How To Use Terraform to Provision and Configure Distributed YugabyteDB Clusters

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Terraform is a popular Infrastructure as Code tool that simplifies the process of creating, managing, and updating infrastructure components. In this blog post, I’ll explore how to use Terraform to effectively provision and configure distributed YugabyteDB Managed clusters.

I will guide you through the process of configuring the YugabyteDB Managed Terraform provider, defining variables, initializing the Terraform project, and adjusting configurations as needed. Let's dive in!

Why the sharp decline in Google indexing?

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Hi there,
I do SEO for my website, and I found the indexed pages declined too much from around 4,000 to no more than 2,000. I had searched for many reasons online, but many of them are superficial. Could you tell me the steps to find out the reason and solve them?
Best regards,
Thanks

How to Animate Gradient Text Using CSS

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Web design takes a captivating turn when CSS comes into play. It enables a world of transformations, such as taking static text elements and infusing them with life. Our focus today is one such engaging transformation – animate gradient text using CSS.

So, let’s demonstrate how a seemingly complex effect can be achieved with a few lines of code.

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Setting Up the Text in the HTML

We begin by defining our text element in HTML, which in this case is a simple heading:

<h1 class="animated-gradient">1stWebDesigner</h1>

Here, we create an <h1> element with a class called “animated-gradient”. This class becomes our anchor for creating the gradient animation in CSS.

Unfolding the Gradient Animation

The core part lies within our CSS. Let’s define the gradient and set it in motion with the following code:

/* Google Fonts for Open Sans */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Open+Sans:wght@700&amp;display=swap');

/* Define animation */
@keyframes gradient-shift {
  0% {background-position: 0%}
  100% {background-position: 100%}
}

/* Styling our animated gradient text */
.animated-gradient {
  font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;
  font-size: 2em;
  background: linear-gradient(270deg, #ff4b59, #ff9057, #ffc764, #50e3c2, #4a90e2, #b8e986, #ff4b59);
  background-size: 200%;
  -webkit-background-clip: text;
  -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent;
  animation: gradient-shift 3s ease-in-out infinite;
}

Our CSS setup does the following:

  • @import url: This directive fetches the Open Sans font from Google Fonts, noted for its modern and clean aesthetics.
  • @keyframes: Here, we define an animation named gradient-shift. This animation creates the illusion of motion in the gradient by shifting the background’s position from 0% to 100%.
  • font-family and font-size: These properties set our text’s font to Open Sans and its size to 2em.
  • background: This property generates a linear gradient using a striking array of colors. The gradient direction is set to 270 degrees, providing a left-to-right color flow.
  • background-size: This property, set to 200%, enlarges the background, contributing to the illusion of movement.
  • -webkit-background-clip and -webkit-text-fill-color: These properties render the text transparent, allowing the animated gradient to shine through.
  • animation: Lastly, we deploy our gradient-shift animation. It uses an ease-in-out timing function for smooth transitions and loops indefinitely, creating an ever-changing cascade of colors.

The Result

And there we have it! Check out the vibrant, animated gradient text:

See the Pen Animated Gradient Text by 1stWebDesigner (@firstwebdesigner) on CodePen.

Final Thoughts

The process of creating the animated gradient text effect is surprisingly straightforward, but the creative opportunities it unveils are far-reaching. With this foundational knowledge, you can experiment with different color schemes and gradient directions, apply the animation to various elements like buttons or headers, and even incorporate subtle animated accents into your design.

Remember, the real beauty of CSS is in its flexibility and power – it provides a vast canvas for creativity. You could also explore further with CSS keyframes to manipulate other properties and add more dynamic animations to your design. Feel free to dive deeper into the world of CSS animations with our guide on CSS keyframes.

Frequency for Performing Database Integrity Checks in SQL Server

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In this article, we will learn some recommendations for checking the database's integrity in an SQL Server. We will see how often we should perform an integrity check and how to automate this process.

What Is Database Integrity?

SQL Server can have problems with the tables, indexes, catalogs, etc. When we check integrity, we verify that there are no consistency errors in the database.

22 Common WordPress Errors and How to Fix Them

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Common WordPress errorsWordPress is a powerful and secure platform, but that doesn’t mean your experience using it will always be smooth. On occasion, you might encounter common WordPress errors while working on your website. Although some of these are harmless, others can have significant consequences, and therefore require immediate attention.

