TxP News


  • Placeholder

    Placeholder

    This isn’t a full-blown website theme but is a replacement for your “error_503” page template and is for use with Ruud’s rvm_maintenance plugin so you may find it useful when creating a new site or if you need to throw an existing site into “maintenance mode” whilst re-designing.

    Because it isn’t a full theme the only modifications it will make to your site are to add or replace an error_503 page template, add the placeholder style sheet, add a new “Placeholder” tab in “Presentation” where you can modify the variables.

    Installation uses a modified version of the “cxc_templates” plugin which needs to be installed manually unless you already have it of course. Other plugins installed automatically are “pax_grep” which you may already have, “tbs_placeholder” which creates the new “Placeholder” tab and “yab_email” which you may already have and is used to obfuscate your email address.

    Installation will not work with the “mem_templates” plugin so if you have that it will need to be switched off.

    If you are already using a ProText theme it will sit alongside it, creating all it’s own folders/files in the “_templates” folder of your site.

    The new “Placeholder” tab allows you to change the following:-

    • There are 5 colour variations though these are only subtle changes to the body background.
    • You can use your own logo. If left blank the site title entered in “Preferences” will be used.
    • You can determine whether or not to display the site slogan as entered on the “Preferences” tab.
    • You can set the start date.
    • You can set the start time.
    • You can add your own text below the 503 error title. If left blank the standard Txp error_message tag will be used.
    • You can add your own title for the social links block.
    • You can enter details for each of the social links. If any are left blank they will not be displayed and the remaining links will be re-centred.
    • You can enter your own title for the countdown block.
    (Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:01:05 GMT) Textgarden.org

  • Open season on Textpattern 5 [24]

    Ever thought “I can do things as well as the devs”? Ever wanted to be dev for a day? Now’s your chance to shape Textpattern 5 your way.

    (Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:08:54 GMT) Textpattern CMS - Weblog

  • Announcement

    Announcement

    This theme is highly specialised. It is designed as a single page with a component construction. Apart from the header and footer which are always displayed, and the navigation which is optional, you can add up to 9 components to the page template. There are 14 components available in the theme though you are more than welcome to design additional ones if you have the skills required.

    The theme is designed to be used to announce special events or anniversaries such as a birth, a wedding, a birthday, a wedding anniversary, a graduation, a corporate event etc.

    Because those components that use an article call their article using the article_id the theme only requires a single section.

    Despite being the front-page, and thus an article_list, there is a “comments component” allowing you to add a comment form and display any comments.

    Available components include 2 text components which can each contain up to 3 columns of text. The width of the columns is automatically calculated so that if you only add one text form it is displayed full-width, if you add 2 they are displayed at 50% width and if you add 3 they are displayed at 33% width.

    There are also components for baby stats (can include an article), countdown clock, headline, occasion details (uses an article), occasion hosts, photograph slider, registry/links, single article (uses an article), subscribe/connect, video and widgets.

    • Comes with 7 colour variations which can be set in the Theme Manager.
    • The theme uses styled site_name and site_slogan tags by default but if you have your own logo image, upload it to the _templates/announcement/assets directory that was auto-created when you installed the theme and enter it’s name in the Theme Manager.
    • All navigation links are set in the Theme Manager assuming that you want to display the navigation which is optional (Theme Manager again).
    • You can add up to 9 components to the page template in the Theme Manager.
    • All component variables can be modified in the Theme Manager.
    • Widgets can be added to the “widget component” in the Widget Manager.
    • All Widget variables can be modified in the Widget Manager.
    • No thumbnails are required anywhere due to the use of an image-resizing script.
    • Widgets are included for Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, blogroll, get in touch, contact us.
    • A special form is included for adding article body images with a caption if you have added one.
    • Full documentation on how to use your theme can be conveniently referenced in the “Home/Theme Documentation” tab.

    This theme requires Textpattern 4.3.0 minimum.

    Please note that this theme is not free and is only available for download from ProText Themes.

    (Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:30:34 GMT) Textgarden.org

  • Simplify the ebl_image_edit plugin [2]

    Gil shares his way to make the ebl_image_edit plugin more user friendly by adding a custom menu.

    (Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:50:05 GMT) TXP Tips

  • Christmas 2011 gift for the Textpattern developers [14]

    Say thanks to the Textpattern Developers by donating to the 2011 Christmas gift!

    (Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:50:00 GMT) TXP Tips

  • Add a Twitter share link that validates [4]

    A short and simple tip on adding a Tweet button that validates on the W3C Validator.

