While the supply of quality free themes seems to be never ending, have you ever considered using a commercial (paid) theme? I have purchased themes from some of the biggest players in the market including StudioPress, iThemes and WooThemes and have yet to be disappointed. For the most part the price is quite reasonable and the support top-notch. Well hold on to your hats because I'm going to tell you how to get an armful of quality paid themes for FREE.

RichWP.com currently has a dozen premium themes in its stable. They offer 2 versions of each theme: a regular version which retails at $69.90 and a pro version that goes for $127.00. They also offer an All Themes PRO Package valued at $467.00. RichWP.com is listed in the Commercial section of the WordPress Extend site just so you know they aren't some fly by nighter.

Anyway, the gang at RichWP is getting set to launch its next generation of commercial themes, tentatively scheduled for somewhere around mid-June and is offering its current stock of commercial themes for free. Yes, you heard me correctly, FREE. Why? I'll let them explain it,

This is the BOLDEST Marketing Move in the history of the Premium WordPress Theme Market. I am really proud of my work and I want YOU to use it. This one is for you. Save Work, Time and Money.

In a nutshell, the next generation of themes will take advantage of the new functionality introduced by WordPress 3.0. As a way to stir interest RichWP is offering its current products at no charge. That's a $467.00 value for free, more if you purchase the themes individually. While the current themes do not take advantage of the new functionality introduced by WordPress 3.0 they won't break your site either - they are fully compatible.

I should mention that you will need to provide an email when you go to RichWP. They will then send you the download link. I say this up front because I know some people are uncomfortable with this practice. But don't worry, as I said these guys are not some fly by nighters, they are legit. They also use GetResponse, one of the leaders in the field of email marketing campaigns. You can unsubscribe from the email list at any time.

If you've ever considered using a paid theme the time couldn't be more right. You'll have to hurry though. This offer will expire soon.

With all of the various themes I've gone through I'd have to say that Corporate was my personal favourite, so much so that I couldn't imagine myself changing it for something else especially after the amount of work I put into it. That is until Leland of ThemeLab fame entered the picture.

In addition to running ThemeLab, which happens to be one of my favourite WordPress-specific sites, Leland also operates a design studio called CustomTheme which creates ... you guessed it ... custom WordPress themes.

Anyway, I was chatting with Leland one day and he generously offered to create a theme for WordPress Canada. How could I say no? The result is what you now see before you.

The design is splendid! The theme looks great and the header graphic is awesome. Under the hood the code that runs everything is lean and mean.

I'm still working on a few minor points but for the most part the design is exactly where I want it to be. Of course with the re-design I've been moving things around so if something appears out of place (ie: I inadvertently broke it) please let me know.

I think the thing that impressed me the most about this whole process was CustomTheme's ability to anticipate exactly what I wanted. During my chat with Leland I briefly described what I like in a theme and they went to work. They showed me a few updates during the process and they were right on track!

Overall I have to say I am extremely pleased both with the design process and the final product. I know I sound a bit giddy because I'm excited but seriously, if you're thinking about getting a custom design for your blog do pay CustomTheme a visit. You won't regret it - I don't.

Let's say that you want to change the default setting from 30 days to 7 days. Add the following to the wp-config.php file ...

define('EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS', 7 );

You can adjust the number to anything you want. If you want to disable Trash change the number to 0 as such ...

define('EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS', 0 );

To see a cool list of configuration settings that can be set/changed via wp-config check out the documentation at the Codex.

What we will do is that we’re going to make a special sales run for 30 days, where you can purchase our themes (both packages and theme club) at 50% discounted price.

And for every purchase that you made, 10% out of it will be donated to UNICEF. In Haiti UNICEF will be focusing on deploying clean water and sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter to Jacmel and Port-au-Prince. They also be focusing on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation.

Very very cool guys. If you've been thinking about getting a new look for your blog why not check out KreativeThemes? You'll be helping out others in need at the same time. Details here.

