How the Kordiam Plugin for WordPress Works

This article describes how the Kordiam WordPress plugin exchanges data between the two systems.

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

For setting up the plugin and connecting Kordiam and WordPress please refer to the post dedicated to the setup

Kordiam 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 Kordiam to WordPress
• Breaking news and other non-planned stories: Data flows from WordPress to Kordiam

Use Case 1: Planned stories originating in Kordiam

These types of stories are typically planned and coordinated with Kordiam. 

Once a story has been entered in Kordiam, 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 Kordiam (e.g. breaking news).

When you publish these stories with WordPress, the plugin ensures they appear in your Kordiam 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 Kordiam, the story description will be the default headline in WordPress. Subsequent changes to either the headline in WordPress or to the story description in Kordiam will not sync.

However, a hard-coded version of the story description from Kordiam 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 Kordiam as the story description.

About 2. Slug

The Slug is an optional feature in Kordiam. By default it is turned off. 

Once turned on a story's slug in Kordiam 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 Kordiam. You can determine in the plugin's settings which one of these two fields should primarily by synced with the slug field in Kordiam.

About 3. Status

Status levels are instantly synced between WordPress and Kordiam*.

Many Kordiam users have more status levels in Kordiam 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 Kordiam 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 Kordiam categories with WordPress categories.

Multiple categories in Kordiam 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 Kordiam 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 Kordiam work the same way.

About 6. URLs

Kordiam sends one URL to WordPress and receives two.

URL sent from Kordiam to WordPress:

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

WordPress URLs in Kordiam:

• 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 Kordiam 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

Kordiam users can enter text and upload media files to their assignments in Kordiam.

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 Kordiam. However, this is planned for future versions of the plugin.

About 8. Headline

As is the Slug, the Headline is an optional feature in Kordiam. 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 Kordiam it will override the title in Wordpress.

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

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, Kordiam no longer updates the post's body. I.e., it no longer adds text, picture files, etc.
  
  
• The story’s Kordiam status level has been set to not trigger data export to WordPress

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