    (Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:09:24 GMT) TXP Tips

  • NuBlue interviews Stef Dawson

    Never one to shy away from pointing out Textpattern’s greatness, when the opportunity arose to talk shop, some Bloke was all over it.

    (Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:46:40 GMT) Textpattern CMS - Weblog

  • Magazine relaunch opportunities: long-term

    The response to—and show of support for—TXP Magazine’s revival has been amazing. Thank you! In fact, the show of hands from people wanting to help is to the point where I need to clarify what areas of help are needed so you guys can orient to the direction(s) that interest you (or not) easier. I’m happy to say that we’ve already got some people onboard, and I’ll introduce them in context. But we still need more, and these three articles are written for that reason.

    Participation can be classified in three ways:

    1. Long-term — Filling a regular role on the magazine team.
    2. Short-term — Contributing in the beginning, but fading out after launch.
    3. Special projects — Big things that don’t have a regular schedule, but are important for the community and need support.

    I address these in separate articles published back-to-back. You’re reading the long-term opportunities article. The others are:

    • Magazine relaunch opportunities: short-term
    • Magazine relaunch opportunities: special projects

    Before you skip off to one of those other articles, please read the next section, at least.

    Commitment and tools

    In your own lives, you are people who have chosen to work in digital, and concepts like collaboration, communication, and deadlines are not foreign to you. You may appreciate that these concepts are inherently a part of publishing a web magazine too. Anyone involved with the TXP Magazine project knows they’re committing themselves to a serious effort, are part of a team, and can be relied upon to do what they opt in for.

    You should also come down on the side that social media and the conveniences of cloud technology are a part of modern day digital work, because we make use of them in this project. At the very least, you should be okay with using Skype, Twitter, and Google Docs (just about Google anything). We may introduce need for other tools as well (like a SugarSync account), but the point is to be willing to use them when/if the time comes.

    Most importantly, everyone should know how to listen, collaborate, and compromise to get to the best solutions. Soloists and curmudgeons won’t do well here.

    Now, on to the fun!

    Long-term help opportunities

    These are the roles that secure you as a regular part of the TXP Magazine publishing team. Your names will be in lights and the Huffington Post may contact you down the road with big job offers.

    Column Editors

    Think of column editors as “knowledge experts” in a given topic area we write on (our regular columns), and who share responsibility for the health of their particular columns in the magazine.

    For example, I mentioned Extension(alism) will be one of the columns we regularly write. An editor for this column would help research and write articles for this column alone. Tasks might include:

    • Researching plugins (and their developers) for potential articles.
    • Drafting column articles.
    • Editing some of the guest author drafts (a role that is shared with me).
    • Monitoring analytics for the column and reporting on them in an editorial meeting each quarter.
    • Throwing in ideas for making the column better, or evolving it over time.

    The same would apply to editors of the other columns, taking into account the specific contexts. Let’s consider them…

    Community Spotlight would be good for someone who enjoys learning about and meeting new people around the world (remotely). I expect to write for this column too, and thus someone needs to be available to review my drafts (everyone’s copy gets at least one review by somebody else), as well write drafts of their own.

    Site Watch should be a popular column, and the behind-the-scenes process will be tied with special projects like competitions and new Exhibit entries. I think a logical choice for this editor will be someone from the Sites Evaluation Committee (see special projects opportunities).

    Showdown! is another column expected to be quite popular, and there’s a lot to get done before the first magazine issue. This person must love technical comparisons and the associated benchmarking. This editor would take lead on creating a standard benchmark process that could be used (reliably) for each showdown, and which would serve as a model for consistent structuring of Showdown! articles. I can imagine this editor will research similar benchmarks so we produce the most relevant and unbiased comparisons we can. We want the industry to see we are being fair, thorough, and professional; to build a positive reputation.

    The Independent’s Frontline is a column for the freelance worker, and topics will likely cover a lot of ground. The editor of this column should be an independent professional, without a doubt, with a number of years of experience as such. Tools, trends, and productivity tips are par for the course, as well topics on balancing work with health, family, and fun.

    In all cases, editors could help each other out if needed, and collaboration is always encouraged so nobody feels burdened. For the sake of healthy publishing operations, however, each column should have a dedicated editor at the helm.

    Community Manager

    This should be a fun role for anyone comfortable in the social ocean. With my increased focus on the magazine, I’d like to let someone else fluff the social channels, but also take it to the next level. For this to be done right, we need someone solely focused on keeping our remote communities lively with regular information and links, as well encouraging audiences to engage. A human touch is always better than a machine feed.

    Ideally, and overall, this person would establish a process of social media strategy and community measurement; putting metrics in place and reporting trends/observations to team every quarter or two.

