Archive for September, 2009

NEW HeatMap Insider Forum

HeatMap Theme users now have a new place for us all to get together and call home

It’s called the HeatMap Insider Forum, and its the new official HeatMap Ads Theme forum where you can download all the extra goodies such as the coloured child themes, the drop down menus plugin, and get access to in-forum support from myself and other helpful HeatMapsters. In addition to the downloads and support there’s already lots of hints, tips, customisations and solutions in the forum, and our happy band of HeatMapsters is growing everyday.

Over the coming months I’ll be creating more child themes, add-ons and HeatMap Theme updates and they will all be accessible to subscribers in the HeatMap Insider Theme Downloads Forum.

What are you doing hanging around ‘out here’ ? come on in!

I look forward to seeing you on the inside (the HeatMap Insider that is)

Stuart Wider – HeatMap Ads Theme Designer

HeatMap Theme 2.2 and Drop Down Menus released

HeatMap Theme 2.2 is now available for download from HeatMapTheme.com. It will be available from the WordPress.org theme directory in a few days.

This release includes some new features and improvements…

• Compatible with the new HeatMapTheme Drop Down Menus Plugin which is available from the HeatMap Theme store as part of the HeatMap Theme Colour Pack.
• New ‘Preset Mode’ for people who like to hack the sidebar using php instead of using widgets (also doubling as a demo mode for HeatMap Theme) – this replaces the original demo mode idea from 2.2rc & rc2.
• Supports 125 x 125 ads in [Sidebar] Right.
• Save buttons everywhere in the HeatMap options page (to save lots of scrolling when you want to save the settings).
• A neater less intrusive post details section, on posts and pages.
• A diagram of all HeatMap Theme widget positions in the HeatMap Theme options page, linking directly to the user guide for widget positions (where you can find a larger diagram).
• RSS images are now TRANSPARENT gifs – when surfing the web looking at what people are doing with their HeatMap Theme installations we noticed that people were having trouble matching the colours of the RSS images to their custom backgrounds for the cat-bar, so we’ve changed them to transparent gifs so you can avoid that colour matching headache.
• Direct links to the Authors of each post have been removed – Why? I was uneasy about the  implications of using the_author_posts_link() to return the author of each article as it reveals the username of the author (a feature of WordPress that I think needs to change). Don’t worry; if you do like things that way -  you can just uncomment the relevant code and all will be as before

HeatMap Theme Drop Down Menus (soon!)

You asked for it and its nearly ready… (patience young Jedi, patience)

Yes HeatMap Theme now has its own drop down menus plugin.

It provides a really neat drop down menu for both pages and categories, with a rather fetching slight transparency to it.

It plugs directly into the new 2.2 release of HeatMap Theme, but those who have modded their 2.1 HeatMap Themes directly (instead of using a Child Theme) need not despair. We will be providing instructions so you can easily slip in the plugin and get those lovely drop downs working.

Everyone who has bought the HeatMap Theme colour pack or donated $35 or more will recieve the new plugin as our complimentary gift to you.

“So”, we hear you say “when can I get my bloggin’ paws on this plugin?”

As soon as HeatMap Theme 2.2 rc2 becomes the official release, we’ll release the Drop Downs plugin at the same time, and we’ll combine it into the HeatMap Theme colour pack.

(**Update 5/9/09 … we’ve decided to make a just few more improvements to the new release of HeatMap Theme 2.2 so it will probably be about a week before its all good to go!)

There’s even more cool stuff coming down the pipe!

If you haven’t grabbed your HeatMap Theme colour pack then this is what you are missing out on:

• The colour pack of Child Themes makes the task of modding HeatMap Theme sooo much easier!
• When you have a question you can ask us and a real live expert person who knows heatmap theme inside and out will answer! (thus making things even easier)
• You’ll receive cool new Heatmap Theme goodies for the next 12 months without paying any extra!

Need more convincing? Check out the testimonials of HeatMap Theme users!

Now over to the store with you poste haste

HeatMap Theme 2.2 rc2 beta released

HeatMap Theme 2.2 rc2 has now been released. There were no problems reported with rc1 but before we make this one official, we decided to squeeze in an update which will allow HeatMap Theme to have an ‘extras plugin’. In the first instance the extras plugin will provide an additional drop down menus function. Install it, have a play and if you find any gremlins inhabiting this release then drop us a line. Use the installation instructions for the rc1 release.

Six new colours for HeatMap Theme!

You asked for it, and now, finally, the new child themes have touched down to earth in all their technicolour glory.

Yes, you can now escape from the ‘Classic Graphite’ HeatMap Theme look and style up your blog with the new HeatMap Child Theme Colour Pack.

The pack contains 6 new colours, Red Hot Chilli, Blue Deacon, Pinky Punky, Emerald Isle, Golden Brown and Purple People.

In addition there’s also a child theme version of the Classic Graphite original colour scheme for those who want to retain their monochrome style, but also want the added benefit of being able to tinker with a child theme instead of hacking the core code.

Plus, there’s also a ‘no graphics’ version called ‘Almost Naked’ for those who need a blank canvas to start from, or just simply have a need for speed.

That’s makes a total of 8 Child themes in one pack!

The HeatMap Theme colour pack is now in the HeatMap Theme Store for your purchasing pleasure for the almost too reasonable sum of $35.