How the Desk-Net Plugin for WordPress Works

This articles describes how the Desk-Net WordPress plugin exchanges data between the two systems.

A short video demonstration about the integration of Desk-Net and WordPress you can find here.

For setting up the plugin and connecting Desk-Net and WordPress please refer to the post dedicated to the setup

Desk-Net and WordPress exchange data in both directions. The system in which the story originates will determine the direction of the data exchange:

• Planned stories: Data flows from Desk-Net to WordPress
• Breaking news and other non-planned stories: Data flows from WordPress to Desk-Net

Use Case 1: Planned stories originating in Desk-Net

These types of stories are typically planned and coordinated with Desk-Net. 

Once a story has been entered in Desk-Net, most of the story's data is immediately transferred to WordPress. This immediate transfer can be restricted to certain status levels. If the story is not assigned to one of the triggering status levels, no transfer will be initiated.

For example, you may want story data to transfer only after it reaches Draft status.

In WordPress the plugin automatically creates a post in a pre-defined status (typically, Draft).

Now an editor can access the post, edit it and publish.

Use Case 2: Breaking news and other stories originating in WordPress

In some cases, you may need to publish a post without first planning in Desk-Net (e.g. breaking news).

When you publish these stories with WordPress, the plugin ensures they appear in your Desk-Net story lists. This way, your Story Lists are kept current no matter where the story originated.

Scope of data exchange

After data is transferred in either direction, certain types of data will be synchronized between the two systems. This means that future changes to either system will be reflected in the other.

The plugin synchronizes the following data:

1. Story description
2. Slug
3. Status
4. Category
5. Assigned user
6. URLs
7. Content
8. Headline

About 1. Story Description

If the story originates in Desk-Net, the story description will be the default headline in WordPress. Subsequent changes to either the headline in WordPress or to the story description in Desk-Net will not sync.

However, a hard-coded version of the story description from Desk-Net is displayed below the post's headline in WordPress, ensuring the user always sees the current description.

If the story originated in WordPress, its headline is sent to Desk-Net as the story description.

About 2. Slug

The Slug is an optional feature in Desk-Net. By default it is turned off. 

Once turned on a story's slug in Desk-Net can be synced with both the headline as well as the slug/permalink in WordPress.

In case of conflicts just one of these two fields gets synced back to Desk-Net. You can determine in the plugin's settings which one of these two fields should primarily by synced with the slug field in Desk-Net.

About 3. Status

Status levels are instantly synced between WordPress and Desk-Net*.

Many Desk-Net users have more status levels in Desk-Net than in WordPress. For this reason, the plugin allows you to map multiple status levels on one side to just one on the other.

For example, stories in Proposal or Accepted status level in Desk-Net can both reflect as Draft in WordPress.

*You may define which status levels do NOT trigger a data export, which will prevent them from syncing.

About 4. Category

As with status levels, you can match Desk-Net categories with WordPress categories.

Multiple categories in Desk-Net can be matched with just one in WordPress and vice versa.

About 5. Assigned User

Users are automatically matched based on their email addresses.

When a story assignment is passed from Desk-Net to WordPress, the plugin checks for a WordPress user with the same email. If the plugin finds a match, the post is assigned to that user.

Posts originating in WordPress and passing data to Desk-Net work the same way.

About 6. URLs

Desk-Net sends one URL to WordPress and receives two.

URL sent from Desk-Net to WordPress:

• URL to story in Desk-Net: Above the WordPress post body, the link “View in Desk-Net" below the story description takes the user straight to the story in Desk-Net.

WordPress URLs in Desk-Net:

• URL to post in WordPress: This link takes the user straight to the editing form of the post in WordPress.
• URL to post on the website powered by WordPress: This is the URL to the post on the WordPress-powered website.

The two WordPress URLs received by Desk-Net can be accessed in two places:

• Story lists: Hovering over a story entry opens a contextual layer. On the left part of the layer there are links to the post in WordPress and to the post on the WordPress-powered website.
• On the Detailed Entry form: Hovering over the platform name opens a contextual layer with the two links.

About 7. Content

Desk-Net users can enter text and upload media files to their assignments in Desk-Net.

This content is automatically transferred to WordPress.

Depending on the plugin settings, files are either sent

• Only to the Media area in WordPress, or
• To both the post's body AND the Media area.

Text is always sent straight to the post’s body.

Content is not currently transferred in any way from WordPress to Desk-Net. However, this is planned for future versions of the plugin.

About 8. Headline

As is the Slug, the Headline is an optional feature in Desk-Net. It is turned off by default.

Once the Headline is turned on and a user enters it, it will be synced with the title field in Wordpress. As soon as the headline changes in Desk-Net it will override the title in Wordpress.

But, when the title field is changed in WordPress it will not be synced back to Desk-Net. 

End of data exchange

The data transfer stops completely or partially as soon as one of the following conditions has been met:

• The post is in Published or Scheduled status in WordPress: In this case, Desk-Net no longer updates the post's body. I.e., it no longer adds text, picture files, etc.
  
  
• The story’s Desk-Net status level has been set to not trigger data export to WordPress.

Related: Desk-Net for WordPress Plugin page in the WordPress Plugin Directory