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Changes in Thematic

(18 posts)

Started 3 years ago by Ian Stewart
Latest reply from Ian Stewart
This topic is not a support question

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Ian Stewart
Key Master

Some changes I'm considering with Thematic 0.7:

Renaming the functions folder. Suggestions?

Adding in new hooks: thematic_header(), thematic_footer(), thematic_sidebar(). thematic_sidebar would earn it's un-semantic name for hooking into sidebar.php. I can see that being very useful.

Styles folder will contain images.css and default.css. The style.css will then import default.css which will give it the current look. This'll make things easier for people making Child Themes similar to the default look but with a different structure. You import a structure [like @import(../3c-r-fixed.css);] and then import the default look [@import(../default.css);]. With images.css, you'll be able to get a baseline for all the WP image styles.

Possibly adding simple-18px.css and simple-21px.css to the styles folder. Sort of a minimalist starter theme for the two line-heights. I know I'd use that. You?

Cleaning up the typography.css so it's a little easier to modify for different line-heights.

Merging Sandbox into Thematic completely. Including changing the name of sandbox_globalnav(). I'll be giving Scott and Andy explicit credit. I talked with Scott about it and he's fine with that (always very nice and helpful too).

I may reduce the number of default widgets. Although I fear removing the meta widget will land me emails of "how do I log-in to my blog?" I'll have to think about that.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

I'll be changing the name of sandbox_globalnav in Thematic 0.7. That'll be a stinker.

Posted 3 years ago #
waseem
Member

Do you you know if the blueprint framework is fully compatible with all the web browsers? Maybe also including a file for IE and other browsers would be great.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

The CSS in Thematic is only based on on blueprint. And the included layouts are cross-browser safe.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master
Beefs? Bouquets?

The new header action in, well, action …
```
<div id="header">
    	<div id="branding">
    	</div>
        <?php /* New in 0.7 */ thematic_belowbranding(); ?>
    	<div id="access">
        </div>
    </div>

<?php thematic_belowheader(); ?>
```
And for the footer …
```
<?php thematic_abovefooter(); ?>    

	<div id="footer">
        <?php get_sidebar('subsidiary'); ?>
        <?php /* New in 0.7 */ thematic_abovesiteinfo() ?>
        <div id="siteinfo">
	</div>
	</div>

</div>
```
Speak now or forever hold your peace. :)

I was thinking about changing the header and footer into one big action each that had a bunch of includes added to it … but then I remembered 2.7 was coming and, well, you know, it'll be easier for most people to just write a new header file. Plus, I think the header and footer are coded up pretty nice and not much needs to be added to it. This markup, plus some creative absolute-relative positioning should replicate every current popular WordPress header. I hope! What can't you do with this and a little CSS?

No, really, tell me. I want to know.
Posted 3 years ago #

Ian Stewart
Key Master

Adding to the bottom of images.css

/*

Adapt the following for use in your Child Themes when using
different font-sizes and line-heights

.entry-content img,
.wp-caption {
    margin-bottom:--px;
}
.wp-smiley {
    max-height:--px;
}

All other styles can be overridden--or ignored!--in Child Theme stylesheets

*/

and typography.css

/*

Adapt the following for use in your Child Themes when using
different font-sizes and line-heights

body, input, textarea {
    font: --px Arial,sans-serif;
    line-height:--px;
}
p, ul, ol, dd, pre {
    margin-bottom:--px;
}

All other styles can be overridden--or ignored!--in Child Theme stylesheets

*/

I hope that'll be helpful.

Posted 3 years ago #

Ian Stewart
Key Master

Just finished obliterating explicit references to sandbox code in thematic 0.7. I feel bad even though Scott said it was cool. Sniff.

I'm going to write a readme file that fully credits Scott 'n Andy and everyone else who inspired the project. I'll probably make it HTML and build it up into something nice over time.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

Thematic 0.7 has been committed to the svn repo. If you're on a mac using leopard enter the following in the terminal (applications > terminal)

svn checkout http://thematic.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ thematic-read-only

press enter and it'll download to your home directory. If you're on a PC, uh, Google windows subversion clients. (And actually, I use Versions for mac not the terminal, it's free and very nice).

Try out version 0.7. Help me make it a really cool release. It'll be a lot easier to theme for the beginner (I'm making a whack of free starter Child Themes for it now) and even easier for the power user.

And let me know what you think! ian at themeshaper dot com.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

… and ThemeShaper is using 0.7 in case you're wondering.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

Moved images to library directory and changed the name to grids. Makes more sense to me that way.

When filtering the menu you're now filtering globalnav_menu instead of sandbox_menu.

Posted 3 years ago #
CircleReader
Member

I really like your additions to the Images & Typography files to guide users on what to mess with in their child themes, Ian, as well as the new header & footer hooks.

