What do you do when a plugin won’t do? IFTTT, which stands for “If This Then That”. If you can think of an action you would want to automate then it can probably do it.
What really is IFTTT?
Its a free to use online service for creating automation and connecting devices, services, software in previously unthought of ways. Its simple to use and accessible for everyone. To program IFTTT you just need to think in “IF and THEN” statements. For example:
“If I stand up then I push out my chair.”
or
“If I sit then I pull my chair towards me.”
Essentially, “THIS” is where a trigger would go, and “THEN” is where an action would go.
So how do I use that?
IFTTT as a service extends all over the internet. There are tons of hardware, software and online services that you can automate with it. For instance you can automatically send a tweet each time you use WordPress to put out a new blog. Another example would be if you wanted to pull articles directly into your own WordPress site and turn them into posts on your own page from a particular RSS feed. You can connect to home automation or IOT devices very simply as well. You are certainly not limited in just connecting software or services to other software or services. For instance maybe you want to build your own web interface to interact with physical devices in the real world. Maybe you would prefer to control the lights in your house from a web interface or turn on the radio in your living room from your website. Maybe you would like to check the temperature in a pets aquarium remotely or be able to feed your dog with a single tweet while you are on vacation. As I said, the sky really is the limit.
The following link will take you to an up to date list of services that can be interacted with through the use of IFTTT.
Lets Begin
Go to IFTTT and create your own account. Make sure to enable XML-RPC in settings.
Tada, I bet you thought this part would be harder. That’s really all of it. You are ready to start using WordPress as a trigger for IFTTT. Below is a list of possible uses for such a thing. There are too many to list so this list is more meant just to get you started.
WordPress to Facebook
WordPress to Twitter
WordPress to Google+
WordPress to Evernote
WordPress to Google+
WordPress to LinkedIn
WordPress to Dropbox
WordPress to Google Drive
WordPress to Google Calendar
WordPress to Flickr
WordPress to SMS
WordPress to phone call
WordPress to home automation
This list really could go on forever, but there is another really great thing about most of what is on this list. Almost everything on it can be reversed. Google Calendar to WordPress, or Dropbox to WordPress, etc. With a dash of creativity you can imagine how far you can take this tool.
Do you have a unique way that you use IFTTT to automate your webpage? Let us know in the comments below!
