Theme Framework

The most interesting fact is probably that I’ll be building future ThemeShift themes on a new in-house WordPress theme framework called err… FrameShift.

FrameShift is responsive and was built on Twitter’s Bootstrap 2.0. By now themes will still be offered as stand-alone solutions. In the future I’ll see if I offer FrameShift as a WordPress framework (as a parent with child themes).

Developers among ThemeShifters will be pleased with the use of WordPress actions and filters to tailor the themes to their needs. Pretty much everything (speaking of theme and post options, widgets, custom queries, layout structure and much more) can be hooked and easily customized without having to dive into the template files. More info to come.

ThemeShift.com

As you can see on the screen shots below, the ThemeShift website will also be redesigned and reorganized to be ready for 2012. The new website is responsive and has a minimal style with a strong focus on content. If everything goes well I’ll be switching to the new version in a few weeks.

Free Themes

In the near future you’ll see free ThemeShift themes in the official WordPress repository. With this step I’ll try to give something back to the WordPress community as I’m earning my living exclusively with WordPress and am very thankful for that.

New Project

I already told some users in the forums that apart from ThemeShift I’m currently developing an entirely new project. wpCasa is a real estate WordPress theme framework. Especially my latest real estate theme deCorum has been very successful. wpCasa is the result of what I’ve learned from developing deCorum, my other real estate themes and the feedback from my estimated clients. If you’re interested, feel free to subscribe the newsletter on wpCasa.com.

Sneak Peek

Thank You!

Like last year I’d like to use this opportunity to send out a big THANKS to all of you. ThemeShift keeps growing because of your support.

Discount Code

Please feel free to use the following discount code on checkout to save 30% on all themes: NAVIDAD
(This code will only be valid until December 26 2011)

Browse Themes

What’s the problem?

In a few words the script may give access to hackers to place and execute scripts with malicious code on your server.

Is my theme affected?

The following themes still include the TimThumb script. If your theme is among these, please read the rest of this post carefully. If not, there is no need to read further.

→ deCasa
→ deCondo
→ deGusto
→ deLuxe
→ deNovo
→ deZine
→ deStyle

How can I fix this?

There are two ways to easily fix this issue. You can either update the theme or you just replace the TimThumb script with an updated version. Either way, I strongly recommend to update the script..

Either Update Theme

1. Download latest version with your download link
2. Deactivate and remove old version
3. Install new version

Or Update Script

1. Access your server via FTP and find the following file:

/wp-content/themes/**themename**/lib/scripts/thumb.php

2. Download the (updated) thumb.zip file
3. Unpack the archive
4. Replace the file thumb.php in the above-mentioned folder on your server

Further Information

→ Zero Day Vulnerability in many WordPress Themes
→ WordPress Themes Using TimThumb Under Attack
→ TimThumb project page

How do I enter?

All you have to do to have the chance to win one of the themes is to become a fan of ThemeShift on Facebook. From Monday (August 8th) to Friday (August 12th) I’ll be giving away one theme per day.

Become a fan

How do I win?

Just become a fan and wait. If you’re a fan already, it’s even easier… simply wait. Winners will be announced on the ThemeShift wall on Facebook. If you find your name among the winners, please send me a private message to claim your prize. Do not forget to put your email and the theme you like most.

How will winners be drawn?

Every day from Monday to Friday I’ll generate a random number from 1 to the number of fans (currently 150) on random.org. This number will be the position of the winner on the list of fans. If the same person is drawn twice, I’ll repeat the process.

Edit:
Winners are announced on Facebook. The first second third fourth fifth and last theme give away has officially ended. Congratulations to the lucky winners!

Good luck!

1. Quick Bar

At the top of this website you can find the quick bar with links to login and -out, to your profile and useful shortlinks to the theme docs.

2. FAQ

Quite a few questions that clients have can be answered through the list of frequently asked questions prior to purchase and as theme owners.

3. General Usage

A useful part of the members area is the general usage page where you find screencasts and tutorials about basic functions that can be used in all themes (e.g. How to add a featured image).

4. Theme Documentation

Further you’ll find the theme documentation with theme-specific screencasts and tutorials.

5. Detailed Tutorials

As part of the theme documentation there are detailed tutorials to explain step-by-step every special feature of each theme.

6. Support Forum

And of course there is an active support forum to post your requests if your questions cannot be answered through the theme documentation.

Thank You!

In the ThemeShift members area every client should find an answer to his problem. And if not, there is always the professional and personal support in the forums. Saying this I want to seize the opportunity to say thank you to all the ThemeShift members who (with very few exceptions) are really kind and thankful for the support I provide. Thank you girls and guys!

Relevant Links

→ Official Website
→ Sessions
→ Location

With the celebration of Independence Day in the U.S. the folks of WordPress announced that WordPress 3.2 (Gershwin) is now available for download. Also check out the list of new features.

I’ve just finished testing all ThemeShift themes and upgraded the demo server as well as the ThemeShift site and everything seems to be working without problems. If you experience any issues, please let me know posting it to the forums. Thanks!

Please notice!