Possibly adding simple-18px.css and simple-21px.css to the styles folder. Sort of a minimalist starter theme for the two line-heights. I know I'd use that. You?
Definitely. And I'd like some pointers on sensibly modifying the layouts when I do not want to just drop in one of the included ones. I want to be able to do my own thing, but I'm a long way from being a CSS pro. How do I work with the 960 grid, rather than against it? Where do I find the newbie CSS instructions for a personal-use child theme like mine? Thematic seems to be not only a powerful platform for professional developers, but also a good learning environment for amateurs, those who first encounter code of any sort as part of the experience of blogging with WordPress. Which I think is fantastic!

Maybe something along the lines of the (abandoned?) Ajax Login plug to replace the sliding thingy?

I like the way this forum and WP.org have an unobtrusive login form available by default -- you can read without logging in, and you can log in for a deeper engagement with the site.

I think it would be fine to just remove the meta widget and add a login link in the default siteinfo in the footer. Then you could post a tutorial on how to add a login link or form in various places using some of the Thematic hooks. Those who do not want a link can remove it from the siteinfo and leave it at that.

This markup, plus some creative absolute-relative positioning should replicate every current popular WordPress header. I hope! What can't you do with this and a little CSS? No, really, tell me. I want to know.

No, you tell me! ;) The more examples you can give me, the more at ease I will feel building on top of Thematic. I'd like to be able to put a "subscribe" form in the header or the navigation, sort of like the WP Premium theme. I appreciate the posts you already have made on how to do this kind of thing, but multiple examples make it familiar and easy to learn, as well as giving you a chance to display different styling. :)

Thanks again for all your work, Ian! I'm looking forward to .7

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

"How do I work with the 960 grid, rather than against it?" What I do is let the grid image fill the background and make sure most of what I'm designing with lines up with it. As long as things look like they make sense you're thinking like a designer (sort of—it's a good start).

As far as the sliding-meta-panel-jquery-login-thingy goes, I use WordPress Admin Bar now.

There's a way to add log-in stuff (etc.) into the header in 0.7. I might make that part of my monster tutorial I'm working on.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

Re. thematic_sidebar():

In two months you'll be able to add sidebar.php to your themes and override the Thematic Primary and Asides sidebars. I think more people will want to just do that. I'm going to hold off on that one.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

I'm questioning the new header and footer actions. One of the reasons I've held off on releasing 0.7.

When WordPress 2.7 comes around, will we even need the hooks and actions I've added? Including the ones in 0.6? Might it not be easier to modify the header and footer in a child theme?

Thinking.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

Here's something else crazy: I'm thinking about removing the theme options by 1.0. We'll see.

Posted 3 years ago #
Erin
Member

Are you still looking for feedback about removing header and footer actions? It sounds like you are anticipating WP2.7, which I don't follow at all... so please take this into account when you read my 2 cents. I don't enjoy complicated, but I do like lots of options, even if I don't use them. So for me, this means remove these new header/footer actions. But, give me the flexibility to add them if/when I need them. Here's an example. Are you familiar with John aka UrbanGiraffe's Sniplets plugin...http://urbangiraffe.com/plugins/sniplets/. I don't have the technical skill to use it effectively, but it does offer the option to place code anywhere in a theme without touching the theme. As long as Ultimate Flexibility + Painless Upgradeability is your holy grail, whatever choice you make will be a good one. That's why I switched to Thematic. Thanks for all your efforts, Ian.

Posted 3 years ago #
kaiser
Member

Hi Ian,

I really like the way you´re developing and supporting "Thematic" (which i don´t like with hybrid). Have you ever seen the Thesis-User-Guide?: http://diythemes.com/thesis/rtfm/ ... this is something really helpful.

What you said about removing Theme-Options in Admin-Panel with V 1.0. DON´T DO THAT! PLEASE! Instead i would really like to see something like the Code-Free Options-Panel delivered with Thesis: http://diythemes.com/thesis/rtfm/layout-constructor/ Couldn´t that work even better when 960 or Blueprint are used as Standard. For e.g. in Options-Panel: Select 24- (Blueprint), 16- or 12-Column (960) Layout and so on? That would evolve Thematic to a idiot-save graphical site-builder... and maybe (with some help from Blueprint and 960) it would fast become blog- and industry standard ;)

wish you best, and please don´t drop your optionspanel. this is what most people really need.

Posted 3 years ago #
Ian Stewart
Key Master

I would only drop the options if it would make things cleaner and easier. So if I do drop them, you'll be getting a better product! :)

I'll probably write a post/rant why building in graphical site builders is a waste of time once I get around to producing a working example of why/how theme authors can do better.

Posted 3 years ago #

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