    The day-to-day stuff would be things like:

    • Take over my admin status in the Facebook group.
    • Share tweeting duty with me (at least txpmag, I can't speak for textpattern, but that would be a good one too).
    • Determine what to do with the quiet Textpattern LinkedIn group. (I think this, or some other platform, has potential as a professionals/freelancers/clients channel, but it needs a plan and direction.)
    • Ensure our social channel profiles are updated and relevant to magazine and Textpattern aims.
    • Keep ears to the wind for signs of activities that should be of interest to project Textpattern, and that the magazine can tap into (market share reports, open source competitions, community meetups, relevant conferences, et cetera).
    • Write articles for the magazine on occasion.
    • Document the social media strategy, operations, and measurement that you develop over time.

    While the overall strategy will take some thinking and doing, the day-to-day stuff is not terribly difficult, nor time consuming; it just takes dedication to the cause.

    Podcast Series

    A nice offer from the magazine would be a regular TXP Magazine Podcast Series on the iTunes store. My idea for podcasts is to interview interesting people from outside the community; people who have relevant things to say, or are somebody Textpattern (the project) should like to make an acquaintance with. I have a few ideas already, but you’d have to be on the editorial team to hear them.

    In order to offer a podcast series, someone has to help with the research and interviewing, which includes lining people up, researching the interviews, writing the interviews, and record the interview conversations.

    In case your thinking ‘Holy crap! That’s a lot of work’. Let me just say it’s not as much as it might seem, and even less if you realise it’s only one interview every two or three months. I’ve done some podcast interviews (3, 6, and 9), and the only hard thing about it is being comfortable during the actual recording (I never got there). And we already have a post-production editor for audio/video content, so that’s a big part of the equation solved.

    I’m willing to do some of the interviewing on a rotated schedule, but I can’t maintain a series by myself, and will not initiate one if it’s just me. We need one, even two, more people on the podcast series doing research and interviews. This doesn’t have to be ready by first launch; it’s a nice-to-have next to the the primary objective of magazine editorial. Yet it’s doable… very doable.

    If you love Textpattern and want to give back to the project in a new and interesting way, this is your golden opportunity; be a podcast interviewer and make a mark in Textpattern history.

    That’s not all

    The roles described above are just a few that could be filled now to help get the magazine rolling comfortably. However, other editorial roles may open up in the future, and the website will always make that known when it happens.

    Maybe being a part of the magazine’s permanent editorial team isn’t your fancy. No doubt something short-term or one of the special projects may interest you.

    (Sun, 02 Oct 2011 08:24:30 GMT) TXP Magazine

  • Magazine relaunch opportunities: short-term

    Most of the show of hands offering to help so far have been with regard to the magazine’s redesign. Not a big surprise. So it should be helpful to clarify the expected approach so we can begin to separate bananas from passion fruit.

    As pointed out in the first section of long-term opportunities, the magazine is a (closed yet) collaborative effort, and that goes for the redesign work too. This is good, I think, because it means more of you will get to be involved while still not being a horse committee affair. A select number of people will work on specific things, which together make up the whole redesign effort. The number of people needed is simply determined by the number of tasks available.

    In this article I share insights on several stages of anticipated design work, but the specific areas of opportunity are:

    • Markup/styles (up to 4 people needed)
    • visual (up to 7 people needed)
    • Creative Lead (1 person, long-term)

    Content

    This project begins with the content, like every project should. I like how Abi Jones (a UX Designer at Google) puts it…

    https://twitter.com/jonesabi/status/119866964280737792

    While that’s a little harsh, I tend to agree with the sentiment; it’s as correct as saying you’re an idiot if you design without knowing who your audiences are.

    The first step in the magazine redesign effort, which I’m doing now, is content auditing to determine things like what content will be kept (or not), keywords, organisation, metadata, etc. From this work I’ll produce a new site structure that reflects the new content direction, as well an accompanying functional specifications document.

    Normally there would be more content-related work to get done first (rather than in parallel like I’ll be doing it), but because this is a phased live redesign, we need to get moving on some markup improvements so that new plugin/publishing architecture can be implemented cleanly in relation.

    Textpattern architecture

    Once the new site structure and functional specifications documents are in place, the magazine’s lead developer (Stef Dawson) and I will audit plugins against planned content and anticipated functionality. Mainly to put in what plugins we will need (even if we don’t activate them right away) and get rid of the plugins we don’t. Any custom developments will be identified and work will get underway accordingly. We’ll also be making adjustments to navigation options, categories, archiving, and so forth as we go along.

