What’s New?

• Sidebar! We’ve had tons of requests to add a widget-ready sidebar to the blog theme, to place things like advertisements or custom menus. We’ve resisted up till now, but without any real reason. Now, you can add a Sidebar to your entire site, or just to particular pages. Go to Layout > Pages to set it up. When creating or editing a page, you can now set the “Page Template” to Page w/ Sidebar, or Posts Page w/ Sidebar. Or, if you choose to add a Sidebar to your entire site, you can create pages with a “Full Width” page template to hide the sidebar on those pages. Then, go to Appearance > Widgets and drag some widgets to any of the 4 new Sidebar widget areas.
• Insert All Images, Insert Slideshow buttons. W00T!?! Yep, this means BULK IMAGE POSTING, baby. Simply upload your images as you always have, but instead of clicking “Insert into Post” on every..single..danged..image… you can now click the brand new “Insert All Images” button to throw all your uploaded images to the post editor, ninja-style, or the or “Insert Slideshow” button to add the shortcode for you.
• AJAX Commenting. Inline commenting has always been built-in, but a page refresh was required to post your comment. That is no longer the case! (If you are currently using the Ajaxed WordPress plugin, this will probably conflict with it, and you may have to deactivate the plugin. If you have any issues with the built-in Ajax comments, or just think they aren’t as cool as I’m making them out to be, well fine then. You can turn them off on the Layout > Comments page.)
• Page templates. In addition to the Sidebar and Full-Width page templates, we added an Archives template. You can now create an “Archives” (or “Sitemap”) page that lists all of your posts and pages by category, tag, year, month, or whatever you select on the Layout > Pages > Archives section. To add an Archives page, simply create a new page, choose the “Archives” page template, and Publish.
• CSS3 Text Shadows. Add a soft glow, dropshadow, or letterpress effect to any text on your blog. Used correctly, this can give a very professional effect to your text. But, different effects can look pretty bad with certain combinations of text color and backgrounds, so beware. Oh, and these will not work on any version of Internet Explorer.
• Footer title fonts. You can now change the font for the Footer titles, along with the Post titles, and Sidebar titles. Headings need not be the same!
• Improved Line Height. Before now, the line height for the post content and the menu were based on the font size. Now, they are fixed to 150% of the text height, for much improved readability.
• Less Naughty CSS for Contact Forms. Some of the CSS we applied to the comment forms were inadvertently applied to contact forms as well, usually to an ugly result. This has been fixed, so plugins with styled forms like cForms will look as they should.
• Fixed compatibility with SEO plugins. A while back, we added the option to set custom <title> tags on posts and pages. But, we inadvertently broke the title functionality on some SEO plugins such as All-In-One SEO. Those should now be working correctly – email us if you have any issues with SEO plugins.
• Floating Icons you can actually use. The my.php file must still be edited, but you can turn it on or off under Other > Floating Icons. Plus, no renaming of files is necessary! Simply edit the my.php file in the WordPress theme editor under Appearance > Editor and add your own links.

Oh, one more thing – a great new default look, inspired by the default WordPress theme. Check it out at the demo.

We’re pretty happy with the way things turned out. Love something about the new look? Hate something even more? Let us know in the comments. The new Ajax comments.

Many of you reported issues with uploading images.. no error message, everything looked fine, but the image just didn’t upload. But then, most of you had no problems at all.

It turns out that a security setting was added to PHP versions 5.2.12 and later called max_file_uploads. This setting is defaulted to 20, to guard against bots attempting to overload the server with uploads.

Ok, well, we’re only uploading 1 file at a time, right? So, no problem. Right?

Wrong.

PHP counts empty file upload fields as uploads. This means on servers with default PHP settings, a web app cannot allow more that 20 file input fields in one form. We have a few more than that.

Fortunately, my years of rigorous Google Fu training placed me at this blog post by a similarly frustrated Drew McLellan. He offered up a nifty jQuery-based workaround that keeps any empty file input fields from getting to the PHP side by disabling them.

Thank you so much, Drew. Now I can enjoy my birthday.

Now, the exciting stuff!

• Post Slideshow. It has arrived! Platinum2 now sports a slick, smart, and clean jQuery-powered post slideshow that’s super-easy to set up and use. Plus, it works on all smartphones, and smartly degrades to a list of images when JavaScript is not enabled. Yeah, it’s pretty smart. Say, why not check out a screenshot of the options panel below?
• Removed old PPP Link, PPP Multi-pages, and PPP Search for Menu Bar widgets. These widgets had more than a few problems with WP 3.0, and they were actally replaced a few versions back. If you were using any of these widgets, you’ll need to replace them with the PPP Simple Link, PPP Simple Search, and the vanilla WordPress Pages widgets. Or, take advantage of the killer Menus feature and use Custom Menu widgets.
• Fixes to bring full iOS support to the navigation menu.
• Fixes to pass the WordPress "Theme Check" plugin. Hence, the WP 3.0 requirement. Also fixed some PHP warnings that showed up in the WP debug log.

