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This entry was posted on 2 May 2008 at 23:53 and filed under Arthemia Free: Wordpress Magazine Theme Released
2.05.08 at 23:53 in Wordpress and Themes # 1,448 CommentsArthemia Free v2 is now available. With the paged plugin support, nice border for pictures, automated page listing in navigation bar, improved layout of front-page, archive page, and search page. Thumbnails are now working in all pages. Click here to read more.
Arthemia is combining a magazine and a weblog into one; it is not too magazine-ish nor too blog-ish. The front page of Arthemia shows the headline and featured post of yours along with the pictorial representation, that’s the magazine style, while the rest of your post will be shows sequentially just like a usual weblog. In the middle of the front page, Arthemia has a nice blue-and-black category bar which will help your readers exploring you site. At the bottom, Arthemia is outfitted with a blog must-have section, a three-list of favorite posts.
A Drop-down Menu?
Exactly. A drop-down menu is now becoming a standard navigational tools. Many Linoluna users said that a drop-down menu is quite a must-have thing in a website. Well, I am giving you what you want. It is a black elegant drop-down menu with a nice blue background when you move your mouse to hover it.
Automatic Image Resizer?
Yup! Arthemia uses a PHP Script to automatically resize the thumbnail image. Fabulous, huh? Just upload any image using Wordpress image uploader, and the thumbnail is there. Thanks to Darren Hoyt for the awesome release. There is a folder called ’scripts’ which contains the PHP image resizer scipt, timthumb.php. Inside the folder, there is another folder called ‘cache’. You have to make this folder writable by changing the folder attributes to 777 using any FTP clients or SSH access.
What plugins should I have?
For the best functionality, you should have the plugin WP-PostView, WP-PostRating, WP-Print, WP-Email installed. Those plugins are from LesterChan.net.
WordPress version? Browser compatibility?
Arthemia is build to support Wordpress 2.5. A gravatar support has been included. Anyway, if you want to use the theme in WP 2.3, you have to remove the gravatar code in comments.php. The theme has been tested in several browsers such as Firefox 2, IE 7, Safari 3, and Opera 9, and even IE 6. By the way, dropdown menu and link hovering don’t work in IE6. Everything is working like a charm.
Great, how to install this thing?
It is very easy; just as simple as this 3-step installation:
- Download and extract the zip file.
- Upload the theme file to your server at “/wp-content/themes/” folder.
- Activate the theme. (Admin Panel -> Presentation -> Themes)
That’s it. After that you can go with the configuration.
I’m done. Any configuration I should do?
Apparently YES. Arthemia is not really a plug-and-play theme. But believe me, this is not as difficult as it seems.
- The theme is widget-ready. By default, the navigation is divided into three sections: the top navigation bar, the right sidebar, and the footer. Everything in the sidebar and footer may be customized easily through WP Admin Panel. The links in the top navigation bar should be edited manually using any text-editor of your favorite. I prefer Notepad. The top navigation bar can be customized by editing the
header.phpfile. - To use Arthemia, you need to have a category named “Headline” and “Featured”. Posts in those two categories will be shown in the headline and featured section of the front page.
- To show the category bar in the front page properly, you have to put the correct category IDs to this line in the
index.phpfile:
<?php $display_categories = array(5,6,7,8,11); $i = 1;
foreach ($display_categories as $category) { ?>
Notice that 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are the IDs of the category to be shown in the category bar. - To show the post list in the front page properly, you have to put the correct excluded category IDs to this line in the
index.phpfile:
<?php $page = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;
query_posts("cat=-9,-15&paged=$page&posts_per_page=2"); ?>
Notice that 9 and 15 are the IDs for the category: Headline and Featured. That will make no duplication shown in the front page.posts_per_page=2means there are 2 posts listed per page. The navigation links are shown after the last listed post. You can change that to Lester-Chan’s WP-Pagenavi if you like. - Thumbnails across the theme are configured using the Custom Fields. And images can be easily uploaded with WP Add Media feature. You should add a custom field called “Image” in every post and put the image filename and folder within the custom field value. For example, custom field name:
Image; custom field value:wp-content/uploads/2008/04/pool.jpg. How about the different image sizes for each thumbnails? Well, no worry for that because Arthemia has its own image resizer. Just upload one big-sized image and everything is under control.
So, what now? Go download or see the live demo!
This file has been downloaded 161095 times.
Anyway, if you find the theme cool, helpful, inspiring, or whatsoever, I guess it’ll be a pleasure to donate me some money. I will be really thankful for that.