Electronic Data Bedroom Features

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There are a variety of virtual info room features that allow users to work quickly and proficiently. These features include file templates and drag-and-drop upload competencies. These features help to reduces costs of the process of populating a VDR with paperwork and simplifying complex file structures. Additionally, they make that easier to discuss content documents …

Electronic Data Bedroom Features Read More »

How to Select and Use Nested Blocks in WordPress

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Do you want to learn how to select and use nested blocks in WordPress?

The WordPress Gutenberg nested blocks feature allows you to add multiple blocks within a parent block. Then, you can customize different block elements at the same time, organize post content efficiently, and access more design flexibility.

In this article, we will show you how to easily select and use WordPress nested blocks.

Select and use nested blocks in WordPress

What Are WordPress Nested Blocks?

The WordPress Gutenberg nested block feature allows you to insert (or ‘nest’) one or more blocks within another block.

Nested blocks help you create more complex layouts on your WordPress website by adding multiple blocks inside each other. This allows for more flexibility when designing and formatting content for pages and posts.

For instance, you can nest multiple Image blocks within a Group block to display a set of photos from a particular event or a series of artworks created using a particular technique.

Preview of WordPress nested blocks

Moreover, the nested block feature allows you to edit individual blocks separately. This means that you can customize each block according to your needs without affecting the other blocks. In turn, this results in better content organization, makes your content more attractive, and streamlines your content creation process.

That being said, let’s see how you can easily select and use WordPress Gutenberg nested blocks.

How to Use WordPress Nested Blocks

You can easily nest multiple blocks together using the Group or Columns block in the Gutenberg block editor.

First, you need to open up an existing or new post in the block editor from the WordPress admin sidebar.

From here, simply click on the ‘+’ button in the top left corner of the screen and find the ‘Group’ block. Upon clicking it and adding it to the page, you will need to select a layout for the blocks that you will nest together.

For this tutorial, we will be selecting the ‘Group’ layout.

Select Group block from the block menu

Next, simply click on the ‘+’ button on the screen to start adding content within the parent block.

For the sake of this tutorial, we will be adding an Image block.

Add an image block within the Group block

Upon adding the Image block, just click the ‘Group’ button in the block toolbar at the top to select the parent block.

Next, you need to click the ‘+’ button to open up the block menu, from where you can choose other blocks to add.

Open the block menu to add another block within the Group block

How to Configure WordPress Nested Block Settings

Once you have nested multiple blocks, you can configure their individual settings by clicking on each block. This will open up the block settings in the right column on the screen.

From here, you can adjust the background color, text color, and size of the individual blocks without affecting the other blocks that are nested within it.

Configure the individual block settings

To configure the settings of all the nested blocks together, you will have to click the ‘Group’ button in the block toolbar at the top. This will open up the parent block settings in the right column.

You can now configure the justification, orientation, background color, text color, and typography of all the nested blocks.

Keep in mind that these settings will affect all the blocks nested within the parent block.

Configure the settings of the Group block

You can also convert an existing individual block into nested blocks by clicking the ‘Options’ button in the top toolbar of any block.

This will open up a menu prompt, where you need to select the ‘Create Reusable block’ option.

Choose the Create Reusable Block option

Once you have done that, a new reusable block will be created where you can add multiple blocks.

After you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ button to save your changes.

Create nested blocks

In our example, we have nested a Title, Image, and Paragraph block within a Group block. This is how the nested blocks looked on our demo website.

Preview of WordPress nested blocks

Bonus: Use the Wayfinder Plugin to Easily Select Nested Blocks

Sometimes, it can be difficult to select an individual block and configure it when there are multiple blocks nested together.

Luckily, the Wayfinder plugin makes it super easy to select nested blocks from a parent block and even tells you the type and class of the blocks.

First, you will need to install and activate the Wayfinder plugin. For more instructions, you may want to see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, head over to the Settings » Wayfinder page from the WordPress admin sidebar.

Once you are there, all the settings will already be activated. You simply need to uncheck the box next to the settings that you don’t want to use.

For example, if you want Wayfinder to display block types for all the blocks in the editor, then keep the box checked next to the ‘Display block type’ option.

Configure the Wayfinder plugin settings

However, if you don’t want the plugin to display block classes, simply uncheck the box next to that option.

After configuring the settings, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Next, you need to open up an existing or new post from the WordPress admin sidebar.

Once you are there, hovering your mouse over any block will show an outline with its name. You will also be able to see the outline and name of any nested blocks within the parent block.

GIF for the Wayfinder plugin

This will help you identify all the different blocks that are nested within a Group or Columns block.

From here, you can easily select an individual block from the parent block to configure its settings.