Check out a working front-end demo on the previous post of this blog.

Or, “Why you should keep your blog up to date.”

As I’m sure most photographers can relate, if you don’t carve out a time to post on the blog, you can easily fall behind. So here’s what’s going on, starting with the time-sensitive stuff first.

Thanksgiving / Black Friday sale

We LOVE Black Friday. So we’re having a sale too! Get $50 off our Works package, or $30 off the Platinum theme by entering the discount code BF in your shopping cart, starting NOW until the end of Black Friday, November 26, 2010.

Google Checkout $10 off promotion

Google invited us to participate in their Holiday “$10 off $60″ promotion, so naturally we accepted. If you pay with Google Checkout between November 23 and December 16, 2010, and your cart total is over $60, you’ll get an automatic $10 off, no coupon required!

If you’re no Math major, that means you can double-dip and use the BF code and purchase with Google Checkout to get the Platinum theme for only $59!

Upcoming feature preview: Built-In Slideshow

Here’s just a sneek peak at what we’ve been working on since Platinum2 was released. This is by far the most requested feature, and we still have some work to do, but I wanted to get some feedback before the next release in December. So, what do you think?

Holiday Contest

We can’t resist a chance to throw a fun contest. So we’re giving away TWO (2) free Platinum themes! The first will be given away to the first person that solves the riddle below in a comment:

Three of the slides in the slideshow preview
Are not like the others, so they must be the clue!
Put together, the words that describe all three,
Form a sentence said by this character on TV.

This may require some specific pop culture savvy, but I imagine it will be solved very soon… so if you know the answer, don’t delay! (Btw, sorry for the stupid riddle. I like riddles.)

The second free theme will be chosen by a random drawing on Black Friday. To enter, you can do any of these 3 things:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post. Let us know what you think of the slideshow!
2. Tweet about our holiday sale or contest (mention @lukeweese or #photopresspro)
3. “Like” our Facebook page

We’ll compile all the entries around noon on Black Friday and let Random.org choose a winner! (Even if you already bought the theme, feel free to participate… you could win a new blog theme to gift to a friend!)

Basically, WordPress provides the content of your blog, and PhotoPressPro provides the look and feel. When you first install WordPress, the default theme is installed. You can customize some things by using widgets on the sidebar, or editing the menu; but there’s no theme options panel. So if you want to change the look, you have to edit code.

Our theme adds a “PPP Control Panel” page to your WP admin, where you can customize the entire look of your blog. You can create a totally unique blog design using just the options in the control panel, and most people do. We also provide an easy way to add custom CSS code if you want to change something that’s not covered in the panel.

In other words, you could say that WordPress is your blog, and PPP is your blog design. All of the text and images in your actual blog are added through WordPress (except the about me section)… your header slideshow, fonts, colors, and backgrounds are all done with PhotoPressPro.

The main focus of this release was a major cleanup of the PPP Platinum2 Control Panel. We put a ton of thought into laying out the options in a way that is natural to the design process; for example, most people start with a logo or header image, so we made that the very first tab. Several options were rearranged, but current users will notice that most options are just the same, although some are much prettier. (Current users should also notice that we’ve dropped support for the Flashfader plugin. If you must have it, email us for instructions on getting it back. Current users will also notice that this is a free update from the Platinum theme, but it will need to be installed like a new theme.)

We’ve listed a quick rundown on the new Control Panel features below. Also, check out the video walkthroughs on the support page.

• Tab Management. The tab you’re currently viewing gets saved when you Save Changes or upload a file. No more hunting down where you left off. Yay!
• Improved Snapshots. Snapshot name is now saved with your settings, so it never gets out of date.
• Revamped Notifications. Non-essential messages fade away. Important messages are highlighted.
• 5 Default Snapshots. 5 totally different looks to use as inspiration, or as starting points for your new blog design.
• Header Image now in the PPP Control Panel. You no longer need to go to a separate page to upload your custom header. Now it’s nicely integrated into the Control Panel, under Layout > Header. The Header Slideshow was also moved to this tab.
• Like I said, much prettier. Hey, we think so. Let us know what you think!

What else is new?

So glad you asked! (We love inquisitive people!)