Changelog:
V1.0 First public release
V1.1 Added the pagination support for the blog post lists in the front page.
V2.0 Installed the paged plugin, added nice border for pictures, added the automated page listing in navigation bar, improve the layout of front-page, archive page, and search page. Thumbnails are now working in all pages. Click here to read more.
Note:
Arthemia theme may use the same CSS Class and IDs with some plugins out there. If you install this theme and then find the layout awful, there might be some conflicts with one of your plugin. Recently, I find that Arthemia might have some layout problem (the top navigation bar) if you have “Mike Jolley and Mike Cherim’s Secure and Accessible PHP Form” installed. But now the problem is solved!
im-FAQ 1 : How to get the thumbnail image resizer working??
Actually the explanation above is clear enough for you to get the thumbnail working, but in case you missed something, you could read these step-by-step to-do list. Before you start, make sure that the image is already there, located in your own server. The script can not generate thumbnails if your image is located outside your server (eg. Flickr photos, Picassa, etc.)
- Be sure you have PHP 4.3 with GD-library installed on your server. PHP 5 is better.
- Start from a fresh copy and upload the theme at
wp-content/themes/arthemia. Do not change ‘arthemia’ to anything because it will break everything. - Make the folder “scripts” and “cache” writable (777). These folder are located in
wp-content/themes/arthemia/andwp-content/themes/arthemia/scripts/. You can do this using FTP or any online file manager from you web hosting company. - Add a custom field in the post. The custom field key MUST be
Image(letter cases are important). - Fill the custom field value with the path of your image. It MUST start with
wp-contentI repeat it MUST start withwp-content. If you have the image located athttp://www.yourblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/file_name.jpgthen the key value of the custom field MUST bewp-content/uploads/2008/06/file_name.jpg(Notice there is nohttp://www.yourblog.com/in the value) - If you still have the problem, read the step-by-step procedures again, and again, and again. Trust me it’s working and many have succeeded making this thumbnail thing working.
If you still have problem about the thumbnail image resizer, please read the discussion below. The problem may lies on the web server. FYI, Windows-based server cannot use FTP to make the cache folder writable.
im-FAQ 2 : Why the page is not rendered correctly? The search box and button in the navigation bar is not positioned as it shoud be!
First, you have to sure you have to start from a fresh copy because you may have edited something accidentally. Second, be sure you deactivate ALL plugins before installing the theme, especially plugins that generate contact pages, forms, custom post excerpts, etc. Those plugin may use the same CSS classes and IDs with Arthemia’s CSS and there would be CSS conflicts that would change the appearance of the search box and button. After everything is fine, activate the plugin one-by-one and be aware of plugins that import additional CSS to the theme.
im-FAQ 3: What the hell is im-FAQ?
im-FAQ is a list of incredibly most frequently asked questions; recently added to this post to make all of you smile and happy. I hope it works.
My next theme: Platformate with automatic thumbnail assignment
Anyway, it seems that this thumbnail assignment thing has gone way to complicated to some people. Therefore, I’m planning to have an automatic picture assignment feature in my next theme: Platformate. Thumbnails are automatically generated, resized, and assigned. So you can just blog normally, add pictures to your posts just like usual add-media/add-image Wordpress feature, forget the complicated custom-field thing, and the first picture in your post will be automatically assigned as the image for thumbnail generation.
If you have any problem using the theme and want to ask for support, please use the forum instead.
Nevermind…
sometimes no matter how easy someone makes things, I manage to make it complicated.
Thank you for your great theme…
You may view our site using it at http://www.therecallyard.com
(site listing recalls affecting our children)
Hi.
I see you have us change permission of the cache folder to 777, and I keep trying but it goes back to 755. Is that why I can’t see my images?
If so, (since I did the custom field and all) how can that be fixed.
Great theme – check it out in use at http://www.rootparenting.org.
I don’t know why images cannot show in my headline and featured, even if I set scripts folder and cache folder as CHMOD 777.
Help me please!
Very thanks all.
Can i use the localization pack of Arthemia premium in Arthemia Free?
Hi Michael
I’m very impressedd by this template and am thinking of upgrading tothe premium version.
However, you you refer to my site, I have a problem getting the 400px x 400px image to appear correctly on my headline. I tried changing the html code to alter the image size, but the image is still cut off yet it stretches to fit the coded size?
How can I ensure that the headline and the featured images, appear correctly? Also what can I do to increase the size of the images in every post?