Before you upgrade take a minute to check if your server is ready for the new version since the minimum requirements are changing:

→ PHP 5.2.4
→ MySQL 5.0
→ IE6 no longer supported

Please read Are You Ready for WordPress 3.2? to find some more information about the new requirements, how to find out if your server is ready for them and what you can do if this is not the case.

Backup before Update!

As always you should backup your files and database of your WordPress install. Just in case.

Pricing Options

• BASIC: 2 Themes for €59 ≈ 25% discount → code 2themes25off
• PLUS: 3 Themes for €79 ≈ 33% discount → code 3themes33off
• PRO: 4 Themes for €99 ≈ 38% discount → code 4themes38off
• BUSINESS: More Themes ≥ 40% discount

For more information check out the pricing options.

Theme Owners

If you’ve bought a ThemeShift theme in the past, you’ll find a 25% repeat discount on your profile page in the member area.

What’s in Part 2 and what was Part 1 about?

This article explains how to enable the ThemeShift developer mode to get access to a theme options settings page and to branding options for the options panel. Please notice that this is only recommendable for advanced users. If you’re more interested in a general overview about the new theme options, please have a look at part 1.

Developer Mode

As already mentioned the developer mode is recommendable for advanced WordPress users who would like to add, edit or remove theme options from the theme options page. In a super handy AJAX interface you can organize the theme options without page loads and (re)order them via drag&drop.

If you’re building client sites with ThemeShift themes the branding options will come in handy. You can basically hide everything related to ThemeShift from the theme options. Upload your own logo and/or menu item, hide ThemeShift links and add a custom WordPress login logo.

These options will only be visible if the developer mode is enabled. After making your settings deactivate it and your client will have no access to it. As simple as that.

Enable Developer Mode

The developer mode can be enabled in the file ts-config.php that you’ll find in the /admin folder in the theme package. The only thing you have to do is to set:

define( 'TSO_DEV_MODE', true );

An new menu link called Settings will become visible and give you access to the the options settings page where you can customize the theme options of the theme.

Edit Theme Option Settings

This settings page is (let’s call it) the second level of an options page. You can customize everything to your needs. Edit or remove existing or add completely new theme options and organize them to meet your and your client’s requirements.

As well as the normal options page the options settings page is fully driven by AJAX and will not require page loads. Ordering and reordering of the theme options is a treat. Just drag and drop the items like you prefer.

For easy handling with multiple themes you can also import and export all the theme options settings from or into other ThemeShift themes (with the new panel).

If you create new options (e.g. for your client), you may want to offer a default value for easier handling or because the theme requires a value of a specific option. In this case just enter all the necessary values on the regular options page and on the settings page save the current theme options as default values. Pretty neat, isn’t it?

Branding Options

Another feature of the developer mode are the branding options that will become visible when the developer mode is activated. This might come in handy for ThemeShift users who built client sites with the themes.

You can fully change the branding uploading your own or the client’s logo to display on the theme options and the WordPress login page. Also the menu icon can be changed. Further it is possible to hide all the links and menu items related to ThemeShift.

What do you think?

Do you find this developer mode and the branding options useful? Will this be relevant for you? Or do you think this is unnecessary? I would love to hear your opinion in the comments.

What’s in Part 1 and what will Part 2 be about?

In this part I’ll showcase some of the basic features and sections of this new options panel. The second part will be is about the Developer Mode for advanced users who want to customize the theme options page. Check out part 2!

New Theme Options

The new ThemeShift theme options page is fully AJAX-driven. That means that you don’t have to deal with page loads any more when making your theme settings. This really speeds things up and is a far better user experience.

The theme options are based on the OptionTree plugin by Derek Herman from Envato. But to tailor it to my special needs it has been heavily customized by Ralf Albert to meet my requirements. Rald is a smart guy who did a fantastic job listening to my requests and making magic happen. Danke Ralf!

Styling Options

The new options panel comes with a lot more styling options than the old settings page. In a few clicks you can easily customize the logo, favicon and background images. A handy jQuery color picker let’s you change the color of different layout elements (menus, buttons, links etc.) to ANY color you prefer.

Slider Options

For the themes that include a jQuery content slider there is a new handy feature. For example in a slider on the home page you can optionally select to display the latest entries of a special category or (and that’s the new part) create static slides in no time using the slider option. No need to worry about the order you create these slides. You can reorder them via drag and drop.

You’ll find many features that come in handy when you want to customize the theme without messing around with code in the template files.

Import & Export Options

Many WordPress users first develop a site on their local computer or on a test server. In this case they’ll have to move the site before going live. To make this step as easy as possible you can export the ThemeShift options from the old install and import them into the new site with copy and paste.

Help Center

As you might have seen in the first image of this article there are useful direct links to FAQs, general usage, theme documentation and the support forum. Additionally you’ll have an extra menu called Help Center that provides important information on how to get access to the member area on ThemeShift.com and other useful information (e.g. affiliate program).

Themes & News

Like in the old ThemeShift options panel you are able to browse the latest ThemeShift themes and news in one location to stay updated.

What do you think?

What’s your feeling about this new options panel? Is there anything that is totally missing? I’d be happy to hear your opinion in the comments.