crazypaws

Doodlebee – thanks for the follow up. Your comments about mixing the javascript and php make sense. There was a reason I went with that approach (think it’s called desperation 😉 )

I took your advice . …and even better, thanks no small part to you, think I figured out the problem. It’s simple (i think) but it wasn’t obvious or related to the conditionals approach.

The short answer is the function array I mentioned in my original post (and then wrote off and forgot about) was causing problems. The slightly long winded explanation, for you if you’re curious, or anyone else who comes along with similar struggles is:

My theme originally had css entries in my style.php file for #headerimage that set a background image as header.jpg. I changed that CSS early on but didn’t think about the array in function.php which worked with those terms. If I had simply created a new ID like #headpicture and worked off that aka <div id="headpicture"> all would have been fine, I think. Instead, I kept using the same naming conventions (<div id="headerimage">) without a clue they were otherwise engaged.

I tried all kinds of things from the javascript mess to different conditionals because I assumed it was my coding at fault. Each failure led to a new method to try. Being inexperienced it was easy to doubt my coding (not an area of confidence) or the strategy I was trying. I figured I was an idiot beginner 😉

I trusted your approach but when that didn’t work either it lit the lightbulb that is my pea sized intellect and made me realize it was something else.

I started searching for possiblities and breaking things to see what would happen until I found that array again. I commented it out as an experiment and it looks for certain like the issue was there. I’m too tired to put together a solution but I’m pretty confident it won’t be a big deal tomorrow.

I don’t want to celebrate before I cross the finish line but I’m relieved to have an explanation other than me not being able to add 2+2. That was a frustrating tiresome educational exercise!

thanks again, so much, for your input.
cheers.

thanks Handy. I looked at that plugin and it may help as a last resort but I’d prefer to try and code it in directly.

The theory I’ve found in the codex and support forum that seems most fitting, is to add some lines to header.php like:

class="<?php if (is_home()) echo('headerimage1');
elseif(is_category('red') ) echo('headerimage2');
elseif(is_category('sox') )echo('headerimage3'); ?>

I’d then add entries to style.php for each of the headerimage examples – header2, header3, etc. that specify different pictures by url.

Red and Sox would be actual category names in the code (might also work with category ID numbers but don’t know).

In theory, the is_category string could also be set up nested such that 1 image could be applied to a parent category and all its children, or some variation. something like ‘is_category(‘red’, ‘blue’)’. That way one line would allow a single category and all its children to call for 1 headerimage.

adding to the approach for pages (which is not needed for me but might be for some), you could (again in theory) use elseif(is_page) in place of elseif(is_category) and the call would then allow specific header images for pages too.

The theory sounds easier and cleaner than the approach of creating tons of custom category.php templates or using a plugin – both of which others have suggested….still so far, with the water theme, i haven’t gotten it to work.

It may just be that I’ve been working on things too much and I’m missing something easy or making a rookie mistake like putting the code lines in the wrong place. Not sure. For that matter, maybe I’ve got something wrong in the above theory?

any further help always appreciated. cheers.