WordPress Magazine Theme Launch Has People Dancing in the Streets
Okay, so people aren’t really dancing in the streets (yet). But the headline fit the picture. In all seriousness though, I’m very proud of WP-Magazine Theme 1.0; despite its less-than-original name.
I’ll spare you my thought process behind the actual design and simply say that in this theme, I wanted to create something that was clean, flexible, a bit sexy and beyond the ordinary WordPress theme. Time will tell whether or not that’s how people perceive it, so in the meantime, let me lay out some of the theme’s features.
Widget-Ready, User-Friendly, and Optimized for Wordpress Versions 2.2 and Above
That includes WP Version 2.3 with its cool little tagging functionality.
Five Different Home Page Layouts
I started out with just a simple, clean 2-column home-page layout, but decided maybe folks would appreciate more than one option. So, I created 4 more on top of the first.
- Home page option 1 - This is the one currently active on the site. It’s a 3-column layout that uses image thumbnails for each post.
- Home page option 2 - This was my original 2-column layout that uses image thumbnails for each post.
- Home page option 3 - This is a 3-column layout without image thumbnails. It looks more like a traditional blog
- Home page option 4 - Another 2-column layout that looks more like a traditional blog.
- Home page option 5 - And last but not least, a 2-column layout that uses image thumbnails and places posts side-by-side.
So, if you don’t like the default home page, it’s a snap to switch to another one.
Four Different Category/Archive Page Layouts
Like with the home page, I wanted to give folks some different options for the category and archive pages.
- Archive page option 1 - This is the one currently active on the site.
- Archive page option 2 - Click the link to see a screenshot.
- Archive page option 3 - Click the link to see a screenshot.
- Archive page option 4 - Click the link to see a screenshot.
Two Different Single Post Page Layouts
Option 1 of the single post page is the one you are currently viewing. But there is also a 3-column version. Click here for a screenshot.
Home Page Featured Article Glider Box
I’ve always been a big fan of featured articles, so I thought it would be cool to add some sort of method to display not just one, but sever featured articles at the top pf the home page. This function will allow you to display several featured articles at the top of your home page, as well as an excerpt of your about page. And all folks need to do is click the link at the bottom of the box and watch your featured content glide on by.
Built-In Banner Ad Blocks
I know folks like to advertise on their sites, so I built in some blocks to allow it. And it’s very easy to change the theme to place your own advertising code/banners in those blocks.
Built-In Site Guide in Right Sidebar
The Site Guide is the little box where your readers have quick access to:
- monthly archives
- site tags (if you use them)
- site search
- popular posts (plugin required; link provided to plugin site)
- most commented posts (plugin required; link provided to plugin site)
Customized Recent Comments in Sidebar With Gravatar Support
The standard “recent comments” widget built into Wordpress is okay, but not good enough for this theme. So I came up with my own version that include an excerpt of the comment as well as a built-in Gravatar for the comment author.
Author Bio Information and Gravatar Included on Single Post Pages
Just take a peek at the top of this post. This is a great feature for multi-author sites/blogs.
Alternating Color Comments With Gravatar Support
Take a look at this post to see an example.
XHTML Valid
Of course it is. I’m a pro.
Hi Doug:
It's a bit tricky, but I think this will work.
1. You probably added this to the About section on ...
Hi Michael,
how can I get the theme to use the new Identicons instead of the gravatar picture, which it currently ...
Hi Michael, Thanks for a great theme. Its fantastic and yor mods are always explained perfectly.
I've set up including adding ...
Hi Michael,
Thank you for the great instructions. They worked perfectly!
Comment by David Silau on 18 December 2007:
Hi Michael,
How we change/edit for Built-In Banner Ad Blocks
I see lately the banner ads 300×250 and banner ads 480×60 is not showing up .. from your Wp magazine theme
Thanks
Davids
Comment by Graham Smith on 1 January 2008:
Hi
A wonderful site, very clean, structured and simple to use. Trust me, I have been looking at length at ALL wordpress themes for something specific for my needs.
