Flynn's Paws: My Thoughts, My Gripes

Tag: custom css

  • Previewing CSS

    I’m back with the Black-LetterHead by Ulysses Ronquillo here at WordPress.com. Last night, I’ve contacted `support` to troubleshoot an issue with previewing css. I could see the screen but it doesn’t `refresh` properly to reflect the various edits to my paid CSS upgrade.

    I have requested a refund due to this issue. Here is the message to `cancel and refund`:

    I’m having difficulty previewing my custom css prior to saving stylesheet. I’ve contacted support to troubleshoot in the issue. Moreover, I won’t be satisfied with one style no matter how many times I edit my paid CSS upgrade. Thank you.

    I’ll have to stop spending friviously like this and concentrate on blogging.

    Here is the message via `https://[username here].wordpress.com/wp-admin/paid-upgrades.php?update=unsubemail`:

    You requested a refund for an upgrade. Please check your email for a message with a confirmation link.

    Then I checked the email and clicked on the link to confirm. Here is the message I received via `https://[username here].wordpress.com/wp-admin/paid-upgrades.php?update=unsub`:

    Upgrade cancelled and refunded. The refund may take up to 4 business days to appear in your PayPal/bank/credit card account.

  • Browser Busted

    There is something wrong with the latest Firefox version 3.6.8.

    • The upload link for documents to one of my accounts didn’t work.
    • The preview button for the `CSS Stylesheet Editor` via `Dashboard >> Appearance` didn’t work.

    So by using a different web browser, an IE8 for example, I was able to accomplish both tasks last night and tonight, respectively.

  • Adding Tagline

    Yippee! I’m really using my brain tonight with my paid CSS upgrade!

    Since there is no tagline hardcoded into this particular design, I used a `pseudo-class` element `:after` the `blog title` element. So now when a reader places the mouse over the `Site title` – `The Blogging Path` – the edited `a:hover` element will show a font size of 18 pixels for:

    `The Blogging Path – Alternative topics and other rants`

  • New Upgrade

    For $14.97, I’ve purchased an upgrade: It’s a Custom CSS subscription good for one year! I couldn’t help myself! I had to buy one and did so a few minutes ago!

    I needed a different look to my WordPress.com weblog theme, which is Dusk by Beccary. It’s the hardcoding of this theme particular theme that worked well for me – from the bullet details to the way the comments are stacked.

    The work around for the lack of a `Links template` is made possible by placing a Blogroll `Links widget` on the right sidebar, which is the default location of the original theme design.

    For whatever reason, I couldn’t modify my old CSS. The fonts won’t change and maybe because the payment didn’t clear in 24 hours.

  • 20091107-Old Theme

    Yippie! After editing my paid Custom CSS upgrade, I’ve found the free theme here at WordPress.com to be satisfactory. Check it out, now!

    Fjords04 by Peterandrej

    A 4 column theme with split custom header.

    Tags: four-columns, custom-header, rtl-language-support, right-sidebar, sticky-post, widgets, fixed-width

    Personal PROS:

    • Dual customer header sporting a cloud formation (i.e. sylph and pals) appears for both contents (and pagina) elements above and three sidebars below.
    • Tagline shows the reverse spelling to the blog title.
    • Cool colors are sea breeze blues and greens.
    • Stamps for both time and date shown appear for both single view and archive view.
    • Visibility of blog entries are shown in entirety (and not as excerpts) for both single view and archive view.
    • Three sidebars are narrow and just wide enough for clearer presentations
      • Sidebar 1 (or left) element showing primary widgets of Images.
      • Sidebar 2 (or middle) element showing my long list of blogroll (or links).
      • Sidebar 3 (or right) element showing widgets for re-searching weblog.
    • Content (and pagina) elements are shown as one page (similar to the `Day Dream` theme) when width is set to 530px.
    • Meta information are show with time/date stamps first, followed by categories and tags.
    • Wrapper element with width of 760px works for screen resolutions set to 800 by 600 pixels.

    Personal CONs:

    • NOTHING (except no top/navigation bar with drop down menu feature).

    As a result, I’m keeping this theme.

  • 20091105-Tweaking Again

    I’ve been sampling different `web-safe` color schemes for the following elements:

    • a:active
    • a:link
    • a:hover
    • a:visit

    I tried blues, pinks, oranges and greens. But I found the yellow tones for these fonts blend well with the overall warm, sunny feel of my weblog. The color tones are muted and the only two colors that appear to `break-up` the monotone of yellow are the muted colors of green (for the `header` element) and the purple (for the `title` element).

    As a result and because I noticed how difficult it was to read the pale fonts, I’ve changed the font color from gray to black for both elements: `content` and `sidebar`.

  • 20091013-Tweaking Again

    I’ve been tweaking my weblog again!

    Here is a summary of the changes for the paid CSS stylesheet upgrade:

    • Background color of `title` element is black (#000000) and
    • Hover after `title h1` element reads: `Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare` (Japanese proverb).

    Here is the new order for widgets in the left sidebar:

    • Text widget – about: Shorter tagline reads as `god`S GOLD for a SuNNY LiFe`;
    • Search form;
    • Page widget – main menu (showing one parent, three children and six grandchildren with great-grandchildren hidden);
    • Image widget – home alone: Dante’s Inferno Satan and words of encouragement;
    • RSS links widget for my posts and comments;
    • Image widget – recommended reading: Four books authored and signed by Don Bradley;
    • Flickr widget – orgone and orgonite (3 most recent images);
    • Image widget – want to help? (PayPal donation);
    • Akismet widget – spam blocked (currently 88,650 spam comments); and
    • Blog stats widget – (currently 37,304 visits).