    Sketches

    I’m going to do the initial sketches based on the content work. Not mockups, sketches. I’ll do one of homepage, a given editorial column, and a typical author profile page. We’ll probably need more later but these three should be enough to get feedback from the team and front-end coders busy.

    This is where you come in.

    Markup (HTML/CSS) and behaviour

    There are up to four opportunities here. One person could do it all but sharing the load could be funner and quicker. You can work out among yourselves how to roll.

    Here are the only expectations for front-end markup work:

    • HTML5 and responsive. People should be able to read articles on their smartphones in portrait orientation; that’s where the design thinking starts.
    • ARIA roles included. And a strong lean to accessibility in general.
    • Clean, tight, and notated well in code so someone else can understand the work later.

    (I’m not opposed to someone thinking about semantic web stuff—RDFa, FOAF, Microformats, or what have you—as long as we can outline a strategic reason for doing it.)

    We will not cater to IE6 and down; IE7 is up for debate (for those companies that make their employees use it). For other browsers, we will assume discriminating users are cognizant of latest stable releases.

    Baseline HTML and CSS

    This is a big one. This person will rebuild the magazine’s template framework in the direction we’ll discuss over the sketches. I’ll tell you right now the code is a mess and needs completely rewritten from scratch. We want a squeaky-clean template foundation so everything else can be put in easily (content “modules”, plugins, etc.).

    A secured HTML prototype site will be the result, and we’ll move things into live site systematically. In the end, a refined version of this prototype will remain online and serve as a visual style guide for authors; mostly to show what selectors control what presentational effect and where it should be applied.

    The baseline coder will not have to worry about markup for plugins and various other content types that need to come later.

    Forms and plugins

    This person’s only focus is marking up all forms and output from plugins; e.g., contact form, article comments (and form), and so forth. We’ll have a better idea of what this will entail later once the audits are done.

    Content modules

    I’m somewhat abusing the word modules here; I’m using it as a catch-all to mean widgets (e.g., advertising, feeds), buttons and badges, calls to action (could be a button or something else), and so forth. All the little things that need to get worked into the UI and thus the fabric of the HTML and CSS.

    Javascript (behaviour)

    I don’t know what will be needed here yet, and this might be something Stef takes care of anyway, but it’s possible we could have somebody looking after behavior.

    Visual design (graphics and typography)

    Assuming we stick to the vision, there could be up to seven opportunities in this area. The only rules are no Flash or sIFR in design work.

    Logo

    We need a new one. There’s a lot to talk about, of course, but we’ll do than in planning when somebody’s on it.

    Baseline visual design

    This means the graphics, icons, and typography that accompanies the baseline HTML/CSS work. Graphics and icons can be custom or selectively picked from a free source, but it should be nice stuff.

    Typography should be planned as stacks, with sources possibly being Google Fonts and/or Typekit. We don’t have a budget for Typekit yet, but the stacks could still be implemented so that if/when we do, they kick right in.

    Custom art

    This will be the very last thing to implement, and if it doesn’t happen, the magazine will still be stunning from the work already described above.

    But here’s the idea: I would like to have a different digital artist create a custom identity for each of the editorial columns, so for the time being five artists doing one theme each for Community Spotlight, Site Watch, Extension(alism), Showdown!, and the The Independent’s Frontline; all of which were described in the long-term opportunities post.

    Think of these like a layer that tacks onto the baseline layout and design, but it’s just unique art in each case that helps convey the essence of what that column is about.

    Here are a couple of examples to give you an idea of what I mean:

    • Studio 2 Create’s website is dolled up with hand-drawn rockets and lab equipment, etc. It’s a great theme that enhances the concept of “creation”, which is reflected in their name. (Don’t get distracted by the behaviour going on there; we aren’t going that far.)
    • Arte.tv’s Summer of the 70s (wait for the load) dossier is more graphical and funky. Another great theme idea that conveys the essence of the associated content (in this case French content).

    The possibilities are endless, and each theme should be different.

    Most of the artwork should be imagined to be up at the top of the page; the Arte.tv example demonstrates this well, while the Studio 2 Create example shows the artwork more spread out in the browser.

    Ultimately, the result should be so that the magazine’s identity is recognized no matter where a user is in the site. This is maintained through a common logo, navigation, footer, etc., but the artistic themes still give each editorial column a unique identity. Artists can copyright their work with sole rights of use to TXP Magazine. Full credit will be given to the artists.

    In case it’s not obvious, a different artist for each theme is desired for three reasons:

    1. I want a completely different artistic style for each column, and different artists make that happen automatically.
    2. Four themes would be way too much work for one artist (and they’d never do it).
    3. It provides more opportunities for people to get involved.

