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rezzy
01-31-2009, 11:37 PM
Hello all.

I am working on making my wordpress blog, I came acorss a plugin that generates all the differeent types of content types for the blog. I know cant find it!

Has anyone come across a way to insert all comments, posts and other content to test your css too?

Also there are several different ways someone can come upon your blog, whats the best way to close those entries points?

orion_joel
02-01-2009, 12:46 AM
Possibly one of the better ways to protect your blog from people visiting it is to put the install in a password protected directory on the web server. Most hosts i believe allow this someway or other.

Is it really needed a plug in to add test data, it shouldnt take to long to add in 2 or 3 fake posts, and some comments on them. All you would need to do is ensure that for text styling have every possible option in one of the posts, so that you are truly testing everything.

rezzy
02-01-2009, 12:53 AM
True, but I was looking for new plugins and came across it. Just wondering if anyone used it or had any tools for Wordpress template creating.

vangogh
02-01-2009, 01:03 AM
Bryan instead of a plugin try this sample content file (http://wpcandy.com/articles/easier-theme-development-with-the-sample-post-collection.html). It's an xml file of sample content that you just import into your blog. It should have everything you need.

WP Candy is also a great site in general and worth subscribing to.

seolman
02-01-2009, 01:43 AM
Another great tool for tweaking CSS in Wordpress (and any site for that matter) is a slick little add-on for Firefox called "Web Developer". It adds a toolbar to FireFox. You select "View Style Information", then select any page component and a window pops open indicating the exact stylesheet affecting the page component and the line(s) where you can find the code. It's awesome for making quick changes to page layout.

rezzy
02-01-2009, 09:53 AM
Another great tool for tweaking CSS in Wordpress (and any site for that matter) is a slick little add-on for Firefox called "Web Developer". It adds a toolbar to FireFox. You select "View Style Information", then select any page component and a window pops open indicating the exact stylesheet affecting the page component and the line(s) where you can find the code. It's awesome for making quick changes to page layout.

Yes I have that plugin, and Firebug also which gives added javascript error messages. Plus it uses Yahoo's Yslow and can help you find whats slowing your website down.

rezzy
02-01-2009, 10:28 AM
Bryan instead of a plugin try this sample content file (http://wpcandy.com/articles/easier-theme-development-with-the-sample-post-collection.html). It's an xml file of sample content that you just import into your blog. It should have everything you need.

WP Candy is also a great site in general and worth subscribing to.

Thanks Steve. That was exactly what I was looking for! And it showed how incomplete my blog is. I am working on a v. 3 to my site and wanted to do this one right.

:o

vangogh
02-01-2009, 10:37 AM
Glad I could help point you to it. I had read that post and grabbed the file not too long ago so it was still fresh in my mind.

seolman
02-01-2009, 02:35 PM
Yes I have that plugin, and Firebug also which gives added javascript error messages. Plus it uses Yahoo's Yslow and can help you find whats slowing your website down.

So I'm preaching to the converted! :D

rezzy
02-01-2009, 02:41 PM
So I'm preaching to the converted! :D

Yep. :p I search the site all time for plugins that can help me work.

rezzy
02-01-2009, 11:40 PM
On a side note, I never realized how much coding wordpress takes to make everything flow together, all pretty like! I have never coded such a long css file.

I thought I could pump it out in a few hours, but each page requires work fine tuning, item placement, color, --underline or no underline.
===
After I get a few more elements Ill post the pic. Its something new and fresh for me.


Hope it goes with my personality and conveys the right message.

orion_joel
02-02-2009, 12:30 AM
That is currently the main reason that at this point i am yet to put to much work into a theme of my own, i just have not got the time to learn all the ins and outs to make it all work together in Wordpress. I think i will be more likely to try and slowly modify an existing template to start then to create one from scratch though will give it a try.

vangogh
02-02-2009, 01:03 AM
WordPress themes are actually simpler than they appear. strip out a lot of the code in the default theme. I think the way the default theme is structured is overkill and leads to a lot of unnecessary css.

Do a search for 'wordpress framework' and start there. There are a few frameworks out that basically reduce a WordPress theme to its essentials. If I can find the time I plan on developing one of my own.

rezzy
02-02-2009, 08:30 AM
Do a search for 'wordpress framework' and start there. There are a few frameworks out that basically reduce a WordPress theme to its essentials. If I can find the time I plan on developing one of my own.

Thats what I am using. I am using Whiteboard (http://plainbeta.com/2008/05/20/whiteboard-a-free-wordpress-theme-framework/).

Its been nice, I keep a tab open of vangogh's blog and one other, checking where components are located to make sure mine is logical. Sometimes, giving to much information can be overkill, so I am stripping down some of the content being displayed.

On another note, my new layout is using transparent pngs, I know IE 6 does not support it. Its a decision I have made and reap the benefits and consequences. I know there is a javascript hack, but dont want to get into that hassle atm.

----Steve, I am going to take a screen shot of my new blog, although the page is missing alot of fine tuning could you tell me the feeling it gives you?

vangogh
02-02-2009, 11:16 AM
Sure send the image my way. I'll give you some thoughts as soon as I can.

rezzy
02-02-2009, 12:33 PM
I'll give you some thoughts as soon as I can.

No, not when you can, as soon as I send it, I demand as response! This is top priority....:D

Your life goes on hold to look at my site!

/end crazy rant.