Thank you!
Rachel
Hi,
Awesome theme! Can the free one be used with WP 2.8? If not, what highest version will it work with? I’ve been having trouble with the site pages going blank about every day or so. A restore of a backup via FTP gets it going again. I have trouble-shot every plugin and everything I could, even with my host. If I knew this would not happen in the paid version, I’d buy. I really want to use this theme.
Hi, please help me out. The last category on the category bar on the front page is not showing when i used this theme. here is my site, please look at it..http://www.almuchow.com . thanks. much appreciated
I love this theme…for free
[...] original look/feel for Exile Lifestyle was cobbled together using a free theme called Arthemia which worked wonderfully for a while, but eventually just didn’t have the right layout for [...]
thx…best template I ever find
anyway…I’m still have to learn much n more n more
[...] como vocês puderam notar, estou de casa nova. Apanhei um pouco para customizar o Arthemia (na verdade ainda não está totalmente pronta a customização), template que estou [...]
Will definitely try to download it and explore for the themes a lil bit.. I will add this theme to my new coming blog sooner..
Thank you for your nice & free themes.. Loved it..
hope we can exchange links ..
or maybe you have a plugins for exchanging links maybe?
This is very fantastic theme. I was in search of a good theme from last months and finally i got it here totally free.
Peoples are selling similar theme by cost but you guys done wonderful ob offering it free
[...] is the new version of Arthemia Free. I’ve done some changes in the post list in the front page, solve some CSS problem, added the [...]
[...] [...]
Does anyone know what the font used in the logo is? I want to make my own logo in that style. Love the theme and the help was fantastic.
Just a tip if anyone is having image problems…
The official instructions is to chmod scripts and cache to 777. However, I found that that didn’t work, but chmodding it to 755 worked. I think it has to do with what type of permissions my server can deal with.
Yet another person has had success with script at 755, but cache at 777.
Hey Michael,
I love the theme and how clean it is. I was wondering how to put pictures or ads on the area that says advertisement on the home page. Is there html that I have to know?
Thanks
-Kevin
yeah, I’d like to know the same thing. Is it a category, like featured and headlines?
Great themes Michael.
I especially enjoyed the instructions on setting up, too many themes don’t help with that part.
Thanks!
Thank you for the nice template , I’m currently using it ..
I want to ask if i can make xhtml / css modifications ? of course with conserving the link in the bottom ..
thanks for answering.
unbelievable, It’s too cool, Downloaded! Thanks very very much!
Sal,
I have a problem….. I can’t see the picture in HEADLINE or in Featured, matter of fact, no image in home page.
”
Thumbnails across the theme are configured using the Custom Fields. And images can be easily uploaded with WP Add Media feature. You should add a custom field called “Image” in every post and put the image filename and folder within the custom field value. For example, custom field name: Image; custom field value: wp-content/uploads/2008/04/pool.jpg. How about the different image sizes for each thumbnails? Well, no worry for that because Arthemia has its own image resizer. Just upload one big-sized image and everything is under control.
”
Doesn’t work for me! Index.php looks ok
Regards
He said to add a custom field named IMAGE (under the post area), than the value of the UPLOADED CONTENT. Very easy..
Same problem here. Everything done as supposed to, but it does not work.
[...] Arthemia is a sleek, professionally designed Wordpress template created by Michael Hutagalung. It is available for free and is one of the best magazine style templates out there. With this theme the homepage is no longer a long list of post after post. But the magazine template gives your site a unique look and feel which sets the site apart from its competition. For a full list of features and link to download this theme jump over to the author’s site. However as with any magazine theme, Arthemia can be a bit difficult to setup mostly due to the number of features and options built in to it. Here is a quick and dirty list of things to do when installing Arthemia for your own blog. [...]
does anyone know what font is being used for the “arthemia” logo?
… or any font that resembles it?
Very nice template Michael!
It’s called District Thin and you can google and download it for free.
wahh keren michael… salut deh.. aku udah nyoba yg free emang oke banget!! cuma ada 1 masalah nih.. posisi dihalaman ke1 lalu saat mau liat halaman selanjutnya dibilang : Error 404 – Not Found… padahal seharusnya masih ada artikel di halaman selanjutnya… apakah ada solusi michael? thank banget yaa… terus berkarya
coba line
post_per_page=5d index.php dihapus saja. Atau coba supaya jumlah itemnya (5) disamakan dengan setting “blog post shown at most” di WP Dashboard>Reading.