This is the closest I have seen to what I want, which for me is a godsend. There are some other premium themes that offer partial aspects that yours does not, bu thats just what I need, and is not a critism at all, but leads me to one question.
I am not looking for a Blog specific theme, more a general website, with Blog functionality. SO pages where there are places to add just general content, FAQs, , portfolio, forms and ofcourse Blog.
I just wondered how your mark up is ‘marked-up’. I know your a Pro, but I have looked at structur CSS and XHTML which is less than structured and leaves me in a TIZZ. And whats important for me is finding a theme (that I want to pay for) that allows me (a mere beginner CSS coder) to easily see tha plan, and change.
How straightforward would it be to alter some of your pages to just simple 2 column content pages, minus blog look and comments? The site is for my partner who is a city lawyer consultant, but does not want the Blog to be the main focus, more a ‘option’.
I don’t expect straight forward as in press a few buttons, but looking for a theme that will allow me to practice over time, for expandability once I become compitent at CSS etc.
It really looks like the ideal platform me, i would certainly be taking the developer addition as the purchase is part of my tuition and learning materials.
Just small questions also, adding a longish image header, is this possible? Also, I would love to add more ‘white space’ between items, columns.
For your info, the other 2 sites I have been looking at are ’several’ REMIX themes, but for me, being a designer, they lack certain typographic styling and general form and tightness.
Again, top job on a great theme. One of the best I have seen in 100’s and 100’s…
Regards
Graham
Comment by Jamie on 1 January 2008:
Just watch me dance!
Seriously, this theme has made me take a whole new look at my blog and what i want from it and what it can do for my cherished reader.
Very Cool and smart - i like this theme a lot.
jamie
Comment by Mark on 7 January 2008:
I absolutely love this theme! I just applied it to my site. Check it out: http://thenokiablog.com
Comment by Michelle Sullivan on 9 January 2008:
Incredibly elegant work!
Comment by Mark @ TheLocoMono on 29 January 2008:
This is pretty good, I want to go puke on all the other themes I used in the past.
How can I change colors? Will I have to edit the colors in the stylesheet to match my style? Would theme switcher work here? I have a website with 5 sub-domains using different colors for each of them and thought it would be cool to let the users pick their own colors but not sure if it would work here???
Comment by Jon on 30 January 2008:
I’ve been looking for a magazine style them for a while and was almost resorting to designing my own.
Can I just say what a good job you’ve done on this theme, it does eveything I need it to.
Plus with the $/£ exchange rate in my favour it was a bargain
Good work.
Comment by RS on 9 February 2008:
I love this theme and are really satisfied. But: how and there do I change the number of posts displayed on the first page?
Comment by Harold Mansfield on 9 February 2008:
I have to let you know that this is BY FAR, the best theme, that I have ever seen, or used, EVER!.
It is a true work of art. Cudos to you, and thanks!
Comment by cb on 15 February 2008:
I was wondering how you got the categories to stay in order in the top navigation? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Comment by Atomic Popcorn on 22 February 2008:
In Other Recent Articles section - how do I make this show more than 4 articles. It seems its stuck at that number.
I see on your section that you have more. Any ideas??
Thanks
Comment by Mark @ TheLocoMono on 22 February 2008:
Atomic Popcorn - Are you talking about on the home page or the subsequent pages?
Comment by Claude on 27 February 2008:
Hello everybody & wp magazine users,
I launche a blog with wp-magazine template. Great stuff
could be cool if you can send me feedback about this work
check out : http://hotelitour.com/
Thanks
Claude
N.B / blog is still a work in progress !
Comment by m.o.m. on 29 February 2008:
My site http://momworx.de with the new Design is online. Big Thanx from me.
Pingback by Test Post: Ignore: WordPress Themes. WordPress Themes Tutorials. Blog Design. on 13 March 2008:
[…] Test Post […]
Comment by Mark @ TheLocoMOno on 13 March 2008:
Two questions,
I would like to be using the Home Page option 4 but noticed it is not set up to include the 468 x 60 banner ad, can this be added? If so, what do I need to do?
