Tag: themes

Once again, as Bill the Cat would vehementlly say:

`Ack! Thbbft!`

I’ve switch the WordPress.com theme again! This time it’s:

Sandbox 0.6.1 by Andy Skelton & Scott Allan Wallick

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

PROs:

• Theme Options. Available skins of `One-Column`, `Two-Column` (one content, one sidebar), `Three-Column` (one content, two sidebars – either left or right).
• Auto width for different screen resolutions and zooms for web pages.
• Time/date stamp nicely located underneath the post entry!
• Meta data displayed as hidden. I hate tags, categories and comments!

CONs:

• Too plain. Purchase CSS upgrade and have fun editing the layout of your weblog. Good luck!

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I modeled the colors based on the `Vostok theme`. The nice orange color of the `header element` matches the orange colors of a 12-sun rays in my Gravatar. The color of the `links elements` is a cool blue, which I noticed appeared on certain cable news programming (i.e. FoxNews and conservative pals). The colors of the hover element are black for background and white for fonts.

I hate sidebars! But I love balance, which TWO sidebars achieve with the Sandbox theme. I wanted to try the other Sandbox themes with top navigation bars. But I don’t have the patience or expertise to identify how to get TWO sidebars on either side of the `content element` or how to make the drop-down menu feature `vertical` instead of `horizontal`.

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There were more tweaks that I couldn’t figure out in the past. Now I solved three tonight! What luck!

• Links. The `unlisted element` for the `links categories` were TOO friggin’ close to the header for each `links categories`. I made the bottom margins for both the h2 and h3 `1em`. Now my `Links` page looks better!
• Image. The `caption image element` was TOO narrow on top. I made the top margin 4 pixels. Now the `Image widget` in the sidebar looks better!
• Hover. The `hover element` for the sidebars didn’t look like the push-button effects found on the `Solipsus theme`. I made the color of the background darker for the hover and switched the margins between the hover and active links.

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Will I keep this new layout? Nah! You know me: I want perfection! Plus, there are some elements that are not part of this theme. Let’s see how long I’ll be satisfied this time around. But I really like the darker scheme because of an `rare sight` as mentioned in my previous blog entry.

Last night, I got pissed again! I changed WordPress.com themes: `Dusk`, `The Journalist v1.9`, `Hemingway` and now:

DePo Masthead by Derek Powazek/Noel Jackson

A classy template that draws on classic magazine design design for a simple, bold style.

When viewing this particular theme with a screen resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels, the weblog looks radical! For the `left footer`, I placed six `Image widgets`, all of which has a width of 150 pixels. For the `middle footer`, I placed the `Links widget` by itself. For the `right footer`, I placed the following widgets: one `Pages`, two `Text`, one `Akismet`, one `Blog stats` and one `Gravatar`.

PROs:

• One-column monsters. I love the large fonts and viewable spread, like a magazine.
• Three bottom bars.. I hate sidebars!
• Archives tab. Full view of ALL of the current year’s archive.
• RSS feed. Located next to Archives in top navigation bar.
• Home (or front page). No tab shown on top navigation bar.

CONs:

• Meta data. Shows tags (or topics) – strangely on top of page title and categories and time/date stamp below page title.
• Author text box. Strange gray-colored box on very top of page. Entered personal text of `Howdy!` for country fans and cowboys alike via `Theme Options` of dashboard.
• Screen resolution. Width not automatically fitted for smaller screen resolutions of 800 by 600 pixels.
• Links. No blogroll link via page view. Use widgets instead.

I’m currently trying Bueno by WooThemes. I love it after many switches of WordPress.com themes in the past days. I will force myself to stay with this theme despite the lack of a much preferred time stamp for each post entry and make peace with life’s imperfection.

I just noticed too that there are three footers! Wonderful! I’ve placed two quote on the left (Footer 1) and the right (Footer 3), with the `Text` widget titled `Take notice` in the middle (Footer 2).

Besides, there are referrers to my blog and it’s only fair to STICK to one WordPress.com theme. I love how larger than life the fonts help to `advertise` my much neglected top navigation bar and its precious pages contained therein.

I see also that there is a widget called `Bueno Feature Posts`, which I placed towards the top. I may change the overall arrangement of the widgets, again, because of my anal retentiveness in creating the PERFECT weblog for free, of course, here at WordPress.com.

Bruhaha!

Once again and as Bill the Cat would say: `Ack!` For whatever reason, I can’t decide which WordPress.com theme I want. I’m trying Black Letterhead again.

I’ll draft a nice wish list here and then post my wish list on the forum later on.

• Dark theme. Light colors hurt my eyes.
• Bottom bar. I hate sidebars! I like one-column themes!
• Top navigation bar with drop-down menu. I hate sidebars!
• Shortcodes for archives, links, media and pages. I hate sidebars!
• Custom header.
• Custom background.
• Toggles for meta data – tags, categories, authors, time stamp, date stamp.
• Toggles for sidebars, too. I hate sidebars.
• Toggles for different font sizes and type for different elements.
• Tagline (or blog description) underneath the blog title.
• Search form somewhere near the header.
• Feeds for both posts and comments near the header.