    A long-term potential

    I am very open to the idea of one of the people outlined above becoming a regular magazine team member; perhaps called Creative Lead, or something having a good, holistic fit. It may make sense that this person is identified early on as a kind of coordinator of the design work described earlier.

    This person would be responsible for:

    • Coordinating the short-term (initial) front-end design efforts.
    • Refining and maintaining the HTML styles prototype over time as a concise authoring guide.
    • Selecting and processing imagery (photos, diagrams, infographics…whatever) used in all articles published in each issue of the magazine.
    • Make template modifications (or create new ones) as new content types come and go.
    • Design new “modules” as needed over time (buttons, advertising, etc.).
    • Help work on a custom TXP Magazine admin theme (yes, we want one).

    Depending on workload, this person may also suggest a second creative is needed on the regular magazine team.

    What now?

    A number of people have already raised their hand to be involved with design, and I’ve approached one artist who is potentially on board for a theme; specifically the Community Spotlight design. I will instruct all of these people to read this article and get back to me with more specifics about what tasks they’re interested in, or if they’re even still interested. They will be considered first because they raised their hands first. However, there are still opportunities open; if you haven’t spoke up, you still can and should do so quickly. Make yourself known by pinging the @txpmag twitter account.

    If you haven’t seen the other two articles about magazine opportunities, they are long-term and special projects. Check them out too!

    (Sun, 02 Oct 2011 08:24:07 GMT) TXP Magazine

  • Magazine relaunch opportunities: special projects

    Besides the short-term and long-term opportunities, there are special projects that need support too. Unlike long-term opportunities that concern the magazine’s editorial products, or short-term opportunities that principally concern the magazine’s new brand and design, special projects are activities that are important for community engagement. Fun stuff!

    Textpattern store (<txp:store />)

    I’m very happy to say, we have our Store Manager already, Pete Cooper. You may know him as “gaekwad” in the community forum. Pete will be leading efforts on getting a new store up and running and maintaining it over time. We’ll start humble with a Textpattern tee-shirt and a couple of colors, or something, and work up, but Pete will be telling you more about store objectives as we get closer to it. A big hand for Pete for taking on what will be a significant boon for Textpattern.

    Pete, in collaboration with the magazine’s Board (um…core developers), will manage an economics plan around the store to keep it healthy and funds allocated appropriately. There’s a good chance Pete will hold some fun competitions in the future for new merchandise designs, and he may need some help with that. Get your thinking caps on.

    And when it’s available… EVERYONE. BUY. MERCHANDISE.

    Competitions (Themes and Sites)

    The potential for competitions is great, but only if there’s a strong organisational effort behind them. Some of you may remember Textplates, a Textpattern themes competition organised two yours in a row (2006-7) by Tom Fadial of erraticwisom.com. Considering the state of Textpattern theming back then—or rather, the fact Textpattern 5 was a lot further away than it is now—the Textplates initiative was fantastic, and people won good prizes. I think we can raise the bar on that, and we’re going to try. (Maybe even Tom will donate texplates.com to Textpattern for the cause.)

    Again, I’m happy to say that we already have our competitions coordinator; someone who I think, if but for technical reasons alone, is the best person for the job. Phil Wareham has accepted my invite for this role. His dedication and impressive progress with creating new front- and back-office themes for Textpattern—literally rewriting the code to make it more modern, flexible, and easier for us to skin—puts him in a good place to be a lead on theme competitions. He knows the code constructs intimately. Since we won’t be launching into any theme competitions immediately, Phil has some time to finish his work on the admin-side code. Let’s all wish him superluminal speed, which, apparently, is possible now. Go Phil!

    Here’s where we need you.

    Sites Committee

    Phil can’t do competitions by himself. Plus, we need a process for evaluating websites that will be added to the Sites Exhibit (the curated cream of the crop of Textpattern websites anywhere). The idea, then, is to create a small committee who will collaborate with Phil to develop a process for evaulating Textpattern themes and websites, and for determining entry into the magazine’s Sites Exhibit (more on the Exhibit another day).

    If you have strong feelings about what the evaluation process should be, then you should get involved as a constructive committee member. The committee should be no more than 6 people, including Phil, and as many girls as boys.

    Someone from this committee would make an excellent editor for the Site Watch column, as talked about in the long-term opportunities. Committee members will be down in the trenches, evaluating the very websites the magazine will write about, so it’s a small step (the smallest) from evaluation to putting together a concise article on what was evaluated. In fact, it’s so logical that I will be expecting and pushing for the Site Watch editor to be on the sites committee, whether it’s Phil or someone else (and there’s no reason why it couldn’t be more than one person).

