[NOTE: Apart from this note, this entire page was adopted from OneNote using the OneNote Publisher plugin for WordPress.
I have used WordPress for years to manage the content and layout for my websites. Out of the box, it is extremely feature rich and its extensibility through the use of third party plugins allows it to accomplish almost anything you could ask for. But it’s not perfect; one of the main limitations I’ve struggled with is the inability to develop content while on the go. The mobile web interface on my Windows Phone is clunky and unpredictable. Third party apps offer some alternatives, but don’t allow for offline use. When I heard that Microsoft had developed a plug-in designed to import content from OneNote, I was excited to try it out. Read on for my impressions.
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WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS?
While it’s possible that this plugin is targeting existing OneNote users, there are several reasons to start using OneNote to organize your blog content:
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Craft WordPress content from anywhere, on any device.
- OneNote Online (where I started this article)
- OneNote mobile for Windows Phone, Android, iOS
- OneNote App on Windows 8.1
- Work offline and import later.
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Work faster using shortcuts and formatting:
- Use OneNote formatting, like this unsorted list.
- Integrate other content like photos, web links,
INSTALLATION
You can find some more detailed instructions here, but here’s a rundown on the steps that I followed:
- Install the plugin from WordPress. I did this from within my WordPress dashboard by selecting the WordPress –> Plugins –> Add new menu path and searching for “OneNote Publisher”.
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You have to create a new “OneNote Application”, but it’s a simple process:
- Login to your Microsoft account.
- Click the ‘Create Application’ link.
- Name it and change a couple of settings.
- Copy and paste some values into your WordPress OneNote Publisher settings.
You can verify your installation by creating a new Post and clicking the OneNote button. You should be presented with a pop-up containing a drill-down tree with your OneNote notebooks.
FUNCTION
I’m not going to focus on the functionality included in OneNote. The high level process is this:
- You author your content in OneNote. This has to be a notebook available through OneNote Online (not an offline notebook). Also, make sure any offline changes are synced.
- Create a new Post or Page in WordPress.
- Click the OneNote button which should now be available in the
Let’s take a closer look at how OneNote content is presented when imported to WordPress.
Function | Description | Impression |
Paragraphs and Line Breaks | To keep things simple, I’m using only a single line-break between lines. | |
Unordered/Bulleted Lists | I’m using a bulleted list to organize the OneNote advantages above. | |
Numbered Lists | I’m using a numbered list to organize the installation steps listed above. | |
Nested Lists | Both bulleted and numbered lists above include nested sub-lists. | |
Tables | The table presenting this information was created using OneNote Online. It consists of three columns and multiple rows. Obviously, I will be leaving the ‘Impression’ column blank and filling it in after the import to WordPress. | |
Headings | I’m using the ‘Heading 1’ for the “Why Would…”, “Installation”, and “Function” section headings. | |
Media | I’m including several screenshots in this article. | |
Hyperlinks |