Use Wayfinder plugin to easily select a block

You can also select all the nested blocks at the same time by simply clicking on the ‘Columns’ or ‘Group’ heading. This will open up the parent block settings in the right column.

Once you have configured the block settings, simply click the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button to save your changes.

Click the Group block outline to open its settings

We hope this article helped you learn how to select and use WordPress nested blocks. You may also want to see our tutorial on how to change block height and width in WordPress and our top picks for the must-have WordPress plugins to help grow your site.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Select and Use Nested Blocks in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

Unveiling the Dark Side of AI: How Prompt Hacking Can Sabotage Your AI Systems

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As the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape continues to rapidly evolve, new risks and vulnerabilities emerge. Businesses positioned to leverage large language models (LLMs) to enhance and automate their processes must be careful about the degree of autonomy and access privileges they confer to LLM-powered AI solutions, wherein lies a new frontier of cybersecurity challenges. 

In this article, we take a closer look at prompt hacking (or prompt injection), a manipulation technique through which users may potentially access sensitive information by tailoring the initial prompt given to a language model. In the context of production systems that house a wealth of sensitive data in databases, prompt hacking poses a significant threat to data privacy and security from malicious actors. A successful prompt hacking attack against these resources could enable unauthorized reading or writing of data, leading to breaches, corruption, or even cascading system failures.

WPBakery vs Elementor: Which Builder is Better?

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WPBakery vs Elementor: Which Builder is Better?When it comes to building websites on WordPress, page builders have become an essential tool for many web designers and developers. Among the numerous WordPress page builders available, WPBakery and Elementor are two popular choices that offer a wide range of features and customization options.  In this article, we will compare WPBakery and Elementor in […]

The post WPBakery vs Elementor: Which Builder is Better? appeared first on WPExplorer.

Round Up: 18 Free Plugins to Help Troubleshoot and Debug WordPress

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I’ve written numerous tutorials explaining how to troubleshoot WordPress, plugins, email, and more. When investigating issues, diagnosing problems, and hunting bugs, troubleshooting is a critical core skill for any web developer. To help readers level up their tool belt, here’s a quick round-up of free plugins to help troubleshoot any of your WordPress projects.

Plugins to troubleshoot & debug WordPress

There are TONS of great troubleshooting plugins available at the WordPress.org Plugin Directory. Some of these plugins you’re probably familiar with, others are newer with their own unique features. While nobody is gonna need all of these plugins, it is comforting that there are so many to choose from. So you can find the best tools for whatever inspecting or debugging is needed. Plus all of these plugins are open source and 100% free. So without further ado..

BugFu Console Debugger
Handy plugin that enables logging of PHP directly via the browser console. Can be a huge time saver for developers.
Code Profiler
Measures the performance of your plugins and themes at the PHP level. Finally a replacement for the once-great P3 Profiler.
Debug
Handles the configuration of debug and other variables via wp-config.php. So you don’t have to edit the file manually.
Debug Bar
Adds a debug menu to the admin bar that shows query, cache, and other debugging information. Super useful tool for analyzing performance.
Debug Info
Provides important details about your WordPress operating environment. Easy way to get PHP configuration (via phpinfo()).
Debug Log Manager
Provides all sorts of tools for managing your site’s debug logs and more. Another massive time-saving tool.
Debug This
Displays lots of details about your WordPress site via the admin bar. Reveals “under the hood” what’s happening on each page.
Log HTTP Requests
Incredibly useful plugin for measuring and logging outgoing HTTP requests. One of my favorite plugins when developing.. other plugins :)
Plugin Detective
Holds your hand through the process of troubleshooting your site. Could be super useful depending on your workflow.
Query Monitor
Enables debugging of database queries, PHP errors, hooks, and much more. Hands down one of the best plugins for debugging WordPress.
System Dashboard
Monitors WordPress components, processes, server hardware, software, and resource usage. A must-have for serious WordPress developers.
Variable Inspector
Enables you to inspect various PHP variables via the dashboard in the WP Admin Area. Huge time-saver when working with PHP variables.
WP Console
Adds PsySH runtime developer console, interactive debugger and REPL. Write code and view the output right in your browser.
WP Crontrol
Enables you to view and control what’s happening in the WP-Cron system. Excellent plugin and highly recommended.
WP Debug Log
Enables you to check the debug log from the dashboard and optionally send email notifications. Looks super useful for debugging with WordPress.
WP Debugging
Adds the requisite PHP constants to the wp-config.php file to enable debugging. So you don’t have to edit the file manually.
WPPerformanceTester
Measures performance of your WordPress site. Looks interesting and useful but hasn’t been updated in a while.
WordPress Hosting Benchmark tool
Tests the performance of your server and compares with results from other servers. A great tool for diving deeper into server performance.
Explore even more debug tools..
The WP Plugin Directory is loaded with many plugins for developing, troubleshooting, and debugging your site. Try a few searches and browse the results. All free and open source. Amazing.
Shouts out to the developers working to provide these free tools to the WordPress community. Your work is important and appreciated.