    Guest authoring

    This is not really a role, per se, but it’s definitely an opportunity to be involved with the Magazine and get some major exposure—increasingly over time. Depending on volume of interest, and the kinds of topics people wanted to contribute, it could create a few more long-term positions and a new column or two. This could also get really competitive, meaning not all submissions might get published right away (though it’s too early to make calls on that now).

    Guest authors will have their own account in the magazine and maintain their own “people” profiles. Similar to what Boxes and Arrows does, profiles may include how many articles a person has written, the latest comments they’ve made, and maybe one or two other things. We want to encourage guest authors to write for the magazine more than once.

    At last, this marathon series on magazine relaunch opportunities comes to an end. If you haven’t already, please read the other two articles about long-term and short-term opportunities, as they might have something interesting for you to. If getting on the committee (or any of the other opportunities) interests you, ping the @txpmag twitter account and you’ll be added to the list. I’ll get back to everyone accordingly.

    Thanks for reading.

    (Sun, 02 Oct 2011 08:23:53 GMT) TXP Magazine

  • A new vista [3]

    Here we are, with a new horizon ahead. After a painfully-long period of dormancy, TXP Magazine will rise again, and this time it’s official. Textpattern has adopted the magazine as a project asset. The magazine will fill a gap that has always existed; it will provide discourse between the Textpattern project and the rest of the world. Too long has the Textpattern community been collapsing in on itself while other CMS projects have expanded into new and interesting areas. The days of the bulletin board communities are over and Textpattern never got the memo. That changes now.

    Whether it’s my long-standing participation in the community, my work with documentation, my experience with communications and organising events, or my relentless apotheosising of Textpattern’s slow-but-inevitable slide into oblivion if public relations don’t change (though I hope it’s because I provided reasonable argumentation against the facts), I’ve been invited to step in as the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief and put my talk to action. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity and the support of the core team.

    To be clear, I’m not a member of the Textpattern project leadership; which is still the core development crew you know. I am merely a change agent, contributing time and skills towards redeveloping Textpattern’s public image and bruised reputation. I hope to do that, with your help, by building a greater network of communication beyond the confines of the forum environment; going where people are, using new channels, making new voices heard, and dare I say it—meeting people face-to-face.

    A new strategy and modern tactics

    The new approach to TXP Magazine will be strategic, business-oriented and audience-focused. The magazine will no longer be a diversified blog with no schedule; it will adopt a quarterly agenda and provide regular editorial columns for different audience interests, while making opportunities for contributing authors.

    TXP Magazine will also serve as the coordinating body of various competitions, not the least of which will be new Textpattern websites and themes in anticipation of Textpattern 5. These competitions will sustain themselves, and a strategy of economics will be planned for that reason. Wonderful prizes can be expected, besides the pleasure of winners getting a lot of public attention.

    The magazine will also be home to a new Textpattern store, where we can buy cool things and show them off with pride. Again, the store will operate to be self-sustaining. Swag designs will also provide more opportunities for fun competitions within the community. Positive feedback loops!

    Curation time

    The Sites Gallery is also changing, and so is the process for adding sites to it. We’re getting rid of the relics and curating the modern art.

    Once a useful resource to show the international scope and versatility of Textpattern, the gallery has become a sea of false and irrelevant links. An audit is underway. Half of the 200 or so links in the gallery have been assessed so far, and of these about ¾ are bad—leading to 404 errors, squatted domains, and sites powered by WordPress and Tumblr. Of the Textpattern sites that still do exist, few have been maintained in years, or are just such poor examples of contemporary design as to not even be worthy of gallery representation. We’ll see what the other half of the audit reveals, but I’m not optimistic.

    This project needs new artifacts; new models of exemplary content, development, and design. When a designer comes along looking for a new tool, or when a company is recommended to have a look at Textpattern CMS for their relaunch project, we need to show them examples so magnificent they can’t turn away. These examples should say things like, “Yes, you can build a large business website with Textpattern; one that’s device-agnostic and drop-dead gorgeous too.” To that end, the gallery will be cleared like a blank canvas, except for a few hand-picked qualifiers (from anywhere we find them) to prime the pot.