Blix theme: I like the single page view for `pages`. If there is a theme for single page view for `posts`, that would be nice.

Dusk theme: I like how the meta data is present with the time/date stamp followed by the category and tags. The comments and/or permalinks could be next but appears on the bottom of each post.

Black Letterhead theme: I like the dark colors of red, yellow and gray. It’s creepy.

Misty theme: I like this theme. The fonts are easy to read. The elements of a search page, feeds for posts and comments, top navigation bar, blog description (or tagline) and custom header are all near the header.

Hemingway theme: I like the bottom bar (or footer). The spread is even and the fonts are small. I like three footers, not two or four!

Contempt theme: I like how the sidebar widgets are nice and cozy inside their boxes. The header to each widget is well presented.

Regulus theme: I like how the search form and feeds are located on the top and bottom of the sidebar, respectively. I like how the `Top` link (located at the bottom) scrolls fast and fluidly back to the `top` of the weblog.

Unsleepable theme: I like how the sub-pages appear towards the top of each `page`.

Fresh Bananas theme: The corners are rounded. The light blue is nice and soft. The fonts are normal and large.

Day Dream theme:  Of all the WordPress.com theme, I love the fonts! I still can’t figure out the bottom bar.

Inuit Types theme: I love the dark color scheme and the big fonts. But the `tables` element doesn’t show up.

INove theme: I love everything about it. Except it’s too perfect. It lacks my time stamp.

Kubrick theme: It’s normal.

As for the other themes, the time stamp issue is my main concern. That’s all.

As Bill the Cat, or Bill D. Cat, a fictional cartoon cat would say:

`Ack!`

`Thbbft!`

That is my sentiment right now. I can’t seem to find my PERFECT WordPress.com theme. So I went back to the:

Solipsus by Tiffany Nguyen (Rikkye)

A black and brown two-column design with flowers, clouds and a sun.

PROs:

• Dark theme.
• Left sidebar.
• Time/date stamps for both front page and single views.
• Images for backgrounds, blockquotes, `bullets`, headers.
• Rounded corners.
• Button-like feature for links on sidebar.

CONs:

• Width too narrow.

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

Vostok by Javier Cañada and Rubén Lozano (CSS and images) and the WordPress team (PHP, HTML)

A dark, elegant one-column theme with a widget-ready footer. Options include a custom header image, custom background image and color, and a full navigation menu in the header.

Tags: dark, orange, one-column, fixed-width, custom-header, custom-background, threaded-comments, sticky-post, translation-ready, microformats, rtl-language-support

PROs:

• Theme options. Choice to select header image and/or top navigation.
• Background options. Choice to upload image and/or display option with elements for colors, positions, repeats, and attachments.
• Header options. Choice between  eight `cool headers`or personally uploaded ones of 600 x 126 pixels.
• Dark colors of gray. Easier on the eyes instead of lighter colors.
• Good handling of blue and orange for links.
• Elements for listed, unlisted and ordered handled well.
• Fonts size and line spacing handled well. Large enough for reading.
• One-column. Two sidebars.
• Fixed-width. Good for smaller screen resolutions of 800 by 600 pixels.
• Blog description underneath blog title. Both located on upper left hand corner and above custom header.

CONs:

• No time stamp! Again, some of my blog entries occur around the time of [paranormal and synchronous] events! The best way around this feature is for readers to subscribe to my post and comment feeds. Waaahhh!
• No templates for archives and links, except a `Default Template` and a `One column, no sidebar` version.

Oh, dear Lord! I couldn’t stand the dark color and small fonts from the previous WordPress.com theme. Therefore, I’m back to

The Journalist v1.9 by Lucian E. Marin – Journalist is a smart, minimal theme designed for professional journalists.

Again, I wanted more details viewed from the page and NOT from the sidebars, which I hate! I prefer the single, page-like columns and footers. But this particular theme doesn’t have bottom bars.

The archives template offers sections months, categories AND tags, which appears ONLY in this theme. The links template looks normal, listing the blogroll alphabetically and by category.

If only there were more shortcodes for pages, then I’d be a happy camper.

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I’ve removed almost all the widgets from the sidebar and narrowed down my choices to four widgets (so far):

• Gravatar widget describing my blog with links.
• Search form.
• Akismet.
• Blog stats.
• Text widget for `Notice` of fair use, disclaimer and copyright.

I’m still keeping the `Hemmingway` theme here at WordPress.com. I added a `sticky post` titled Howdy! It is a summary similar to the Gravatar profile. There are links for more reading. For the three footers, the widgets remain the same:

• Left footer contains Japanese proverb.
• Middle footer contains external links.
• Right footer contains internal links.

I like the feel of a one-column theme and Hemmingway `temporarily` fulfills my requirements.

PROs:

• The front page is nice and tidy.
• Only two excerpts appear at the top.
• Three footers show only three widgets.
• Width of body and content elements autofit.
• Single post views look like forums with meta data on `left column`.
• No sidebars! I hate sidebars.
• Template for archives and links available. Too bad that’s its.

CONs:

• Small fonts.
• Zoom-In feature of browsers enlarges fonts.
• Smaller screen resolution (i.e. 800 by 600 pixels) enlarges fonts.