• WordPress 3.0 Menus. The most exciting new feature of WordPress 3.0 is fully supported. You can create menus and add them to your Dropdown Menu as widgets, or create your entire menu in the fantastic WordPress menu editor.
• Upload a Favicon. Adding a favicon to your blog could not be easier. Just upload a small, square image and the theme will handle the rest.
• Comments customizations. You can now change the width of your comments area, as well as the comment form colors and borders.
• Show/Hide Footer. One of the most frequently requested features. Flick the switch to turn off the footer widgets completely.
• RSS Subscribe Link. Another oft-requested feature. Enter a text link or choose one of the included RSS icons to give your visitors easy access to your RSS feed. The link will be added to the very end of your menu. (If you don’t much care for the icons, check out the next feature.
• PPP Simple Link widget: Enter an Image URL. Instead of a boring old text link, why not use a slick, glossy icon, or a fancy rotating blinking GIF you made in PhotoShop 6? The possibilities are endless. Just upload the file somewhere on the web and paste the file URL into the Image URL field.
• Custom CSS code, right in the control panel. Custom CSS has always been possible by creating a file called my.css in the theme folder. You can still do this, but you can also enter Custom CSS in a new tab on the PPP Control Panel, on the Other page. This code will override anything in my.css (as far as CSS allows, of course).
• my.php So, you’re looking for something cool to add to your blog, and you run across a great tutorial that involves adding code to your theme’s functions.php file. You add the code, and it works perfectly. Then you get an email from us, maybe this very email, and you update your theme, just as you should. You refresh your blog, and the cool new feature you so proudly coded, is gone. That’s because your functions.php file was overwritten by the theme update. Don’t worry, my.php is here for you! Just create a my.php file in your theme directory, and paste in the code that formerly belonged to functions.php. The next time you update, copy the my.php file from the old folder to the new one, and you’re golden.
• Custom Post and Browser titles. This feature will evolve in the future, but it’s pretty cool now. You can change the title that shows up in your browser window for each post and page. You can also change the post or page title that is displayed to your readers.
• Random slideshow now more random. Really? More random? Well, kinda. We used to start with the first image every time, but now that too is left to happenstance.
• Bonus! Floating social icons. This is less of a "feature", and more of a demo of what you can do with my.php and my.css. Rename the included my.css.sample and my.php.sample files to my.php and my.css and check out some floating bookmarks! Remember to edit the links in the my.php file to link to your own pages. (Awesome icons are from Smashing Magazine and Oliver Twardowski.)
• A lot more. Future updates will be more frequent. Then maybe I’ll remember all the changes by the time I update this readme file.

This update adds several new features, including support for custom CSS3 fonts. This is the web standard solution for embedding fonts in web pages, and it is by far the most compatible and future-proof when compared to JavaScript, Flash, or image-generation methods. Combined with the 20 web-safe fonts already built-in, PhotoPressPro is way ahead of the typography curve over any theme on the market. And it even works in IE with .eot fonts!

The other big news is full support for post thumbnails. You can upload a thumbnail that floats to the left or right of the post title, or if you assign a thumbnail to a specific post (WordPress 2.9 only), it will be shown instead.

For some great examples of both new features (and an amazing design), check out Mindy Harris’s blog at Pastel Photography. Thanks for beta testing, Mindy, you were a huge help!

Read on for the nitty-gritty!

New Features

CSS @font-face support!

Most modern browsers now include support for the CSS @font-face property, which allows you to upload your own TTF, OTF, or EOT font files to use for any text on your site. We’ve made it easy for you to use your properly-licensed font files with your PhotoPressPro Platinum theme. Just upload the font file you want to see on each Fonts page (Post title, Subtitles, Menu, Content Text, and Footer). You must upload a separate EOT font file for Internet Explorer users.

Note that some font files seem to be incompatible with CSS embedding. We’ve had great luck with all the fonts from FontSquirrel, and they have the best online font converter we’ve found here.

Post Thumbnails

Located under Images > Post Thumbnail, you can now upload a thumbnail to be anchored to the left or right of your post title. Plus, WordPress 2.9 introduced its own Post Thumbnails feature. You can upload a thumbnail for each post on the right side of the post editor, and PhotoPressPro will use this image instead of the default Post Thumbnail.
Note that the post thumbnail may not work well with centered post titles and subtitles.

Customize your footer item borders

Those blasted dots around the your footer links can now be gone forever! Or simply replaced with a dotted, dashed, or solid line of your chosen width and color. Check it out under the Colors > Footer tab on your PPP Control Panel.

Customize the menu opacity

This never works in Internet Explorer anyway (well it kinda does but it breaks other things so it’s not enabled). But for those users living in “the now”, you can make your menu as transparent as you want. Check it out under the Colors > Menu tab on your PPP Control Panel.

Post_class() support

This is for your web designer. Adds several standard WordPress CSS classes to each post, allowing a fine degree control over the styling of every post and page.

Timestamps on Pages

Added a new option under Layout > Timestamp to include your Subtitle or After Post timestamp on your Pages as well.

