflare plugin from Webreact auto-syncs cache purges, simplifying site updates with easy setup and one-click Admin Bar control.

barrd.dev/article/word...
WordPress, combined purge of Cloudflare + SpinupWP caches : barrd.dev
WordPress, SpinupWP + Cloudflare plugin auto-syncs cache purges, simplifying site updates with easy setup and one-click Admin Bar controls.
barrd.dev
November 29, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
✨ Don’t miss out on our Christmas Party! ✨

To enter the festive raffle, you’ll need to be signed up on Meetup and be there on the night. We will have some exciting prizes, drinks, and tasty light bites waiting, so just bring your festive spirit! 🎁 🎄

👉 www.meetup.com/bristol-word...
Bristol WordPress People Christmas Social , Tue, Dec 2, 2025, 6:30 PM | Meetup
We know you love attending our talks and that you always want to learn more about WordPress, however for our December event we have decided to instead hold a Christmas Soci
www.meetup.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:42 AM
barrd.dev
Wishing my beautiful, talented sister @shirley-sings.bsky.social an amazing birthday 🎉 where she's spoilt rotten. 😁

Hope there's lots of cake 🎂

Big love from big brother! 💚
Four people sit on a long sofa striking some slightly odd poses. There is food and it is being eaten.
November 8, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
Last night’s talk, “Beyond Contact Forms: Building a Conversion System” by Jon Payne, had the room laughing and learning! 🎉 Insightful, practical, and hilarious. Huge thanks to Jon for an amazing session and to everyone who joined us!

#WordPress #BristolWP
Jon Payne stands in front of a presentation screen in a modern indoor space, opening his jacket to reveal a t-shirt that reads "DATA IS THE NEW BACON." The presentation screen behind him displays the title "Beyond The Click: Designing A Conversion System." Jon Payne stands in a cozy room in front of a round table with two laptops, speaking to an audience. he is wearing a shirt that reads "DATA IS THE NEW BACON." Behind him, a presentation slide is displayed on a large screen with the heading "Mentor" and the phrase "Not another bloody dashboard!" partially visible next to an image of a baby. A group of people gather in a bright, modern room for a social event. Several individuals stand around a counter with snacks, drinks, and WordPress-themed swag like stickers, badges, and pens. A prominent sign on the counter reads “Bristol WordPress People,” describing a meetup for local WordPress developers, designers, and publishers. Some attendees are chatting or holding plates and drinks, creating a casual, welcoming atmosphere. In the background, more people are seated on couches and chairs, with large windows, potted plants, and warm lighting enhancing the friendly setting. Logos of sponsors for the Bristol WordPress People group. From top left to bottom right: 34SP.com, Bristol WordPress People Logo, Atomic Smash, Defended.net, Turbo Admin, The Curious Network, and Kinsta in the center.
November 5, 2025 at 2:36 PM
barrd.dev
Happy Halloween! 👻 🎃

#Halloween #Github
Github's annual colour change of the contributions table.
October 31, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
Go beyond the form! Join Jon Payne as he reveals how to turn fleeting enquiries into real revenue. In “Beyond Contact Forms: Building a Conversion System”, you’ll learn to transform lead capture into lasting client wins.

Don’t just collect leads - convert them!

www.meetup.com/bristol-word...
Featured image for Jon Payne's talk entitled “Beyond Contact Forms: Building a Conversion System.”
October 29, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
Jonny Allbut’s “Web Developers Guide to Understanding Common UX Pain Points That Frustrate Users” slides are now available!

There's an additional slide with useful tools including the A/B testing tool he mentioned at the event.

docs.google.com/presentation...
PUBLIC VERSION: Bristol WP Meetup Oct 2025 - A Web Developer's Guide to Understanding Common UX Pain Points That Frustrate Users
jaskcreative.co.uk A Web Developer’s Guide to… Understanding Common UX Pain Points That Frustrate Users Jonny Allbut / UX Specialist (and WP Fanboi!) Tuesday October 7th 2025
docs.google.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:37 AM
barrd.dev
Got an hour off. Having a play.

#IYKYK
A character with dark hair, wearing a red jacket and green shorts, stands on stone steps beside a checklist. The list shows five tasks, four crossed out and one remaining: “Falling off the corporate ladder (0/3).” Icons for music, clothing, and a smiling face appear on the right side of the screen.
October 10, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
Fantastic session at the Bristol WordPress Meetup! Huge thanks to Jonny Allbut for sharing his “Web Developer’s Guide to Common UX Pain Points” — plenty of practical takeaways to make our sites smoother and more user-friendly.

#WordPress #UX #Bristol
Jonny Allbut gives a presentation at the Bristol WordPress Meetup, speaking to an attentive audience in a cosy, modern room. The slide on screen reads “Understanding Common UX Pain Points That Frustrate Users.” Jonny Allbut presents at the Bristol WordPress Meetup, speaking to a small audience in a relaxed, modern space. His slide reads “Park bias. Put yourself in the user's shoes.” A row of catering boxes on a counter filled with assorted finger foods, including sandwiches, pastries, and snacks, in a kitchen setting. Michael, Janice and Beccy stand and chat at a WordPress meetup event in Bristol. In the foreground, a table displays Kinsta branded pens, stickers, and red keyring bottle openers, along with a sign reading "Bristol WordPress People" describing the local meetup group. A screen in the background displays the same logo in a brightly lit, modern venue.
October 8, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
Our next meetup is on Tuesday, October 7th, at Temple Studios. Jonny Allbut will be presenting 'A web developer's guide to understanding UX pain points that frustrate users'. Sign up on our Meetup Page;

