May.25.2007
Useful, But Rarely Used WordPress Techniques
- Filed under: Resource
I’m trying to do a lot with the upcoming WordPress theme. As a result, I’ve been going through quite a few tips, tweaks, and tutorials to up my skills as a WordPress theme designer. Below are some of the features that I’ve read about and will be adding to Greed for its official release.
- Custom Fields - Learn how to take advantage of the WordPress Custom Fields to display extra content.
- Theme Options - Ready to take your theme to the next level? Add theme options to your theme. Allow theme users to edit the CSS without touching the style.css file.
- Ajax Commenting - How do you grab more downloads for your theme? Give it some life via Ajax Commenting.
- Sidebar Login Form - Want to let your users login from the sidebar instead of sending them to the login page?
- How To Manually Separate Trackbacks and Comments - Not all that important, but it makes following comment conversations a bit easier. Instead of installing a plugin, here’s how to do it manually.
Thanks for the links! I’ve been looking for a way to split up Trackbacks and Comments.
–
Kevin
http://technogeek.org/
Same. Great tips - thanks!
I think the most featured pump theme is Freshy, it has amazing theme options page, that’s built directly inside the functions.php.
I think another useful Wordpress theme technique is to provide popular plugins directly with the theme, for this you just have to copy the content of the plugins file and paste that into the functions.php and voila the theme comes in-built with that plugins function. This works only for plugins coming as single file and making no database changes though. Trial and error might get this working.
That would make the theme itself pretty bloated. Don’t you think?
Thanks for the list!
I like Ajax comments very much.
i dig on theme options and seperated trackbacks.
i’m not sure about displaying post meta, since a) most people i know don’t use custom fields b) when they do, it’s for theme specific options (c.f. fauna, sandbox)
I agree that including plugins just because they’re cool does indeed cause bloat. But i think it makes sense to include plugins like the_content_limit or similar that really makes your layout work. (i’ve seen people include versions of the_excerpt_reloaded, or that c2c something-or-other that let them show specific things in the footer or sidebar).
and along those lines, i think ajax commenting and a sidebar login are things that people should find plugins for if they want them.
I agree with the use of custom fields. While the last four links are for theme developers, the custom field technique is for personal development.
Adam - I’ve been slow to convert my themes to GPL because I need time to replace the photos and icons. One question that I have for you is… is it legal for me to re-distribute CC files (icons and photos for examples) with a GPL theme?
I recently read (briefly) the getk2.com site and they’re using the famfamfam icon set with the gpl K2 theme.
see… that’s where it gets tricky.
technically, because they’re distributed with k2, which is gpl, those icons are (now) GPL.
there are at least half a dozen gpl themes i can think of off hand that use the famfamfam icons, so you’d certainly be in good company.
photos - that depends. if you’re modifying the photos (creating a derivative work), and not redistributing the source, then your theme’s attribution (i.e. “header based on the photo by so-and-so”) should cover you.
but strictly speaking, redistributing a straight photo, and non-GPL icons with a GPL theme relicenses them as GPL, which isn’t legal.
and, as you’ve already figured out and dealt with, the issue with casshern is that for movie/tv characters, their “likeness” is copyright, so a modified photo wouldn’t cover you.
Yea, that’s what I was leaning toward. I wasn’t sure of what to do because I ran across getk2.com. I was like… cc icons in gpl theme and re-distributed as gpl… how can that be you know?
With my recent theme, I stayed away from CC icons and created my own. For the firefox RSS icon, at least that one is under GPL or M(mozilla)PL.
Releasing the theme and graphics (photos and icons) as two separate packages might be a solution, but that might be too much of a hassle.
I’ll either replace the CC icons with GPL icons or create my own set of icons for the themes’ gpl re-releases.
Thanks Adam
I thought it was kind of odd that WP.com made Neo-Sapien available with the original Casshern banner.
If they get in trouble, would the switchable banner feature be enough to defend wp.com? Hahaha
yeah, the feed icon (and virally, the opml icon and share icon) are definately safe.
Greed looks great, and your icons definately fit better than the silk icons. making your own is always the best way to go.
i went the “seperate packages” for my latest - i just synced up the names of the GPL icons with the silk icons. but yeah, i doubt anyone will bother with the seperate package.
and, (IANAL but) i very much doubt that the switchable header helps their case. they’ll get more mileage out of being too small for dreamworks/the copyright holder to notice or bother with.
i may stand corrected:
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/…
if you include an appropriate copyright notice for the icons/photos, it sounds like it would be illegal to remove the notice.
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All WordPress Techniques are Usefuland will have try some of these that you have mentioned
Custom Fields ,Ajax Commenting,Sidebar Login Form .i use it in vapparel.net.
thanks
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Thanks for the list!
Great list!