With the latest update to WordPress (3.6) comes a new theme, Twenty Thirteen. I’ve activated it with the upgrade, and I like it so far, but I’m not 100% satisfied.
I preferred the dimensions of the header image on the Twenty Eleven and Twenty Twelve themes. Proportionately they were more humanistic. The new header is 1600 x 230, which is rather thin and proportionately difficult. Using it means redoing a lot of photos and trying to find a slice that works as well as with the older themes, if I want my own headers. The abstract headers are the default that come with the theme.
I could go back to an earlier theme, and restore my previous headers, but this one has elements I like, so I’m trying to work with it.
Also, the header sits below the blog name in the Z axis, so I have to find images that work well with the layering. Might mean some changes in text colour, size and location to get it right.
Whenever you activate a WP theme, you lose the CSS changes you made to previous themes. If you want to restore them, you need to edit the new CSS again. Which means you need to comb through the new theme’s CSS to find out how the authors set it up and then figure out what changes you want to make. And I’m an inveterate hacker from way back, who just can’t help myself from tinkering.
I’m okay hacking at CSS – actually enjoy the challenge and it keeps my coding skills from getting too rusty – but it’s not as simple as a working with a static page. Sometimes the appropriate code is spread throughout several entries that need to be identified and changed.
The WP CSS is only modestly commented, so sometimes it takes a bit of experimentation to figure out the intent of the code in every entry. I copy the CSS into MS Expression and use that file as my base for searching and identifying the content I need to change. I can also do a cut-and-paste of all related content into a separate file so I get to see it all together. That’s sometimes easier to comprehend.
For example, I like my quoted material to look a certain way. That means altering the blockquote codes. In the new theme, there are 16 separate places where blockquote is referenced. You’d think the font size would be set by the basic font-size: 18px in the main entry, but no, I found it lurking in .entry-content blockquote which has font-size: 24px. Trial and error works best here – testing in different browsers, on mobile devices, is necessary too.
So if you see changes to style and layout while you’re surfing this site, I’m probably tinkering in the background. I apologize for any inconvenience or oddly stylized bits that may occur. For me, presentation matters, so I want it to look the best I can make it.
I may switch back and forth between the new and older themes, too, as I try to figure out what changes I want. Be patient, please.
I’ve also migrated to a different server recently, which may make some pages load slowly for you. That’s because all the images, cookies and some content need to be re-cached in your browser. Once they load, the next time it should be faster.
Server problems showing I’m hitting resource limits when I try to do simple things, so have to fix that. Or have the tech support people do it. Must be related to new server switch. Makes writing and editing a frustrating experience when 50% or more commands get bumped by an error message.
Reverted to an older theme for now while I work out some font and CSS-related changes. Trying to figure out how WP stores/relates to online fonts. Want to use a font in one theme in another. Any ideas? Files should be on server, but how and where are they accessed?