    Editorial columns

    We will follow a more rigorous editorial strategy, with focus on a set of topic columns. The columns we’ll start out with are:

    • Community Spotlight — Humanistic profiles of people using Textpattern in various ways, be it developers, designers, publishers, artists, business owners, or what have you. These people could be anywhere in the world, and mostly people you’ve never heard of before (and maybe some old surprises).
    • Site Watch — A column that takes over the ‘exceptional sites’ effort at textpattern.com, which hasn’t kept up to speed. We can do it better in the magazine. This column aims to highlight a new Textpattern-powered website each issue (beginning Issue 2). All sites reviewed in this column automatically go in a new sites Exhibit which will replace the old Sites Gallery (more on the Exhibit in Issue 1). Website competitions, as mentioned earlier, will be another source for adding new Exhibit entries. No more will a site make the grade by simply being a Textpattern site. It’s time this community’s real talents are put on proper display, not buried under the broken crockery.
    • Extension(alism) — A journalistic style of highlighting popular plugins, exceptional mods, and the like. This will be in support of the new plugins repository, not in competition with it. It will point to where relevant documentation exists, not duplicate it. The point is to help make these plugins known to the people who don’t know them, which could very well be you and me.
    • Showdown! — A quarterly—or perhaps bi-quarterly (not sure yet)—comparison of Textpattern with another CMS. This will be a fun yet unbiased and qualitative benchmark process; one sure to get a lot of industry attention…a lot of magazine hits.
    • The Independent’s Frontline — A column covering various topics concerning the world of the freelancer. If you’re an independent, this column aims to help you keep your head straight, your game on, and survive!
    • (Ed. Newly added.) Meaningful Labour — This will be the magazine’s tutorial column. It will provide complete end-to-end how-tos for advanced Textpattern architecture, and particularly working with the native Tags library, though not exclusively.
    • (Ed. Newly added.) Hope for the Future — This will be the magazine’s token opinion column, and we hope to see a regular stream of community contributions here.

    There will also be a regular From the Editor column (it comes with the job) to make clear particular points of interest, bring attention to other community happenings, follow-up with previous issue fallout, and so forth.

    These columns provide opportunity to write about topics our readership has interest in. We’ll monitor columns over time and add or drop them as analysis and conditions might suggest. Details about how to submit article contributions to the magazine will be provided at relaunch in Issue 1.

    Down the road we might explore the collection of user-generated video content (promotional or tutorial)…and other possibilities being discussed.

    Getting involved

    It’s a tall order. And I can’t do it alone. Any successful magazine needs a team, and I’m looking to put one together. We’ll do things right—industry conventions and all that—but we’ll have fun doing it and learn in the process.

    We’ve already got a crack developer from the top for all functionality needs (who just happens to have a recording studio, and all the digital editing equipment we could want). Over the next few weeks while I work on content strategy and project documentation, I’ll also be tapping people to consider ongoing charge of various mag initiatives and editorial columns—regular magazine “staff”, if you will. We’ll also be needing extremely skilled graphics people (no skimping here). More on needed roles and tasks will come later when more foundation is in place. You’re welcome to speak up and show your interest in a particular area mentioned so far, but at this point we’re taking names, not making decisions.

    We will also be keeping an open channel for guest authoring as it pertains to our regular columns. Guest authors will have their own accounts and bios, and can maintain their profiles over time. And there should be opportunities to help with special projects as well, even if not as a regular team member. Competitions are a good example, such as serving as a competition judge, among other important roles.

    Where to follow

    For your entertainment, we will be doing the relaunch through a series of calculated phases, live, from the content and architecture up. Aren’t we brave? Yes we are. There is no timeline on this work. Do not demand one. Sit back and watch what happens when it happens. But rest assured that I am as eager as anyone to get TXP Magazine back in the swing of things, and in a big way.

    Watchful eyes may bear witness to the disappearance of certain content, modules, and graphic elements. If something disappears, it’s not coming back. Other items will likely get shuffled about in the reorganisation. The existing presentation will be the last thing to change (besides what we may trim out), though temporary mods may be made along the way to improve readability, contrast, and so forth.

    Until the inaugural relaunch issue is published, you may see one more announcement from me outside of the regular publishing schedule (which will start from the day the magazine officially relaunches). Thereafter all magazine content will be quarterly, including Notes from the Editor.

    If you aren’t aware already, the magazine now has its own Twitter account, @txpmag, and that will be the principle channel of communication for up-to-the-minute happenings regarding TXP Magazine between published issues. I highly recommend you follow it, because magazine business will not be communicated through the forum, though you’re welcome to repeat it where you like. Get it from the source, or the other end of the horse.

    Remember, we’re going out there. Come join us!

    (Ed. update, 29/09/2011: As you can see, comments don’t appear to be working. This is simple reliance on the old code. Rather than tinker with fixing what really needs rewritten from scratch, we will turn comments off until the architecture is rebuilt. There may only be one more article before then anyway. Following are the three comments that were left, so you can see them.)

