Jim Barraud » manifest http://jimbarraud.com web designer Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:00:17 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Manifest v1.1 http://jimbarraud.com/2010/05/16/manifest-v1-1/ http://jimbarraud.com/2010/05/16/manifest-v1-1/#comments Sun, 16 May 2010 14:15:47 +0000 Jim http://jimbarraud.com/?p=913 Announcing the release of Manifest v1.1 for you downloading pleasure. Here’s what’s new:

New Features

  • Threaded comments support
  • WordPress photo gallery support
  • Comments on pages
  • Subpage support (1 level)

Updates

  • Integrated footer links into admin
  • Improved top navigation wrapping
  • Improved site title wrapping
  • New comment form layout
  • Updated “Next” & “Previous” links
  • Updated Archives layout

Get it here

]]> http://jimbarraud.com/2010/05/16/manifest-v1-1/feed/ 42 Manifest – State of the Theme http://jimbarraud.com/2010/04/26/manifest-state-of-the-theme/ http://jimbarraud.com/2010/04/26/manifest-state-of-the-theme/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:24:07 +0000 Jim http://jimbarraud.com/?p=909 Manifest. I had planned on releasing a substantial update to the theme about a month ago (think Manifest 2), but work and life as usual kept getting in the way.]]> I know it’s been a while, so here’s a brief update on the state of Manifest. I had planned on releasing a substantial update to the theme about a month ago (think Manifest 2), but work and life as usual kept getting in the way. So I’ve decided to forgo the big update for small incremental updates. This way everyone can benefit from the added features as I finish them and not have to wait for substantial releases.

You can expect the first update in the coming weeks. After some tiding up of the code, this update will include features such as threaded comments and support for WordPresses native photo galleries; along with other minor improvements.

I’d also like to thank everyone who has downloaded Manifest, sent encouraging comments and donated. Since it’s release a little over a year ago, Manifest has been downloaded over 15,600 times. Far exceeding any expectation for a theme I released just so it wouldn’t wither away in my hard drive.

To keep update with the latest on Manifest, be sure to follow @manifest_theme on Twitter.

]]> http://jimbarraud.com/2010/04/26/manifest-state-of-the-theme/feed/ 14 Manifest – Two Months Later http://jimbarraud.com/2009/05/19/manifest-two-months-later/ http://jimbarraud.com/2009/05/19/manifest-two-months-later/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 01:46:27 +0000 Jim http://jimbarraud.com/?p=839 It’s been two months since I released my first WordPress theme, Manifest. And in those two months the response has far exceeded my expectations. Since it’s release, Manifest has been listed on various WordPress theme blogs and used on countless personal blogs. It’s also enjoyed over 1100 downloads. Which still boggles my mind.

I’d like to say Thank You to everyone who’s commented, downloaded and enjoyed Manifest. I really do appreciate the support.

That being said, I’m considering making some updates to Manifest based on how I’ve seen it being used in the wild. While I have my own list, I’d like to hear from you as to what you would like to see (if anything) in an updated version.

]]> http://jimbarraud.com/2009/05/19/manifest-two-months-later/feed/ 71 Manifest & IE6 http://jimbarraud.com/2009/04/03/manifest-ie6/ http://jimbarraud.com/2009/04/03/manifest-ie6/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:12:15 +0000 Jim http://jimbarraud.com/?p=820 Manifest, is that IE6 is unsupported. This hasn't been an issue with the vast majority of people using the theme, but there have been a couple of comments and emails asking about IE6 support. I figured I'd clear the air on the subject.]]> One of the key features of my recently released WordPress theme, Manifest, is that IE6 is unsupported. This hasn’t been an issue with the vast majority of people using the theme, but there have been a couple of comments and emails asking about IE6 support. I figured I’d clear the air on the subject.

I wanted the process of making my first publicly available theme to be fun. I also wanted to use it as opportunity to use some of the CSS3 (and even CSS2) features that I don’t normally get to use. IE6 was a roadblock to both objectives. There’s been some chatter recently in the web design community about when and how IE6 support should be phased out. Some elect for a more progressive approach, while others elect to drop support entirely. For Manifest, I went with the latter.

If you view a Manifest based site in IE6, you’ll be presented with an unstyled (but completely functional) site with polite message at the top informing your users that they should upgrade their browsers to something more current.

Here’s some common questions/comments when it comes IE6 support.

  • A large percentage of my users still use IE6 : Manifest may not be the theme for you. The alternative would be to encourage your users to upgrade to a more modern and secure browser.
  • Many people work in offices that still run IE6 : Encourage your employer to upgrade to a more secure browser. Using a browser that’s less susceptible to viruses and hacking is good for your employer. Oh, and get back to work! What are you doing browsing the internets on office time?!
  • Will support for IE6 be added to Manifest? : No.

It’s not that IE6 support can’t be added. A good percentage of my day is spent getting complex web applications and ecommerce sites working in IE6. But it’s not a very fulfilling portion of my day. I’m not going to go into detail as to why IE6 is the bane of every web developer, there are plenty of other resources available that go into that. Here are a few:

]]> http://jimbarraud.com/2009/04/03/manifest-ie6/feed/ 4 Manifest : A WordPress Theme http://jimbarraud.com/2009/03/19/manifest/ http://jimbarraud.com/2009/03/19/manifest/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:30:48 +0000 Jim http://jimbarraud.com/?p=746 I’m proud to announce my first publicly available WordPress theme, Manifest. Manifest is based on a previous design of my personal site. It’s a theme I rather liked and didn’t want to see go to waste. So instead of letting it die off in a folder on my hard drive, I decided to clean it off, polish it up and release it into the wild.

My goal with Manifest was to create a clean and streamlined theme that focused on the content and not the distractions. It utilizes a single column, 500 pixel wide layout. No sidebars. No widgets.

Manifest

Some highlights:

  • Valid XHTML Markup. It currently validates as XHTML Transitional. That is until you start embedding all those crazy YouTube videos and Google Ads ;)
  • Microformat support. The posts are marked up using the hAtom microformat. Which an increasing number of search engines (like Yahoo!) are beginning to support and index.
  • 404 page. I’ve included the standard WordPress 404 template, which in addition to a nice “not found” message, it provides your readers with a list of recent articles.
  • Archives template. An archives template that supports categories, tags and monthly views.
  • Links template. A basic links page template. This isn’t a standard WordPress template so you’ll need to add it as a new page. But it will pull in any links you add to the Links section in the admin.
  • Google ad (sorta) support. There a designated spot on the single post pages for Google or any other type of text ads. Commented out by default, but there if you want it.
  • IE6 unsupported. This is a feature, not a bug. If a user attempts to view your site in IE6, they’ll be presented with an unstyled (but perfectly functional) site. Along with a friendly message suggesting they upgrade their browser.
  • Some webkit visual candy. It’s minor but hovering over the buttons will provide smooth rollover transitions in Safari 4 and Google Chrome thanks to their new CSS based transition properties.

Feel free to use as you please, I just ask that you keep the Manifest link at the bottom. Thanks and enjoy.

Demo and Download Info

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