Wordpress as a CMS part:2

February 20th, 2007

feel like I’m starting over

Please read for intro: Wordpress as a CMS

I have to document this in cyber land, or the chances are I will forget, or not be able to decipher my hand written notes.

So I have my basic design, and I’m using the Blix theme, because I am already familiar with it, as it provides the scaffolding for this blog.

With that in mind, and the fact that transmuting the theme to my will in the first instance was, lets say a task doing it all again for a new and totally different project presented more challenges.

There is out there a fairly heated debate as to the best platform for building dynamic sites. I like wordpress, but I also like corel photopaint opposed to photoshop, I guess it’s just the old familiarity.

The details

I have intergrated the design with Blix and all seems good.

What I want to begin with is a static front page, but also have that page easily updatable by the client.

Small sites I have done in the past have always been down to me to update, so to have a non-designer come in with additions and customisation in mind presents some accesibility issues.

So back to wordpress, I think the interface is reasonably intuaitive, and if problems arise I can be on hand to guide the way.

How dy’a do it?

Firstly: As basic as possible I copied the index.php file and saved it to a spans.php (whatever) this would allow me to use that template for created pages for the semi-static side of the site.

Secondly: Copied the index.php and saved it orig.php, so I have it in case of meltdown.

Thirdly: Deleted the posts loop from index.php so I can use all the good stuff without the clutter hitting the front page by default.

Please note, at this point I would love a highly qualified mentor!!

Update

Been playing in code, I have the feeling again, when things begin to come together.

I am at this point going to show how to use WS_FTP LE

I think it might come in handy GO..

Latest News and Updates

The project I’m working on as mentioned above required a static front page, and I have outlined how I planned to achieve this. Well anyway it didn’t work, i geuss it has something to do with the blix extended page functions, which ironically was the route of the probelm I am about to describe below.

Introducing the latest version of wordpress

Wordpress 2.1

I came across this whilst browsing for a solution to the static page quest. I was delighted to see that the latest version of WP came with the option to make a page static, (to take it out of the loop), and designate post pages to another location.

Excellent i thought and checked to see what dreamhosts’ version was. 2.1 to upgrade or install, and since the project is on the table in it early stages I thought i’d give it a shot.

Again it didn’t work, worse than that any created pages were not showing in the nav bar. I assumed it was to do with the tinkering on my part in customizing the design to mine.

A destryed database later and a reinstall and the same problem. What’s going on. flipped through a couple of themes and the navigation worked as expected. So it’s a blix thing. Major pain in the ass. It is to do with the extended special bx-functions.php. Not even begin to dabble with that code. So it has to be a new base theme, or a fix.

The fix

Not fully tested yet, but in early stages seems to work.

Check this development blog here for more details, and futher possibilities.

Entry Filed under: Design, Latest News, WordPress