Best overlooked theme features for multisites..

  • krystofo

    (@krystofo)


    12 years, 5 months ago

    Discussion subtitle: “Ideal & Under-Emphasized Theme Features that Might be Desirable for Multisites to Maximize Applicablity and Minimize Maintenance With Zero PHP Modification.”

    I have just recently done my first multisite installations–and then learned just enough about Themes to become frustrated with them. I have been seeking in vain for ONE theme that I can learn to use and teach my sub-site webmasters to use. I believe that the advantages of such a theme are obvious. And many of the Commercial GPL Theme Companies listed on WordPress.org could produce a theme meeting all of these standards within one day. Yet, these features seem so rare that it is difficult even to search for them, and I have finally given up.

    Several highly flexible GPL themes are available from well-established firms, which (a) an experienced webdesigner could easily modify without PHP modification, and (b) do not have branding hard-coded in the source or admin panel. By using “export/import settings” (if such a feature is included) or a site replicator plugin, this could result in meeting my standards, including the assurance of seamless and well-supported updating. Indeed I could do this myself, but taking ten times longer than an expert and not as well.

    Also note that although Child Theming makes PHP modification “low-hassle” to update–but low is not zero–and zero is quite possible. I infinitely prefer zero update hassles.

    I welcome anyone to suggest any source for such a theme as I desire. And also to list your own frustrated theme desires. 🙂

    1. WELL SUPPORTED. Not a lone wolf project. Created by an established firm with at least 3 active partners. OR the result of an open source project that carefully vetts its products and enables contributors to earn enough income to be sure to be attracted to pick up the ball if the lead programmer ever quits. This obviously does not include an open source website where everyone lists any theme they wish to make.

    2. WELL PRICED. $50 to $200 lifetime GPL plus $10 to $50 annual support forum membership.

    3. PRACTICAL. Substantial emphasis on (a) CPU efficiency and (b) minimal incidents of WordPress updates requiring changes to active designs.

    4. HIGH COMPATIBILITY. I.e., either not using an obscure framework, or made with expert knowledge of plug-in compatibility. This must include compatability for WPMS MOBILE EDITION (if not having built-in adaptation to mobile browsing).

    5. UNBRANDED. Capability to remove all theme branding from the visible site, source code and admin panel. Ideally, the theme is simply named Theme or Skin or Template or Design, and in all visible instances, is accompanied by a logo image which the site administrator can permanently customize. (My friends say this is not a big deal. But I cannot imagine any webmaster refusing this option if given a choice. It is certainly ideal for a site owner to have his own branding dominate in every aspect of the site.)

    6. BASICALLY BORING. All of the high profile theme designers seem to be focused on creating flashy, unique designs–which is the last thing I need for the default design of a multisite community. The more “impressive” a design is–the more “stomach churning” it becomes, as soon as two sites are using the identical design.

    If any of my subsite webmasters wants a custom design, I can supply a TRUE custom design for $100. Or I can enable Woo Canvas and he can create his own custom design. Otherwise, there is really nothing better than taking your own appropriate photo and logo and adding this to the header of a “basically boring” but tasteful site design. Aside from this, all that is needed is the ability to choose from a good variety of color coordinations…

    7. DOZENS OF PREDEFINED COLOR COORDINATIONS. A good example of color-coordinations can be seen at wpweaver.info/themes/weaver. This is not as easy as it looks. You can simply have the sidebars and header be one color, and the main content be a lighter version of the same color. However an artistic person can play with harmonies and contrasts. Anyone can do this well enough. But it would be highly desireable for a multisite, if each site owner could ‘preview’ multiple pastel shades of green, multiple shages of blue, etc.

    It is very telling when, aside from gimmicky sliders and such, a high-profile theme designer can only offer stark choices of “red, green or blue,” with evidently no skill at color coordination. If instead the available Weaver color presets were increased to include 5 different shades of each current preset, that would be about right. (Optional: textures or photographic backgrounds could also be added: sky, sand, parchment, linen, etc., in numerous shades.)

    7. CUSTOM CSS. Or a “head code include” field for adding anything desired to the <head> code of all pages of any one subsite (not affecting other subsites). This of course is essential to override the theme CSS for tweaking any site design.

    8. Optional: SETTINGS IMPORTS & EXPORTS. We need the ability to replicate default settings for the site, to minimize initial tweaking for every new site. This is “optional” because there are several plug-ins for this, which presumalbly do not slow down the site, because they are only used when starting a new site. However some plugins replicate only standard settings, others focus on widget settings, and I am not sure about text within text widgets and default settings of the admin panel RSS. Anyway, the more defaults that the theme itself can transfer the better.

    Weaver II has most of my ideal features and is probably what I will be using. I welcome anyone to suggest other “neglected ideal features” for multisite themes, or to suggest other themes with such features.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    12 years, 5 months ago

    1 through 4 are … a little bit subjective. I mean, I can easily pick those from the ones on the Commercial Theme page you linked to

    5 should be standard of ALL THEMES. If you can’t remove the theme branding, they’re not in GPL compliance (which is to say – You should be able to always remove branding).

    6 is VERY subjective 🙂 That’s an ‘I know it when I see it’ issue.

    7 can be done with a plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/safecss/ (which is what wp.com uses)

    8 is going to be easier with plugins, as you’ve found, like Replicator, which lets you just copy new sites from a template.