    Here is a summary of the changes for pages:

    • Contents – the only parent page.
    • Pages (six children): about, blogger, contact, faq, orgone, and welcome.
    • Book (six children): service page of old, religious poems modeled after a Catholic mass and five web-book sections.
    • Archives (no children).

  • 20091005-Two Columns

    I searched online for a 2-column CSS generator. And found the layout worked well for my `Sitemap` page AND my `Welcome` page. I tried it for the rest but the margins don’t automatically fit for the next line. I may try three columns for the `Welcome` page just to get the images lined up horizontally with the text below each one.

    The codes must be entered for both the CSS stylesheet and each post or page entry, though. And it’s tedious work to copy and paste exactly where the text must be cut off for a readable and visually pleasing layout.

  • 20091004-Old Theme

    Well, I’m trying another free theme here at WordPress.com:

    Contempt by Michael Heilemann

    A more professional version of Kubrick, sporting hard lines and 2-columns.

    Tags: blue, custom-header, two-columns, fixed-width, right-sidebar, widgets, sticky-post, white, light, rtl-language-support

    Personal PROs:

    • Blog name, tagline, top/navigation menu bar.
    • Notification on the very top of the sidebar: `You are currently browsing the Flynn’s Blogs blog archives for [whatever here].`
    • Nice shades of gray and white.
    • Neat layers of backgrounds in gray, giving 3-D picture frame effect.

    Personal CONs:

    • Time stamp shown only under single view.
    • Cannot hide visibility of `.postmetadata` or `.small` without hiding time stamp via CSS stylesheet.
    • The button effect is narrower via the Gravatar widget. I want the width of the buttons to fill the full width of the sidebar!

  • 20091002-Tweaking Again

    Yippie! In just a couple of minutes, I made my `Calendar widget` look prettier! It now has the button effect with blue puffing out and yellow denting in! I love tweaking my paid CSS stylesheet upgrade! I cannot get enough with perfection, which explains why I am still SINGLE and UNMARRIED! Brouhaha!

    In addition:

    • Added back my four poems but this time they are inside their colorful tables: light yellow for the angel poem, light blue for the epitaph and light red for the two vertical-shaped poems – elegy and prologue.
    • Added two widgets (month and calendar) to visually balance the horizontal length of both the sidebar floating to the left and the content floating to the right.
    • Reverted back to the `Dusk` theme.
    • Temporarily set the large custom header featuring the sylph to hidden visibility.

  • 20090923-Tweaked Again

    Well, I’m back to the free theme here at WordPress.com: Dusk by Becca Wei. It’s new and improved. Check it out! I’m tired of changing themes and will [probably] stay with this one.

    For details, here is a list of the latest tweaks to my weblog:

    • Lightened background color to gray, a neutral shade.
    • Adjusted margins and paddings for both sidebar and content.
    • Used six widgets.
      • Text widget of table containing a tagline, an image with caption, a simple greeting and two links to the feeds for both the posts and comments.
      • Text widget of main menu containing nine parent pages, complete with brief descriptions in italic and in mouse over.
      • Search form widget for inquiries within my weblog.
      • Flickr widget of  current three images from maximum display of ten for `Orgone and Orgonite` administered by MessiahMews.
      • Text widget of table containing an image of four books authored by Don Bradley linking to a hosted site by MessiahMews.
      • Text widget of five links to donate, link, translate, disclaimer and copyright.

    Personal PROs:

    • Customer header of a cloud formation featuring an image of a sylph.
    • Wrapper width of 780px to accommodate screen resolutions of 800 by 600 pixels.
    • Two columns with the sidebar floating left and the content floating right.
    • Full visibility of posts in archives mode.
    • Ordered and listed elements perfect.
    • Automatic adjustments for browser zooms.
    • Time/date stamp and meta data underneath the post title.

    Personal CONs:

    • No tagline.
    • No top navigation bar of parent pages with drop-down menu features for sub-pages.

  • 20090922-Old Theme

    Well, I back to a free theme here at WordPress.com:

    Sandbox 0.6.1 by Andy Skelton & Scott Allan Wallick

    A theme with powerful, semantic CSS selectors and the ability to add new skins.

    Tags: white, left-sidebar, theme-options, widgets, two-columns, one-column, three-columns, right-sidebar, flexible-width, microformats, rtl-language-support

    Personal PROs:

    • Time/date stamps for posts (not pages) and underneath the entry titles.
    • Three columns for content, archives and my LONG list of blogroll links.
    • Automatic adjustment of views for different screen resolutions and browser zooms.
    • Very simple CSS stylesheet for easier editing by very pick web designers, like moi!

    Personal CONS:

    • Excepts and not entire posts for archives mode.
    • No navigation bar without a drop-down feature near the header.

    I’d like the meta element near the date element and underneath the entry title. But with my FireFox web browser, I am able to `View Page Source` by right clicking near the area of the weblog site, find the < div > code and make the adjustments in my paid CSS stylesheet upgrade:

    • Hide the visibility of the entry date for the sticky page.
    • Hide the visibility of the entry meta for the archive mode and sticky page
    • Add a light gray background color # eee for the sticky page.
    • Add a mouse over effect (per the `Solipsus` theme) for the sidebar link items.
    • Add a custom header showing a cloud formation (or a sylph elemental).
    • Add a `Character code` from `Unicode (hex)` before the entry title, page title and entry meta.
    • Add more widgets to even out the bottom of both sidebars.

    If only I know how to get the secondary sidebar from the `Sandbox 1.6.1` theme, I would use that theme.