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How to style Modularity Lite 1.3 by GraphPaperPress

Modularity Lite returns with version 1.3, this time boasting WordPress Menus and a dynamic slideshow option to keep us excited. You can even change colours and your background image. Making it your own was never easier. Here are my notes from when I created minor amendmends for Simon’s website SoundCredit.tv.

My original article on how to style this puppy goes back to version 1.1. With each update, the code has dramatically changed and therefore needs different tweaks. If you’re running an older version of Modularity Lite, check out my instructions for Version 1.2.

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Disk Space Pie Chart Plugin

I’ve written a Plugin that shows your free and used server space as a funky Pie Chart in your backend. It also shows a percentage bar in your WordPress dahsboard.

Following the success of my server space script for one of my clients, I thought it would be great to use it under WordPress. This Plugin was inspired by Richard who came to host with me after being on WordPress.com for some years. He really liked to keep track of how much space he has left to upload pictures and I was happy to take on this challenge.

Special thanks again to Rasmus Peters for his amazing PHP Pie Chart Script 😉

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Upgrading WordPress… FAILED!

We’ve all been there many times: a new WordPress Version comes out, you think you’re upgraded in under a minute, and then this message comes up to tell you that you’re not:

WordPress Upgrade Failed!

Bugger…

Let me talk you through the many many possibilities for this and what you can do to make this work after all…

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Why does WordPress ask for your FTP Details

So you’re upgrading a Plugin, a Theme or the WordPress Core. Thanks to the built-in upgrade function it’s a piece of cake for most of us. But have you noticed that on some installations WordPress will ask for your FTP credentials, while on others it doesn’t?

I certainly have, and I wondered how this could be explained. I have installations on the same server that behave differently, so it can’t be a server issue. It must have to do with the way WordPress was installed (Fantastico installs don’t ask for credentials, whereas manual installs do).

More to the point: how can we avoid this from happening? Let me share my findings with you 😉

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Adios IntenseDebate!

For those of you following comments on my sites via IntenseDebate, I’m sorry to say that I’ve decided not to use the system anymore. I used it here on WP Guru and over at versluis.com to provide an easier commenting experience for my readers and more comfortable back end features for myself.

Turns out it wasn’t all that good for either of us I guess. Let me explain.

Please be aware that you need to re-subscribe to topics if you still want to follow them via email.

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How to style AutoFocus by Allan Cole

One of my all time favourite themes is AutoFocus by Allan Cole – it’s a superb portfolio theme that lets your pictures to the talking. Great for sites that show off images.

I wanted to use it over at Cloud-TV but thought that a different colour scheme would better suit my pictures – so I took some notes on how to amend certain aspects of the theme. You may find these useful if you’d like to style the theme to your own needs.

Please note that at the time of writing AutoFocus is at Version 1.0.1 – it is likely to be the final standalone theme and it’s no longer under active development. These tweaks will NOT work for Autofocus Plus or Plus Pro.

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How to style Misty Look

The other day Richard moved his blog from WordPress.com over to The Guru Network – welcome Richard 😉

He was using Sadish Bala’s beautiful Misty Look Theme and wanted to stick with it. However, the self-hosted version doesn’t quite look like what he had on WordPress.com, so here are some code tweaks to adjust it.

Please note that at the time of writing, the latest Misty Look version is 3.8RC – there may be a newer version with different code available. Keep that in mind when you’re trying to apply these tweaks 😉

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How to style WP Affiliate Platform

I’ve recently done some research on Affiliate Programmes that integrate with WP Ecommerce.

I came across the excellent WP Affiliate Platform from Tips and Tricks HQ – it works beautifully and is very easy to setup. At only $39 it’s a steal – considering how much business it can generate for you. Thanks Ruhul!

I wanted to make the front end integrate with my original site – which is just like tweaking a WordPress Theme. Let me talk you through it in this article.

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