    Thread Starter krystofo

    (@krystofo)

    12 years, 4 months ago

    Thank you Ipstenu.

    6 is VERY subjective

    No. 6 is somewhat sujective, but perhaps I gave the wrong impression because of writing unclearly. Perhaps this is more clear:

    #6. STANDARD, CLICHE, TRADITIONAL DESIGN: Header graphic on top, site name inside header, optional left and/or right columns with optional borders. I.e., the same basic layout that you most often see when you see 100 WordPress Themes for $9.95 on Ebay. Or, as I said, the rather nice versions of this seen at wpweaver.info/themes/weaver. From there it is easy to reduce or increase the header height, to move the site name above or below the header, or to cover half the page with a gaudy ‘slider’ or other fancy effects. OR simply to pop a relevant background image and logo into the header, and you immediately have a workable and somewhat individual site!

    #5: Unbranded themes: “”5 should be standard of ALL THEMES.”” I am pleased and surprised to hear this. But perhaps I was not clear what I meant by “unbranded”…

    In response to my request for an unbranded code and admin panel, the Weaver programmer said: “”At this point, the only reasonable way to do that would be via the language translation files, and they are really implemented only on the visitor side. The admin side will likely remain English for some time to come, and thus, not really a target for a “weaver-less” admin side… And… Because of the nature of PHP, and requirements for any theme that will actually work inside WordPress, there is a naming convention that includes “weaver”… All the shortcodes are [weaver_xxx]…””

    I don’t understand this programming talk. However I presume it should at least be possible to make a theme called “theme.” Also, I do not care about PHP codes that after server processing, do not show in the browser’s “view source.” Also, in the Commercial GPL listings, I found several themes with no source code branding. Perhaps this was because they use a different framework.

    At any rate, I was led to feel that perhaps branding was necessary to preserve copyrights. And so, I am interested to hear that maybe this is not the case.

    #7. I am glad to learn there is a ‘custom CSS plug-in,’–and especially, one that is so reliable it is used by WordPress.COM!

    #1-4: you are correct that these features are easy to find from the Commercial Themes page. The problem is, those who have #1-4, tend not to have #6 or #7!

    Now, it seems that #7 is no longer a problem. As for #6, after starting this discussion, it occurred to me to ask a GPL commercial theme maker, who has features #1-5, to custom-tweak one of their flexible themes, so as to deliver my feature #6 for a reasonable extra fee. This is my latest plan.

    (I might even do the tweaking myself. However I would prefer an expert, who could do this very quickly and would know more about cross-browser stability.) (P.S. I have TWO #7’s. Oops. The first is multiple color schemes. I can do this myself, eventually.)

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    12 years, 4 months ago

    With the exceptions of items 7 and 8, none of these are multisite specific questions. They’re just … the subjective desires of one person 🙂

    6 – That’s not MultiSite Specific, and it’s subjective. ANY theme can be made to look how YOU want, BTU only YOU know what you want. That’s why I call it subjective. It’s only a missing hole to you 🙂

    In response to my request for an unbranded code and admin panel

    Now that begs the questions “What do you mean, unbranded admin?” If you want WP to run your site, but not have the back end look like WordPress… Well you can do it, but it’s a lot of work. Weaver changes the backend of WP, and I wouldn’t put my time and effort into undoing (or replicating) that.

    Thread Starter krystofo

    (@krystofo)

    12 years, 4 months ago

    Thank you Ipstenu. You are very helpful as usual.

    However in my opinion, #6 is very multisite specific. So either we totally disagree here, or I am not explaining myself properly. I will try again…

    Choosing the default design for multiple sites MIGHT have the exact opposite of the usual fundamental requirement for choosing a design for a specific site…. in the following sense…

    • For single sites: the focus is on “catching the specific feeling” of the purpose of that site, and creating a distictive sense, with conspicuous design features.
    • For multiple sites: the focus for the default theme is on NOT over-emphasizing any specific feeling, so that it can pertain to multiple subject matter, and therefore the design itself should be less prominent and less distinctive. Such that, after simply plugging in the site’s own header and logo, that is what stands out, and the site design is instantly of ‘passable’ quality. It is less conspicuous that 10 or 10,000 other sites have the same design features, if there are no conspicuous design features. (Each individual site in the multisite then can of course seek out a more ‘distinctive’ design for itself alone, as above.)

    Now that begs the questions “What do you mean, unbranded admin?”

    Weaver has a “Weaver Admin” panel added to the backend, and numerous “Weaver” tabs within that panel. Woo Canvas similarly has a “Canvas” panel. I like these added panels. But it is certainly less confusing to newbies, and more ideal for the site reputation, if they were named “[sitename] Admin” or “Skin Admin” or “Theme Admin.” I do not say this is essential. I just say it is “ideal”–for multisites. (For single sites, obviously this means nothing at all, nobody except the primary owners see the admin panel.) (An unbranded or custom-branded admin panel also might be a desired feature for webdesigners who sometimes simply buy themes and modify them for their clients–or so it seems from the advertising of theme makers–although I am beginning to wonder.)

    Meanwhile, I am happy to report that thanks to your help in sorting out my ideas… and also after surfing for the Nth time about Themes and Frameworks… I believe that I know how to hire a webdesigner affordably to create my own Child Theme, which I can be assured will meet all of my ideal requirements. Thank you very much.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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