Thanks to a cool little plugin from iThemes called Easy Theme Upgrades the process just got a little easier. Easy Theme Upgrades installs like any other plugin and once activated adds an option to Upload of the Install Themes area of the backend which allows you to upgrade the existing theme. If that sounds a bit confusing have a look at the screen shot below. (click image to enlarge)

Once the plugin is installed and activated this is how you upgrade your theme:

1. Download the latest zip file for your theme.
2. Go to Appearance > Add New Themes and click the Upload tab at the top of the page.
3. Select the zip file with the new theme version to install.
4. Select "Yes" from the "Upgrade existing theme?" option.
5. Click "Install Now".

How is this different from the standard WordPress upgrade feature? If you select the "Upgrade existing theme?" option the plugin will automatically zip your current theme and place it in your Media Library from where you can download it if you wish.

iThemes plans to have the plugin housed at the WordPress Plugin Directory but for the time being you can get it directly from their site.

I've never used any of these plugins but after doing some research they do add some usefulness to your site. The problem with these plugins is that once they are installed they require the user to provide an email address to MaxBlogPress in order to activate them. This is not disclosed during the download/install process and only becomes apparent once the plugin is actually installed. To make matters worse, users complained about receiving large-scale spam after providing their email addresses.

The people behind the plugin state users can opt-out of the lists they become subscribed to at any time but that is not the point. The point is the forced opt-in.

I have no problem whatsoever with plugin or theme authors trying to make money but this is not the way to do it. Either sell the plugin as premium (paid for) software or offer it for free with a paid support model behind it or something similar. Failing to inform users beforehand they need to provide an email address in order to activate and use the plugin seems like a shady practice.

It too bad. As I said earlier they do seem to add good functionality.

You can read more on this story at WordPress Tavern and WarriorForum.

In a plain text editor such as Notepad, open your theme's functions.php and add the following ...

//delay feed publishing
function publish_later_on_feed($where) {
global $wpdb;

if ( is_feed() ) {
// timestamp in WP-format
$now = gmdate('Y-m-d H:i:s');

// value for wait; + device
$wait = 'x'; // integer

// http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/date-and-time-functions.html#function_timestampdiff
$device = 'MINUTE'; //MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR

// add SQL-sytax to default $where
$where .= " AND TIMESTAMPDIFF($device, $wpdb->posts.post_date_gmt, '$now') > $wait ";
}
return $where;
}

add_filter('posts_where', 'publish_later_on_feed');

What we have done is add a filter to the publish_later_on_feed function so that your feed is not published at the same time your post is. You can adjust the time delay to anything you want. Look for the line,

$wait = 'x'; // integer and change x accordingly. For instance, if you wanted a 30 minute delay that line would look like,

$wait = '30'; // integer

In the spirit of nostalgia I decided to install an early version of WordPress and share it with you through various screen shots. The version I chose is WordPress 1.5 Strayhorn. Why Strayhorn? This is the version that dramatically changed the face of WordPress. Among the new features introduced in WordPress 1.5 were:

• a new theme system whereby you could use multiple template files rather than one
• enhancements to the comment system including whitelisting, blacklisting and automatic whitelisting
• the introduction of pages as opposed to posts
• an overhaul to the dashboard area

For a complete listing of the then new features you can refer to the original post from the official WordPress dev blog announcing the release of WordPress 1.5 Strayhorn.

So, are you ready to take a virtual stroll down memory lane? Sit back and relax while we present to you WordPress 1.5 Strayhorn.

The install screen:
When installing WordPress 1.5 Strayhorn this is the initial screen that greets you ... (click to enlarge)

After clicking "First Step" you are presented with the following screen ... (click to enlarge)

After filling in your weblog title and email and clicking "Continue to Second Step" you will see the screen below ... (click to enlarge)

When you click the login link you will be brought to the login screen as seen below ... (click to enlarge)

Inside WordPress 1.5 Strayhorn:
Once you log in, this is what the dashboard of WordPress 1.5 looks like ... (click to enlarge)

From the dashboard, clicking on "Write" will bring you to the area where you can either create a new post or page ... (click to enlarge)

This is what the "create a new page" area looks like ... (click to enlarge)