Note: WordPress plugins tend to change over time, usually for the better but not always. So to be safe, make sure to check the official homepage/docs for more details before trying any of the above plugins. If anything should or should not be on the list, please let us know so we can update the post. Thank you!

Props

Gotta give props here. I was inspired to put this round up together after seeing this post in David McCan’s Dynamic WordPress group on Facebook. Check it out for some interesting comments and more ideas for troubleshooting your WordPress-powered websites.

Cheers! 😎


Optimizing Database Queries: Exploring the Heuristic and Cost-Based Approaches

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I think everyone at least once used the explaincommand or at least heard about it. This command demonstrates the query execution plan, but how exactly the DBMS arrives at it remains a mystery. And how does the DBMS understand that the selected query is optimal? Does it check all possible options?

In this article, I will try to give a little idea of how query optimizers work from a theoretical point of view.

AI Threats Today: The Unseen Challenges in Our Automated World

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As our world becomes increasingly automated, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in various domains has grown exponentially. While AI brings numerous benefits and advancements, it also introduces new threats and challenges in cybersecurity. This article will delve into the unseen challenges that AI threats pose, exploring the potential risks and vulnerabilities associated with this technology.

Understanding AI Threats

AI has revolutionized healthcare, finance, transportation, and more industries. However, its rapid integration into critical systems and decision-making processes allows malicious actors to exploit vulnerabilities. As a cybersecurity professional with 20 years of experience, I have witnessed firsthand the evolving landscape of cyber threats, and AI presents unique challenges that demand our attention.

What Is the Average Cost of Website Design for Small Business?

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average cost of website design for small businessLaunching a website can be a daunting task for beginners, especially since there are different avenues to consider. For example, you might not know whether to hire a designer or have a go at it yourself. However, it’s even harder to make a decision without knowing the average cost of website design for small business. To help you out, we’ve put together a breakdown of web design costs for small businesses.

Mastering Proactive Defense: The Changing Face of Threat Hunting

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In today's rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, traditional reactive approaches to cybersecurity are no longer sufficient. As attackers become more sophisticated, organizations must adopt proactive defense strategies to stay one step ahead. This article will delve into the changing face of threat hunting in 2023 and explore how cybersecurity professionals can master aggressive defense to combat emerging threats effectively.

The Evolution of Threat Hunting

Threat hunting has evolved from a reactive approach to a proactive one. Traditionally, organizations rely on security tools that detect known threats or anomalies after an attack. However, aggressive defense has become essential with the increasing complexity and frequency of attacks. Threat hunting now involves actively searching for signs of compromise within an organization's network and systems before an attack occurs.

Guide: How to Mask Sensitive Information Using Fluent Bit

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Fluent Bit is a popular open-source log processor and forwarder that allows you to collect data from different sources, filter, and transform it before forwarding it to different destinations. In some cases, the data collected may contain sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other personally identifiable information (PII). To protect such information, you need to mask or obfuscate it before forwarding it to the destination. In this document, we will discuss how to mask sensitive information using Fluent Bit.

The goal of this guide is to convert structured logs that contain PII information like (mobile numbers, identity information, names, etc.)
{"timestamp":"2023-06-05T17:04:33.505+05:30","requestURI":"/api/user","message":"Sending SMS to mobileNumber=1234512345 registered on aadhaarNumber=1234512345"}
to a format where this information is masked.
{"@timestamp":"2023-06-05T17:04:33.505+05:30","requestURI":"/api/user","message":"Sending SMS to mobileNumber=******** registered on aadhaarNumber=********"}

Disrupting the AI Scene With Open Source and Open Innovation

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When I discovered OpenAI on the 23rd of December 2022, I became obsessed. I hadn't had this much fun coding since I started 40 years ago. After playing with "fine-tuning" for a month and miserably failing, I found a YouTube video by Dave Shapiro that explained how to create a Q&A chatbot using OpenAI's "embeddings" API.

Dave has since removed the video, but it explains how to use OpenAI's embeddings API and combine it with their chat/completion API to create a Q&A chatbot that knows "everything" about the problem domain. Tage's reaction best sums up my findings, as he told me one day.