Also, I noticed you managed to use bold fonts in your excerpts (the excerpt for using thumbnails) how did you do that?
Pingback by How to Activate the Author Bio and Gravatar : Premium WordPress Magazine Theme on 15 March 2008:
[…] you take a look at WP-Magazine Theme’s single post page, you’ll notice a handy little author bio box at the top of the article. You’ll also […]
Comment by ImagesAndWords on 16 March 2008:
I’m thinking about going for this theme for my new blog but I have a quick question; How customizable is the theme? I want to change around colors, background image, etc. I assume this is all in the .css and is not locked?
Thanks!
Comment by Valcha on 22 March 2008:
Hight power premium theme!
Comment by Safety Technology on 23 March 2008:
This theme is very customizable and easy to use. Excellent theme.
Comment by Amy on 31 March 2008:
Hi Michael …
Couple of quick questions before I purchase:
1. Is it possible to have the sidebar for the single post page different than the sidebar for the home page?
2. How are things with the theme and Wordpress 2.5? Are they loving each other? Any issues with the new gravatar options built-in with 2.5 and the one included in your theme?
Thanks ! It looks great !!!
Amy
Comment by Matt on 31 March 2008:
Just upgraded to WP 2.5 and am having problems uploading and inserting images with this theme. Anyone else having problems or is just me ?
Comment by Chris Baskind on 1 April 2008:
Amy, I’m building a site on WP 2.5. No problems at all.
WP 2.5 assumes some CSS for aligning images not present in the theme. Michael, could you suggest some code? Otherwise, I’ll cobble something up.
I’d also LOVE a sidebar 2 for the single page. This would really fit what you are trying to do with the theme.
Comment by Matt on 3 April 2008:
@Chris
I had no problems with front end in WP2.5 with this theme but did have problems with the new image insertion in the admin. I can upload images but can no longer insert them into a post.
Anyone else had problems or is it just me ?
Comment by Matt on 3 April 2008:
Sorry my email address was wrong on my last two posts which were awaiting moderation. Should be mattprice99@googlemail.com not mattprice999@googlemail.com
Comment by Chris Baskind on 3 April 2008:
@Matt: That’s going to be a WordPress issue. Quite a few users have reported problems with the new Flash-based image uploader. I’ve seen at least one WP bug tickets on this — it’s closed now — but I think others have been opened.
I’ve had a few problems with this, too. Mac users are particularly effected, since the Mac implementation of Flash sends up files in a way some servers with mod_security enabled find unacceptable. Oddly, the problems I’ve experienced happen on some sites and not others. They’re all on the same server.
I chose to insert a plugin on my problem sites Called No Flash Uploader. It got me running, and I’ll hang onto it until the bug is swatted. You’ll be giving up batch uploads, otherwise functionality is great.
You’ll find the file mentioned near the end of this article on the WordPress forums:
http://wordpress.org/support/topic/164999
Good luck!
Comment by Michael on 4 April 2008:
Hi I was wondering if anyone could help with inserting a larger logo as the header image. It has been done nicely here http://www.124bpms.com/
Thank you
Comment by MarkO on 6 April 2008:
I just installed WP 2.5 and got this template. I love the look of it, but I’m having issues with two things related to images:
1. In the Featured Articles area, I can not get images to rotate through with the articles. I have inserted them in a small format so they should work, but I’m not getting seeing them.
2. I don’t know how to get a different thumbnail image for each post (e.g. those in the other recent posts area). I just get the desert mountain default thumbnail. There must be a way to change this for each one, but I can’t get it to work.
Anyone? Thanks!
Comment by Mark @ TheLocoMono on 8 April 2008:
Amy,
To create a different sidebar on the singlepost page, all you have to do is add a sidebar2.php (just create and copy the original sidebar) and change the sidebar call function in the single post php. I just did it for my site and it works just fine.
Comment by Dave on 8 April 2008:
First I love the theme but had a question on the “Recent Comments” is there a way to limit the number that are displayed?