Clicking on "Manage" from the dashboard brings you to an area where you can manage your posts, pages, categories, comments and files. See image below ... (click to enlarge)

While still in the "Manage" area clicking on "Comments" from the submenu brings you to the following screen ... (click to enlarge)

Returning to the main menu the next item is "Links" and clicking it will send you here ... (click to enlarge)

From the main menu the next item is "Presentation" and it is here you can select or edit your theme ... (click to enlarge)

Clicking "Theme Editor" from the submenu will bring up ... well, the theme editor ... (click to enlarge)

Returning to the main menu the next item is "Plugins" and clicking it will send you here ... (click to enlarge)

Staying in the main menu the next item is "Users". Clicking it will show you the screen below with 2 items in the submenu: a) Your Profile and b) Authors & Users. (click to enlarge)

From the submenu, clicking Authors & Users will deliver the image below ... (click to enlarge)

The final item in the main menu is "Options". Clicking "Options" will present a submenu containing "Writing", "Reading", "Discussion", "Permalinks" and "Miscellaneous". See below ... (click to enlarge)

Staying with this submenu for a bit, the first item is "Writing" and clicking it will bring you to the following screen ... (click to enlarge)

Clicking on "Reading" from this submenu sends you here ... (click to enlarge)

From this submenu the next item is "Discussion" and clicking it will bring up the screen below ... (click to enlarge)

While still in this submenu you can set your permalinks by clicking "Permalinks". (click to enlarge)

The final item in this submenu is called "Miscellaneous" and clicking it will bring up the following screen ... (click to enlarge)

From the images above you can already see many similarities between the WordPress of yesterday and WordPress 2.9. What does the future hold? Who knows but if the current trend continues it can only be good things.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual stroll down memory lane.

All we need to do is add a bit of code to the active theme's functions.php file. Before we begin be sure to backup that file. If you make a mistake you may bork your entire site. Open the active theme's functions.php file in a plain text editor and add the following...

//disable feed
function fb_disable_feed() {
	wp_die( __('<strong>Error:</strong> No RSS feed available, please visit our <a href="'. get_bloginfo('url') .'">homepage</a> for the latest articles!') );
}

add_action('do_feed', 'fb_disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_rdf', 'fb_disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_rss', 'fb_disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_rss2', 'fb_disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_atom', 'fb_disable_feed', 1);

Now when you click one of your RSS links you will see the following message, (click image to enlarge)

If you want to reactivate the feed simply delete the code you added to the functions.php file. It goes without saying this is theme-specific. That is, if you change themes you'll have to add the code to that theme's functions.php file as well. Or, you could make a plugin out of this and drop it in your plugin folder. That way it will work regardless of the theme you are using. It's much easier to turn off as well.

Upon re-reading my post it occurred to me some of you may not know how to turn this in to a plugin. Fear not for I have done it for you. You can get Feed Killer from the Downloads page. [currently unavailable] Simply download the ZIP to your computer, extract the file feed_killer.php and upload it to your plugin folder. Activate as you would any other plugin. To turn your feed back on deactivate the plugin. I should have searched the WordPress plugin repo prior to doing this as such a plugin already exists. You can download it there.

Edit: New information has come to my attention as to the original author of the snippet above. Thanks to Alex at WP Engineer.com!

We all know what a parked domain is, right? For the newbie blogger let me explain. You have an idea you'd like to implement for a new site. You purchase a domain name and set yourself up with hosting. You may even have done a little pre-launch marketing. So far so good. The problem is most web hosts will display an ugly landing page to anyone visiting your site until you actually do something with that site. Most of these ugly landing pages are covered in ads making your site look like some kind of link farm. Fortunately there is a solution - a parked domain WordPress theme.

Even if you're not quite ready to launch your new site you may as well as download/install WordPress since the entire process only takes a few minutes. Once you have done so you're ready to install your parked domain theme until such time that you're ready to launch your site.

On that note let's take a look at the uber-cool parked domain themes I've been able to find.

