WordPress.org

1. JanChristian
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   I could really use the counsel of some WordPress pros. I'm designing a photography site (like an online portfolio) but I also want to include a blog. I want the blog to look like the rest of the site (mainly just by keeping the nav bar header) and that's where my questions begin. My site will have a navigation bar at the top with about 5 links, which I also want to have at the top of my blog. Is this possible? Are there any good tutorials?

   I've read that WP can be used to run a whole site. Should I do that or just create my site as usual then just have the single WP page? What will be best/easiest?

   I know html basics but i'm pretty new to CSS.

   The WordPress theme i plan to create is very simple. i just want my site's nav bar header at the top, index.php center-left and sidebar.php center-right, then maybe an unobtrusive pattern behind index/sidebar. I appreciate the help.

2. stvwlf
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   I would suggest building your whole site in WP. WP is used for many complete websites. The blog part will then be automatically already built in. You will not need to build your visuals twice - once for the HTML site and once for the WP part.

   A good way to create a custom WP theme is to find a free WP theme that has the basic layout of columns, nav, sidebar, etc. that you like, and then customize that theme's visuals to your custom style.

   If you want to research, you might search for WordPress as a CMS
   CMS means Content Management System - its beyond just using it as a blog. There are hundreds of free themes and plugins to enhance the way a site looks and works, including image display and slideshow plugins.

   You will find people on this forum pretty responsive to answering questions. Most problems have been answered many times and those answers can be searched for. You will have some learning curve, but in the end you will find WordPress to be a powerful and flexible system.

3. JanChristian
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   Thanks for the info. I did a brief search and found some info but certain things are still a little hazy.

   So with WP as a CMS, the nav bar I described wouldn't be a problem? You can get an idea of what it'll look like by going to my site. I'd like "Jan Christian" to be a link, which takes you to the page you currently see (sans construction tape) and then to the right of that will be 4 more links: Photos, which will take you to a list of galleries; Tidbits, which will be the blog; then About and Contact.

   I planned on using images as links because the font I want to use is Trajan and if someone's computer doesn't have that it'll default to something else. Is this acceptable or should I really use text? I suppose the Photos, Tidbits, About, Contact bit could be a serif font like TNR but I'd like to keep Jan Christian how it is.

   With WP as the CMS will it be easy to update galleries? I was going to use LightRoom to output galleries in a flash format.

   I planned on building my site in Dreamweaver (I'm learning as I go). Will that help at all w/WordPress or will it just get in the way?

   Sorry for all the questions but I really am a n0Ob lol

   Here's a free theme that's close to what I'm looking for: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/dreamline

4. stvwlf
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   Hi

   You can use images as nav in a WP site. It will require modifying your header and/or CSS stylesheet.

   You might want to hand code the Nav links instead of using the theme coding that will auto-populate from pages. That will make it easier to use images as Nav, and you don't have many links anyway.

   You can also integrate Flash into a WP site, so you can do with your images what you've already intended.

   You may be able to build parts of your WP code in Dreamweaver (it may be more cut & paste). The newer versions of DW have more CMS integration built in. I still use an old version so I don't know exactly what has been added.

   For your top page, in WP you will want to use a custom page template that has no sidebar on that page, and display your image across the full width.

   Rather than jumping too far ahead and giving you details that will put you on overload, let me make you aware of the WP Codex, which is like a Wiki of articles on WP usage and development http://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page

5. JanChristian
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   To make things easier, here's a quick mockup of what i'm after (using the above theme):
   http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/SpeakerPhreaker/BLOG_MOCKUP.jpg

   So to put it succinctly, will I be able to use that navigation bar in WordPress?

6. JanChristian
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   Thanks again! i've got quite a bit of reading to do but it's definitely starting to make more sense.

   and my last post was posted before your last comment, i don't know why it's out of order.

7. stvwlf
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   Hi

   you can definitely create in WP what you have in that mockup. Its pretty standard.

8. JanChristian
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #

   OK, so the site is well on its way but I need to work on the nav bar. I had my friend help me get it to where it is but I'd like the header links to be independent of the body text. For example, when you increase or decrease font size within a browser (i used safari), it messes up the nav bar links. and secondly, I'd like the link fonts to be Trajan Pro. Since Trajan Pro isn't a standard font I guess I should use pictures for this?

   Are there any good tutorials that talk about creating nav bar headers with links over pictures? I haven't seen any that talk about overlapping the two.

   http://www.ambrotosphotography.com

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