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53 Comments
- ThorbjorgX, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11But hand coding always gives you a larger sense of accomplishment when you've actually made something of your own instead of some pre-made template that's going to show up somewhere else on the internet.
- mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Damn... just when I got my site to look how I wanted, someone comes along and gives me all new freedom to tinker. Damn you!!
- TheAttacks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6You're correct. It's not as hard to code a WP template as one might think, but lots of people who want to have a specialized blog don't know how to code for the life of them. The PHP-tags that wordpress uses aren't friendly to those who don't know much about them, so this is an alternative for those people.
- mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I know, been teaching myself for the past two months
- tanith, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Looks great, I'll definitely be trying it. Kind of typical that I find it two weeks after teaching myself how to make WP templates from scratch!
- gamesector, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Wordpress templates are well easy to code anyway, you can learn how to use template tags in minutes..
- Agret, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5http://www.freshpursuits.com/canvas/download
- LR2_, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Use jetable mail if you do not want to give your email away. http://www.jetable.org/en/index
I also reccomend the firefox extension for it: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/587/ - Otto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Sidebar widgets are actually very easy to add to any theme, because they're only dealing with the sidebar. It's like 5 extra lines of code to add.
This Canvas thing is like widgets for the whole blog, and yes, it does indeed require specialized themes.
Anyway, it's a neat idea, but given how die-hard some people seem to be opposed to widgets, imagine the problems they'll have with applying them to the whole blog. - headzoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This is fine and all, but too many of these kinds of packages are causing problems. This package, along with Sidebar Widget package, and many others, require specialized themes. This is causing too much incompatibility in WordPress.
Still, I'll give it a try. :) - mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I used the free ones for about a week.
Seriously, WordPress is pretty easy to self-host. Given the plethora of flickr gallery plug-ins, together with the standard upload window in WP 2.0, you should give WordPress a try on your own domain. There are a ton of themes out there. The Codex has a ton of them. Right now, I'm running Very Plain Text. Makes for a very lean looking blog.
You can start off at WordPress.com and try out the interface on a free WP blog. However, a domain and hosting is only a couple of yuppie food stamps and the WP software is free from WordPress.org.
Let me put it this way:
I'm a lawyer and I can figure it out. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Report back and tell us what you think.
- tanith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Here's what I used: http://www.urbangiraffe.com/themes/guides
He takes you through from scratch. I found the information around the WP site too advanced for me to get a handle on, but this guide was at the perfect level for me. - tanith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Definitely, I'm glad I did the learning. It's just funny (to me) that I spent a few hours looking for something like this and not finding it before grappling with the code.
- mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You need to switch over to Kiwi after activating Canvas. Once again, in the Canvas-1.1 directory, take the Canvas directory and put it (whole) into the plug-in directory. Then put the kiwicanvas directory and put it (whole) into your theme directory.
Activate the Canvas plugin under the plugin menu. If it freezes up because of a plugin conflict, only delete the canvas.php file from the canvas directory. It saves time while you troubleshoot. A prime example: Canvas gave me a conflict with my Last.fm plug-in. I had to delete the canvas.php file to fix the conflict. I deactivated (actually I deleted) the Last.fm plug-in and then re-uploaded the canvas.php file. It might be safer to deactivate the majority of your plugins if this is a continuous problem.
Once you have the Canvas plug-in activated, go to the Presentation menu. Your theme should already have a Canvas option. Trust me, clicking that will just tell you that whatever theme you're using is not Canvas ready. Select the Kiwi theme. You should then be able to start fiddling with Canvas.
mbaron.ny@gmail.com if you need a little more help (what I can offer) - mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In the words of space-travelling ants
"Freedom. Horrible horrible freedom."
My take on Zen and the Art of Blogging is knowing when to leave well enough alone. I like the whole clean whitespace with traditional fonts. I took Very Plain Text and tweaked the style sheets a little. Truth is, the only plugins I have that are even remotely noticable are extremely subtle. I'm not looking to overload it.
The problem with Widgets and Canvas is the ease of both programming and implementation. This can lead to unforeseen conflicts when used together. It's kind of like the PC platform - loads of customizable configurations with the increased likelihood of errors.
The hardest part of having a nice looking page is knowing when to leave it alone.
www.hipster-union.com - TheAttacks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I actually downloaded it and tested it out on my server. The themes must be compatible with Canvas, which comes with a Canvas-version of the Kiwi theme.
- Senescence, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I need to transfer to a free blogging service that allows you to upload pics with ease. Can any of you suggest anything that can get the job done and look presentable?
- neoknight, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2hey canvas guys, put some google or yahoo ads so we can donate that way! It's easier.
- mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Click on the story link. Upper right corner. You have to put in a email address. Word of warning, the upload onto the server for the install takes a while. Going to test it on one of my newer sites.
- mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The Canvas directory goes in your plug-ins drectory. The KiwiCanvas directory goes in themes. Beware. Canvas locks up in combination with some plugins
- Maagic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2http://www.freshpursuits.com/canvas/download
- mfelkins, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I tried it and it's not exactly all the freedom you want. You have to use a compatible theme which already limits your "freedom." Then, you can't just move thing around wherever you want them, it has to be someplace they say it's okay to put it (like the calendar, or the RSS feed, etc...). If you find a layout you like, then it could be worth it, otherwise, you still don't have that much freedom. It's much easier to do some trial and error with your WP themes and learn that way.
- JamesWilson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Demo link?
- film42, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1by the way, the silk icon folder, has 1002 images!
That's freaken NUTS!! - mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1None to speak of. OReilly is coming out with a WordPress book, but it's already obsolete and likely won't address widgets or canvas. Additionally, most of the books out there, in addition to being obsolete, are expensve. There are a few books on PHP 5, but they are between $35 -$50. For a book that will be obsolete in a year.
I took the "starter mix" route. Find a theme that you like. It doesn't have to be perfect. Then, tweak it, one step at a time, slowly and carefully, until you get where you want. There's plenty of good stuff out there. Just make sure to obey the number 1 rule: Give credit where credit is due. - mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Here's a good cheatsheet. I keep it in my delicious:
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS1 - xswag, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4JUst give them a fake email if you want. It still takes you to the download page.
- film42, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I suggest wordpress too. Get a free host, with ph ang mysql. try
http://www.freewebspace.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=eed7aa1649fb41c151edaa19c14c2cf9&f=32
They have loads of offers. All free. - B-o-K, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1[UPDATE - I was a little late...]
The directory "Canvas" is indeed a WordPress-plugin that needs to be activated.
I'm not sure about "kiwicanvas" yet... Ah, into themes. - skidknee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm disappointed. I just finished uploading Canvas and the standard theme, but the formatting in Wordpress to edit the layout isn't correct. After a poke through the forums, it seems as though Canvas is programmed to assume all your WP files are in root. I, on the other hand, have my index.php in root, but the rest of my WP files in a /blog/ subdirectory.
I was so itching to use Canvas too, but I guess I'll have to wait until the issue with paths gets patched. - bramkok, on 07/02/2009, -2/+3Programming and then styling your blog is much more fun.
- Leion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is good.
First of all, How do I install this? Do I install this like a plug in? - kenyabob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Does anyone know of any resources that tell you how to create your own wp template, without having to resort to canvas?
- MarkJaquith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That is a common mistake... People often make the assumption that WordPress is in the same place as the blog.
All WordPress development should be done with WordPress in a subdirectory, so that these errors are immediately obvious! - mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Like Widgets, it's for 2.0.
- tybris, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@mcbesq
errr...you call the full specification a cheat-sheet?
Then at least make it usable: http://www.meyerweb.com/eric/css/references/css1ref.html
(css2 available aswell) - Soulhuntre, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sadly the Kiwi theme looks pretty bad in IE (you know, 90+% of the browser market) and is somewhat limited in its customizability compared to what you might expect.
Canvas looks really cool though and if I wasn't re-building my blog under ASP.NET 2.0 and "web parts" I would convert my themes to it for sure. - 413x, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@LR2_: Thanks, great tip! It's a great supplement to BugMeNot, for which also exists a well integrated Firefox extension.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Seriously; what the *****? Where should i install this? Not even the documentation tell's where you install it!
Great product, but the support/installation sucks! - kimzor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good question. The help on the website is pretty bad. :(
- grinch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This sounds cool, but what Wordpress versions will it work with? I haven't yet upgraded to WP 2.0 on my blogs, and I don't know if I will yet..
- film42, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Wow, this is great!
Now I can make cheap blog templates when i am bord. I know it's said, but I dont care anymore... - headzoo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4"that it's causing incompatabilities in Wordpress yet you've not tried it yet?"
Read my post just a little slower.. specifically the "requires specialized themes" part. - no1slistening, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Thanks for all the comments folks. Some of you were talking about a lack of documentation on the site. In the most recent version of Canvas, I forgot to include the Readme file. It is now mirrored on our wiki at http://support.freshpursuits.com/documentation/show/installation This page describes all the steps needed to install Canvas.
Hope this helps, and we'll definitely be focusing on improving documentation over the coming days. - RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3What are the requirements for it? The site doesn't even say very clearly what platform Canvas runs on... and it also requires me to give them my email address just to download it.
- third_eye, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Extremely buggy, unreliable, and doesn't seem to work on a Mac. Too bad, seemed like a cool product but I'd highly recommend avoiding until they get a clue and support all browsers and systems.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If you want to check out an existing site that uses Canvas then go to www.techcastuk.co.uk I've transitioned all of my articles to this as some posts didn't come out right. I'm using the Tarski theme rather than the Kiwi theme. Flexible AJAX-enabled layout management means simple drag and drop design. Definitely recommended!
- grinch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I'm not having any luck with 1.5.2, so my guess is it is not working..
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1nvm
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