1. LaunchPad (click image to enlarge)

LaunchPad, created by fellow Winnipeger Ian Stewart of ThemeShaper fame, is released under the GPL and is free to download and use. It comes with a theme options page where you can set your Feedburner ID. It even comes in three languages: French, Spanish and German. You can get more info on this theme from its official release page.

2. Ice Breaker (click image to enlarge)

Ice Breaker comes to us from design firm Custom Theme. You may know one of the 2 owners of Custom Theme as Leland of ThemeLab fame. The theme is highly configurable with everything being set in the backend via a theme options page. Some of the things you can set are Feedburner ID, feed URL and Twitter ID to name a few. The theme comes in 4 different colour variations - grey, red, blue and green and is released under the GPL. It is free to download and use. You can get more info on this theme from its official release page.

3. Changing Room (click image to enlarge)

Changing Room comes to us from Wordprezzie in the UK. It comes with a theme options page where you can set Feedburner settings and whatever text you want displayed. It comes in 2 colour variations - red and blue and is released under the GPL. The theme is free to download and use. You can get more info on this theme from its official release page.

4. UnderCon (click image to enlarge)

Undercon is the brainchild of Lim Cheng Soon and is available from ShoppingThemes. From the theme's options page you can set title, description, Feedburner ID and even change the logo. It is released under the GPL and is free to download and use. You can get more info on this theme from its official release page.

5. WP Blueprint (click image to enlarge)

WP Blueprint is a visually interesting idea from Eliseos. From the theme's option page you can set both your Twitter and Feedburner ID. You can also include some text and insert a footer script. The theme comes with a countdown script which is also configurable from the options page. (in case you're wondering that explains the numbers 56 16 05 33 you see in the image above) Unless I'm blind I couldn't find any info on what license WP Blueprint is released under but it is free to download and use. You can get more info on this theme from its official release page.

6. Ready2Launch (click image to enlarge)

Ready2Launch is developed by Jakub Mikulas and comes packed with 6 different variations. From the theme's options page you can configure the message you want displayed, your email and Twitter ID. It comes with a countdown script which can also be configured via the backend. Interestingly, if you choose to go with the countdown script, you can opt to display a special message of your choosing once the script counts down to zero. I'm not sure what license the theme is released under but I'll assume the GPL since it is available in the WordPress theme repository. It is free to download and use. You can get more info on this theme from its official release page.

As an Added Bonus:

There are also a few plugins out there that will accomplish the same thing, two of which I'll feature below. Both of these plugins are actually "maintenance mode" type plugins for use when you want to take your site offline for a short time for whatever reason, such as general maintenance, but can be easily used for displaying a splash page.

1. Maintenance Mode (click image to enlarge)

The plugin, from Software Guide, is very customizable. From its settings page you can configure the exact message to display, any pages/posts you want to still be accessible and even apply a 503 Service Unavailable HTTP header. I think the coolest feature about this plugin though is that it allows you to use a custom theme file to be displayed if you don't like the default one. Simply create a new file called 503.php and upload it to your active theme's directory. From the plugin's settings page select the "Use 503.php from within the theme directory for the splash page" option and you're good to go. If you choose this option you won't be able to use any WordPress functions with it such as get_sidebar() etc but you don't need to - think of this as a static HTML landing page. If you choose this option you can create a new style sheet specifically for 503.php and pretty much do whatever you want with it - the sky is the limit. It is released under the GPL and is free to download and use. You can get more info on this plugin from its official release page.

2. !Wartungsmodus
This plugin, like the previously mentioned one, is highly customizable. It comes with a "count down" script which can be configured from the plugin's settings options. You can choose to display whatever text you wish. The plugin comes with an amazing 11 style variations with the option to use your own if you don't like any of them. Below you can view some screen shots of a few of the available styles. (click images to enlarge)

Style #1: The Truck

Style #2: The Monster

Style #3: Paint

Style #4: Lego

As I said, there are 11 variations in total on top of being able to create your very own. I'm unsure what license this plugin is released under but it is free to download and use. You can get more info on this plugin from its official release page.

Post updated 20 Dec 09