These lessons build on the “Start Building Your Website Here” video tutorials but don’t assume that you have watched them. If you already have Thesis activated on a WordPress site and are comfortable with the basics of WordPress then this is a great place to start.
Before you begin
- Have a hosting account with a domain name and WordPress 3.0+ installed
- Have a copy of Thesis 1.8+ installed on the site and activated.
Lesson 1 – Managing the File Structure
- Understanding the Default WordPress and Thesis File Structure
- Create a Local “Mirror” Copy of Your Site’s File Structure
- Configure Filezilla for Synchronized Browsing
- Create a Local Copy of Thesis Customization Files
- Prepare the Site for Customization
Lesson 2 – Introduction to Customizing Thesis Using CSS
- Overview of CSS
- The CSS Files Thesis Uses
- Best Practices Rule #1 – Use Thesis Design Options when Possible
- Best Practices Rule #2 – Write the Minimum Code Necessary
- Best Practices Rule #3 – Use
.custom
Before All Modifications to Thesis CSS - Best Practices Rule #4 – Use Descriptive and Unique Names for Your Custom CSS Selectors
- Best Practices Rule #5 – Never (almost) use
display:none;
- Best Practices Rule #6 – Always Edit Your Local Copy, Never Edit a Live File
Lesson 3 – Tools of the Trade
- Install Netbeans
- Tour Netbeans Functionality
- Install and Tour MeasureIt Fuctionality
- Install and Tour CollorZilla Functionality
- Install Firebug and Web Developer
- Tour Firebug and Web Developer Functionality
- Use Firebug and Web Developer together
- Workflow Case Study – Styling a Submit Button
Lesson 4 – Customizing Backgrounds With Images and Color
- Adding a tileable background image
- Add additional background images to page elements
- Adding a fixed background image
- Add background color to various page elements
Lesson 5 – Thesis Custom Classes
- Understanding Thesis Custom Classes
- Case Study – Vary Header Image Using Automatic Custom Classes
- Case Study – Vary Header Image Using Your Own Custom Classes
Lesson 6 – Inheritance and Specificity in Thesis
- CSS Inheritance and Thesis
- CSS Specificity and Thesis
- CSS Specificity and the Thesis Custom Body Class System
- The Structure of the Thesis Navigation Menu
- Specificity and Inheritance in the Thesis Navigation Menu
- Specificity in the Structure of the Thesis Navigation Menu
- Classes Thesis Applies to the Navigation Menu
- Examples of Styling Elements of the Thesis Navigation Menu
Lesson 7 – Thesis Page Frameworks
- Understanding the Two Types of Page Frameworks
- The Thesis Page Framework
- The Thesis Full-Width Framework
Lesson 8 – Styling Inputs in Thesis
- How Thesis Styles Input Fields
- Styling
input[type="text"]
- Styling
input[type="radio"]
- Styling
input[type="submit"]
- Styling
input[type="button"]
- Styling
text-area
- Styling
select
Lesson 9 – Introduction to Customizing Thesis Using PHP
- How to Learn PHP
- Anatomy of the Thesis custom_functions.php file
- Introduction to Action Hooks
- Example #1 – The “Hello World” of action hooks
- Example #2 – Change the Thesis footer
- Example #3 – Refine our custom footer attribution with automatic copyright date and site title
Lesson 10 – Conditions, Variables, Arrays and Menus
- Example #1 – Add Slider to Thesis Feature Box
- WordPress Conditional Tags
- PHP if/else Statements
- Example #2 – Add different content to different feature boxes
- PHP Variables
- PHP Arrays
- WordPress Menus
- Example #2 – Add a 2nd Menu to Thesis
- Example #3 – Add Context Sensitive Menus to Thesis
Lesson 11 – Using Thesis Filters
- Understanding Thesis Filters
- Change the Default “Add Comment” Text
- Change the Default “Comments” Text
- Remove Post or Page Heading
- Remove Sidebar on Specific Posts
- Add Custom Body Class
Lesson 12 – Creating Custom Sidebars
- Understanding WordPress Sidebars
- Register the Sidebars
- Call the Sidebars
- Example #1 – Widgetize the Feature Box
- Example #2 – Create a “Fat Footer” with 3 Widget Columns
- Example #3- Create an “Alternate” Feature Box
- Example #4 – Create 2 Column Attention Boxes
- Create a Controlling Function
Lesson 13 – Creating Custom Templates
- Custom Templates in WordPress
- Understanding the Structure of a Custom Template in Thesis
- Creating a Basic Custom Template
- Adding Thesis Functionality to the Custom Template
- Create a 2 Column Template in a 3 Column Layout
- Create a 3 Column Template in a 2 Column Layout
Lesson 14 – Creating Custom Secondary Loops
- What is a WordPress Loop?
- Anatomy of a Secondary WordPress Loop
- Example #1 – Add a List of Post Teasers From a Single Category
- Example #2 – Create a Shortcode for the List
- Example #3 – Create a grid of Thesis Post Thumbnails
- Example #4 – Make the Loop Shortcode Configurable
Lesson 15 – Using Shortcodes for Placing Dynamic Content
Lesson 16 – Thesis Custom Loop API
- Introduction to the Thesis Custom Loop API
- Anatomy of the Custom Loop API
- Example #1 – Display 1 Teaser Per Row on the Home Page
- Example #2 – Display 3 Teasers Per Row for Specific Categories
- Example #3 – Display a Grid of Post Thumbnails for Specific Categories
- Example #4 – Create a Custom Teaser Configuration
Lesson 17 – Creating and Using Custom Post Meta
- What is Custom Post Meta?
- The Typical WordPress Way of Creating Custom Meta Boxes
- Initial Setup of the WPAlchemy Class
- Using the WPAlchemy Class
- Example #1 – Add Custom Page Specific Content to the Sidebar
- Example #2 – Add Sidebar Configuration Options