www.meetup.com/bristol-word...
Web developers guide to understanding common UX pain points that frustrate users, Tue, Oct 7, 2025, 6:30 PM | Meetup
Ever wondered why users abandon your beautifully crafted website faster than you can say "conversion rate"? Join us in October for "A Web Developer's Guide to Understandin
www.meetup.com
September 30, 2025 at 8:54 AM
barrd.dev
I wrote a short article about the relatively new #WordPress plugin 'Cimo Image Optimizer & WebP Converter' which I've put to work on my site and will be moving over to on others. “It's a kind of magic.” 🪄 🔥

barrd.dev/article/word...
WordPress, automatically convert & upload WebP files using Cimo plugin : barrd.dev
Occasionally there's a great bit of software that does one job and does it perfectly, Cimo converts & uploads to WebP format locally for free.
barrd.dev
October 1, 2025 at 10:35 AM
barrd.dev
I'm trying out the @vivaldi.com Browser again and attempting to get past my (admittedly personal) myriad list of annoyances. Fixing the contextual menus by reconf'ing them has been a small step forward.

barrd.dev/article/edit...
Edit the developer tools contextual menus in Vivaldi : barrd.dev
Fed up of having Vivaldi Developer Tools in a submenu inside the of the contextual menus? Find out how to configure them to match your needs.
barrd.dev
September 18, 2025 at 9:59 AM
barrd.dev
Went for a matinee viewing of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” and got caught in a downpour on the way home the likes of which I haven't experienced since living in Lisbon. Drenched doesn't cover it. ;) 🌧️ ☔️
September 13, 2025 at 4:41 PM
barrd.dev
~Writing, just because I'm trying to get back into it again. This time it's a basic explanation of how to dequeue 3rd party plugin JavaScripts in #WordPress conditionally.

Simples.

barrd.dev/article/word...
WordPress, conditionally dequeue 3rd party plugin JavaScripts : barrd.dev
There are times a 3rd party plugin will add JavaScript when it's not needed, I'll show you how to dequeue using built in WordPress functions.
barrd.dev
September 9, 2025 at 8:40 AM
barrd.dev
Congratulations to my v.talented sister. Here's to the next (and even better year) Shirls! 💚
shirley-sings.bsky.social Shirley Barr @shirley-sings.bsky.social · Sep 6
Blink & it’s gone!

1 year since I celebrated the release of BBB with its launch @uhallpromo.bsky.social with epic live band + support from Beth Porter

Grateful to all the lovely humans who contributed to EP recording, & launch night & for where the music's taken me since 💚

EP 👉 bit.ly/BBBandC
September 8, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
We had a fantastic session last Tuesday with Jamie Marsland on “The Best AI Tools for WordPress (That I’ve Seen So Far)”, you can relive the highlights by downloading a PDF of his slideshow using the link below. 👇

🔥 drive.google.com/file/d/18AiD...
The best AI tools for WordPress.pdf
drive.google.com
September 8, 2025 at 7:12 AM
barrd.dev
I wrote about something I've been playing with for the last few days when a mate asked me to implement it on a couple of his WordPress sites.

Setting up Cloudflare Web Analytics (with a hint of WordPress thrown in.)

barrd.dev/article/word...
WordPress, configuration and setup for Cloudflare web analytics : barrd.dev
If you're interested in getting Cloudflare Web Analytics up & running I've covered some pain points inc. how to properly enqueue for WordPress
barrd.dev
September 5, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
Jamie Marsland's talk was inspiring last night! We came away much more knowledgeable about AI tools for #WordPress and loaded down with swag from one of our sponsors, thanks to Kinsta. Thanks also to our other sponsors 34SP and Defended dot net, as well as our hosts Atomic Smash and TCN UK.
Jaime runs a demo of an app he created uploading a picture of two organisers to his personal website Jaime runs through the useful tools he's found, this one shows Automattic's new AI product; Telex A sampling of the tasty food we had on offer, sandwiches, pies and other treats Some of the swag on offer from our sponsor Kinsta. Stickers, keyrings and pens
September 3, 2025 at 3:52 PM
barrd.dev
Great night last night at @bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social where we had Jamie Marsland chatting about AI tools for use with WordPress. I even had a chance to chat to some of the attendees... :)
Dave animatedly chatting to a couple of attendees about something very exciting, apparently.
September 3, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by Dave Barr
bristolwpmeetup.bsky.social
There's still spaces left for our September Event 'The Best AI Tools for WordPress (That I’ve Seen So Far)' by Jamie Marsland.

He’ll share impressive AI tools he's come across in the WordPress space — the ones that aren’t just hype but actually useful.

Signup 👉 www.meetup.com/bristol-word...
The Best AI Tools for WordPress (That I’ve Seen So Far), Tue, Sep 2, 2025, 6:30 PM | Meetup
In this talk, I’ll share the most impressive AI tools I’ve come across in the WordPress space — the ones that aren’t just hype, but actually make building and managing site
www.meetup.com
August 27, 2025 at 1:39 PM
barrd.dev
Shout out to Jaime (L2 Technical Support Agent) with @spinupwp.com - who sorted an absolute belter of an issue I had with calm, ease and wonderful SOH.

Appreciated! 🙌 💯🔥
August 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM
barrd.dev
I've finally got round to updating my “How to disable notification sounds in your Mastodon account” article to include the relatively new 'Quotes' notification.

👉 barrd.dev/article/how-...
How to disable notification sounds in your Mastodon account : barrd.dev
Love Mastodon, loathe the annoying notification sounds? Finding where to turn them off is somewhat less than intuitive. I'll show you how.
barrd.dev
August 23, 2025 at 10:20 AM