Thanks. I pmed you. I'll release it to the public once its a bit more coded out.:)

vangogh
02-02-2009, 05:32 PM
Funny. I did get the PM and the image. I'm dropping everything now to look at it. Actually it will probably be tomorrow. Phone ringing off the hook today.

rezzy
02-02-2009, 05:46 PM
Funny. I did get the PM and the image. I'm dropping everything now to look at it.

Thanks, your advice always seems so on point.

orion_joel
02-02-2009, 07:49 PM
Have download the Whiteboard framework, will have to get out the dry erase markers and see if i can make it work.

The amount of code and such in the default template is sort of what got me questioning the idea, but if i can work around a very basic framework and build on it them, i may just have a chance.

vangogh
02-02-2009, 08:53 PM
Joel with the framework you'll find that there's no styling built in so you get to add your own instead of having to work within the styles already set up by the default template. I think you'll find it easier to work with.

orion_joel
02-02-2009, 10:48 PM
My biggest concern is working the layout, i don't mind for the most part the two columns, or even three, but i may be a bit stretched if i got to do the setting of it. Will have to set up a trial site and see what it's got before i start playing with it on my actual domain.

vangogh
02-03-2009, 01:28 AM
Setting up a layout isn't too hard. You can practice by creating an html page with a few divs and just trying different things to see how you can control the layout. If you give each div a different background-color and a height you can easily see what effect your changes have.

It's mostly just a little practice.

rezzy
02-03-2009, 09:31 AM
The whiteboard frameworks is wonderful. They completed all the php work, and if you know php you can modify some of elements around. All the pages are included, and the only css included is a reset.

They leave all the other work to you! Its great. I used another one before, but you had to undue their css, which was a pain.

vangogh
02-03-2009, 12:47 PM
It's undoing the css that makes the default template harder to work with. I want to create my own framework that's aligned with the way I develop sites and if it turns out to be useful I'll likely release it publicly for all to use.

orion_joel
02-03-2009, 08:06 PM
That sounds good, i have done a little bit with Divs and CSS layout but while ago, will have to start reading a little and then i will put it on the Todo list.

If i can get something working i may even consider changing my business site over to wordpress, as i have decided that i am moving the cart off site so all i want is something that is good at putting the content i want to show online, which i am finding wordpress is very good at.

orion_joel
02-05-2009, 12:16 AM
Ok so quick question, i have got a clean wordpress install and downloaded and applied thw whiteboard theme. However i am trying to play with some of it but it is not playing along.

Was trying to go something basic to start, just setting the header text to center, so in the css i set h1 {text-align: center;} but it is not working for some reason? i know there is the CSS reset in their, does this affect it, like do i need to remove the tag that i am setting from the reset, or should this not be an issue?

rezzy
02-05-2009, 09:04 AM
The reset should not be an issue. Generally, those are used to reset the window, so all browsers will see it the same.

The problem I have encountered with css for the Whiteboard framework is it needs to be more exact in some cases. If you were trying to modify the header name. Using the web developer plugin, check the css and find the element listed directly infront of it.

I dont have access to my computer, so I cant check it. :( To be sure.

vangogh
02-05-2009, 10:32 AM
Joel I'd have to see more of the code to really know, but what Bryan is suggesting sounds very possible. Sometimes you need to be more specific in your css for certain elements.

orion_joel
02-05-2009, 08:33 PM
Ok i realized my first mistake, i should be working on putting in a div for the alignment not setting the alignment on the h1 tag.

Anyway, i am not sure why but it is still causing nothing to happen. I set a div in the CSS like so

#header {
text-align: center;
}

then in the header.php file i put

<div id="header">
Code for wordpress name and description
</div>
By all rights this should work, i have looked on google and found it explained like this, and looking in a book i have and it pretty much explains to do it this way, the CSS i have entered in in the CSS file after the reset, so as i understand the file is read top to bottom so it should reset them start setting what i put in, but no luck.

orion_joel
02-05-2009, 08:54 PM
I finally nailed it, would seem that when i uploaded the white board theme all the permissions were blocking the css from being read at all. Additionally i was mistaking what the page looks like in firefox, if you are to turn off Page Style all together.

So i went through and matched the file permissions to the default theme and all is working well now.

rezzy
02-05-2009, 09:24 PM
I finally nailed it, would seem that when i uploaded the white board theme all the permissions were blocking the css from being read at all. Additionally i was mistaking what the page looks like in firefox, if you are to turn off Page Style all together.

So i went through and matched the file permissions to the default theme and all is working well now.

Oh, good thing you figured it out. That might have taken a while for us to find.

orion_joel
02-05-2009, 09:58 PM
I thought there had to be something stopping it and maybe i had just put a letter or symbol in the wrong spot. So i tried to validate the CSS. But the site i was trying to validate on was saying the file was forbidden, and did not exist. So i started looking at the files, and there it was.

That is the benefit of having a mind that follow's a path that might seem more like jumping from 1 to 7 then back to 2 before jumping to 5 and 6 and then 3 and 4. You never know what little thing is going to set it off to a totally different path.

rezzy
02-06-2009, 12:34 AM
I have learned ... the hard way... start small, thinking about the simple mistakes and then move your way up.

Ive been around the block searching for a problem sitting on my front lawn.

orion_joel
02-06-2009, 08:26 PM
Ive been around the block searching for a problem sitting on my front lawn.

reminiscent of i think it was "A Field of Diamonds", before searching the world search you own part of it.