Enhanced SEO

Your post and page titles are now wrapped in both h1 and h2 tags depending on context, rather than just h2 tags, for better search engine optimization. For example, when a search engine reads a single post, it will see your post title as a more accurate title of the page, instead of a subtitle.

Fixes

Ok, you can have comments back on your pages now. Sorry bout that.

Minor fixes to the footer links.

As you may already know, the PhotoPressPro dropdown menu is widget-ready. The built-in PPP Simple Link widget is often used to add, well, simple links to the menu. You simply enter the link text and URL, and choose whether to open the link in a new window.

But here’s a PhotoPressPro-tip: You can use HTML in the Link Text box to post an image for your link, as such:

There are a couple of things to consider before throwing this up on your blog. First, any image you use cannot be taller than your menu height, and if you want more than 1, they should each be of the same height. If the image is 32 pixels high, make sure your menu height on the PPP Control Panel > Layout > Menu screen is 32 or greater.

Secondly, you need the images. I used Handy Icons from Web Designer Depot because they are free for personal and commercial use, and I really like the look. You should search for icons with a similar license if your blog is used as part of your business. Once your images are gathered, upload them to your webserver under your WP Dashboard > Media > Add New. After uploading, click on one of the images, and highlight and copy the image URL:

Follow these next steps very carefully. You’ll need to pay close attention to what gets pasted where.

Go to the Appearance > Widgets page. Drag a new PPP Simple Link widget to the Dropdown Menu widget area.

Paste the image url you just copied in the Link Text box.

Press the “Home” key on your keyboard to move the cursor to the front, then copy and paste the following text:

<img src="

Then press the “End” key on your keyboard, and copy/paste the following text.

" alt="Twitter" title="Twitter" />

The Link Text field should look something like this when you're done (replace Twitter if necessary.):

<img src="http://blog.photopresspro.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/twitter32.png" alt="Twitter" title="Twitter" />

Enter the full URL for where you want to link in the Link URL field, and Save Changes. Refresh your blog and check it out, and repeat as necessary.

Sarah Goblot of Black Ink Photography was chosen by Random.org as the winner, using the sequence generator and a spreadsheet.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated. We’ll have to do it again next year!

BLACK FRIDAY, BABY! We’re so excited, we literally cannot wait until the real Black Friday!

So to get prepared, we’re offering a huge $60 off our Works package, $40 off the Platinum theme, and $20 off the Classic theme! Just enter the discount code BF in your shopping cart by the end of Black Friday, Nov 27, 2009.

BUT WAIT! I mentioned a giveaway, remember? How does a $100 Amazon Gift Card grab you? Maybe you can buy that lighting setup that my wife keeps telling me about you can’t stop staring at?

1 winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday, Nov 28, 2009. The giveaway is open to PhotoPressPro users only. There are 2 ways to enter:

* Purchase the theme with discount code BF by the end of Black Friday, Nov 27, 2009, and you’re automatically entered.
* Current PhotoPressPro customers can enter by leaving a comment with a link to your PhotoPressPro blog. Just make sure you enter a valid email address so we can get in touch with you if you win.

If you’re not familiar with PhotoPressPro, you should know that it’s not just another WordPress theme. It’s built for photographers – not programmers. The easy-to-use PPP Control Panel contains hundreds of design options; from a header slideshow, 20 fonts, and right-click text options, all the way down to alternating comment background colors. And the revolutionary Snapshots feature allows you to save your settings so you can pull them back up later, as many times as you want. Top it all off with world class customer service, and you have the best WordPress photoblog available today.

Now, what was I talking about before? Oh, yeah.

BLACK FRIDAY, BABY!

I’d like to apologize to those of you who may have been grossed out by the crunchy bugs reference. Or maybe it wasn’t so much the crunchy bugs, as the chomping down, that bothered you. If that is the case, I also wish to apologize.

Enough nonsense. Here’s the rundown on the new version:

New features

Configurable Timestamps

You can now show the post date underneath the title! Or the author, time, categories, or tags. Or, show any, all, or none of these after the post! Don’t believe me? Check out the new Layout > Timestamp tab below. Just a few clicks to timestamp bliss.(©2009)

Custom Font Size

Instead of small, medium, or large, enter a custom pixel size for any font on your blog. That looks like this:

Bugs Tweaks

Menu fixes. Large widgets, such as contact forms, should now look correct in the dropdown menu.
CSS/IE tweaks. Those of you using Internet Explorer should have a slightly better looking Control Panel. Those using Firefox or Safari will have a far better looking Control Panel.
And maybe more. That may be too embarrassing to mention.

We are always listening to our customers and using their feedback to build the best WordPress photoblog theme available today. Have an idea for a new feature? Drop us a line or leave a comment. We love hearing your feedback!

If you’re not a customer, what are you waiting for?