Comment by Harold Mansfield on 17 April 2008:
Just about to launch http://www.imixremix.com with the new theme.
It’s up, just putting some finishing touches on it.
LOVE THIS THEME!
Thanks
Comment by John Lessnau on 25 April 2008:
Harold Mansfield - very nice implementation.
Anyone get have trouble upgrading to WP 2.5.1 which came out today?
http://wordpress.org/development/2008/04/wordpress-251/
Comment by Michael Pollock on 5 May 2008:
>>>>> I’m using the scrolling items in the featured box, is there a way to leave the ‘about this site’ out of the scrolling rotation.
Jeff … to remove the About section from the scroller, do the following:
1. Open your Feature Articles template, find and delete this block of code:
<div class="section" id="about"><div class="feature-entry">
<h2>About this Site</h2>
<?php $my_query = new WP_Query('pagename=about'); while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>
<?php the_excerpt(); ?>
<div><a class="more-link" href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to <?php the_title(); ?>">Read More</a></div>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<?php endwhile; ?>
</div>
</div>
2. Then scroll down toward the bottom and delete this line:
<li class="feat-about"><a href="#about">About this Site</a></li>also, when I have a link in a post and its in the scrolling feature box it does not work, but if you click on it to go to the post the link works fine.
That’s because the Featured Articles area display the Post Excerpt. If you want the links to show up correctly there, you would need to use the Excerpt field on the Write Post screen. Whatever you place in the Excerpt field will appear in the Featured Article area. Otherwise, Wordpress will create the excerpt on its own, and sometimes it comes out a little strange looking.
Michael
Comment by Michael on 6 May 2008:
@Mary
You can accomplish this by going to the Reading settings within your Wordpress admin, remember that there are 5 featured articles so if you would like 8 other ones to show up you need to change the number of articles visible to 13.
Hopefully this helps…
Comment by Michael on 7 May 2008:
@Richard
Just my 2 cents, but I have bought a few designs here and there and Michael has given me more support than anyone I have worked with before. I totally encourage you to purchase and tweak…Lots of people here also offer great tips even if you just view their site.
I am too much of a novice to answer your questions but I am sure someone here if not Michael can help.
Just my plug for Michael
Comment by Peter on 18 May 2008:
I am someone with limited coding skills (very limited). For me, using Michael’s theme was a first. What’s impressive is that the magazine theme really does allow for good journalistic design, that it’s remarkably flexible and that a beginner was able to get it work.
Also, you can’t do better than support from Michael if you have a question. Larger companies in many fields could learn a lot from Michael’s dedication to product quality and consumer assistance. For me it’s been the best bargain online.
All the best,
Peter
Comment by Paul | UpperMoney.com on 23 May 2008:
I just recently purchased this theme for use on my new blog UpperMoney.com and I love it. For anyone who’s thinking of buying this theme, just DO IT!
At least when you invest in a theme like this (rather than using the “free” ones out there), you’re going to get quality and support, and you’re keeping Michael motivated to keep it updated occasionally.
Plus, how many of the “free” themes have a whole site devoted to tutorials, like this one?
Thanks again, Michael!
Paul Hancox
Comment by Mark on 25 May 2008:
I must say that have seen many themes of Wp Platform. But this one by far tops all of them. This is slick yet dynamic and easy to handle almost like Joomla Theme yet better.
I am using this on two of my other niche websites and would assure you that this is worth the money.
Mark
Editor
Submit Free Articles
Comment by Jane on 26 May 2008:
THANK YOU. I love this yummy theme. I’ve used it for http://nwpetsupport.com which has just recently launched.
Yes, I’m dancing, I’m dancing!
Comment by danielle on 27 May 2008:
Love This theme I just started using it today and it looks great. Check it out here http://www.imageandstylenews.com/
Comment by Paisley on 14 July 2008:
I bought this theme yesterday after a long search. Fantastic! I hope that there will be updates if future as Wordpress grow to ensure that it works with future WP releases. Thanks.