    1. WebmistressM, 28 September 2011 — Re: Design/Theming I honestly am not surprised at the theme system being addressed less often, for any software in its inception/rough patches/beginnings. Knowing how the content is organized/taxonomied; and what functions grab what information, seems to make for intuitive designs.

    2. Michiel Destoop, 28 September 2011 — Looking forward to it!

    3. Walter, 29 September 2011 — I am so glad to see this site getting revised and rejuvenated! I am looking forward to the textPattern renaissance, and read about new cool TxP driven sites.

    (Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:40:29 GMT) TXP Magazine

  • Textpattern: Generations [17]

    Among the sun-drenched skyscrapers of Olde London Town, some virtual strangers with only Textpattern in common met in a pub. With just beer, handheld devices and a network close by, what could they possibly talk about?

    (Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:18:16 GMT) Textpattern CMS - Weblog

  • Using images in adaptive design

    Zero offers us his method for using images in an adaptive design environment.

    (Sun, 04 Sep 2011 05:26:01 GMT) TXP Tips

  • Creating custom section and category menus in the Write tab

    How to create custom section and category menus in the Write tab of your TXP install, courtesy of the Admin King, Gil Goldshlager.

    (Sun, 04 Sep 2011 05:11:21 GMT) TXP Tips

  • Empire

    Empire     Empire

    • Comes with 5 colour variations which can be set on the Theme Variables tab.
    • The theme uses it’s own theme logo by default but if you have your own logo image, upload it to the _templates/empire/assets directory that was auto-created when you installed the theme and enter it’s name on the Theme Variables tab. If this field is left blank the theme will display a text version of the site name and site slogan that you entered in the “Preferences/Basic” tab.
    • The header block can also display either a banner-ad image with link or a Google Adsense banner. All settings are on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can specify the name for the homepage link in the navigation on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can specify the sections displayed in the main navigation and their order on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can enable or disable the category drop-down menus in the navigation on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can switch the display of the slider on or off on the Theme Variables tab.
    • The slider section, height, display of the captions and display of the prev / next buttons can be set on the Theme Variables tab along with the quantity of articles displayed and the transition time, speed and type.
    • “Slider” articles are specified with a custom_field.
    • The front-page can display 2 articles from any section of your site, one above and one below the front-page widget block. These can be specified by article id number on the Theme Variables tab. If one of these settings is left blank no article will appear in that area or none at all if both are left blank.
    • You can set the section and the display of individual_article paging for the gallery section on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can set the section and the display of individual_article paging for the portfolio section on the Theme Variables tab along with several other “slider-related” settings.
    • You can set the article_list view quantity for several different areas of the site on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can set the length of the excerpt displayed in article_list view on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can set the width and height of the article_image thumbnails generated for display in article_list view on the Theme variables tab.
    • Positioning of the article_image thumbnails is controlled on a “per article” basis using a custom_field.
    • You can set the width and height of the article_image thumbnails generated for display in individual_article view on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can set whether or not to use the “PrettyPhoto” light-box in individual_article view on the new “Theme Variables” tab.
    • You can set which sections you want to allow “commenting” for on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can set the theme used by “PrettyPhoto” on the Theme Variables tab.
    • For the “gallery” and “portfolio” sections, “PrettyPhoto” is set to “gallery mode” and you can determine whether it should be manual or auto operation on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can set the transition speed for “PrettyPhoto” in “auto mode” on the Theme Variables tab.
    • The display of the contact form on the “Contact” page can be switched on or off on the Theme Variables tab.
    • The contact form email address is entered on the Theme Variables tab.
    • You can enable or disable the display of the Google map on the contact page as well as make several other setting adjustments for the map on the Theme Variables tab.
    • No thumbnails are required anywhere due to the use of an image-resizing script.
    • All widgets can be displayed in the “horizontal sidebar”, “extended footer” or “front-page widget block”.
    • You can set which widgets are to be displayed in the “front-page widget block” and the “extended footer” on the Widgets tab.
    • You can control various aspects of individual widget display on the Widgets tab.
    • Widgets are included for Twitter, Flickr, image advert, archive menu, blogroll, tag cloud, recent posts, recent comments, calendar, text , category listing, get in touch, contact us, feedback and Feedburner subscription.
    • Full documentation on how to use your theme can be conveniently referenced in the “Home/Documentation” tab.

    This theme requires Textpattern 4.3.0 minimum.

    Please note that this theme is not free and is only available for download from ProText Themes.

    (Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:14:31 GMT) Textgarden.org