LightPattern, version 1.0

Introduction

LightPattern is a template for Textpattern CMS, designed by Zoltán Dragon. Visit the demo page at http://lightpattern.dragonweb.hu

Features

• very clean and simple design, with a stretch of flickr images right under the menu
• tiny AJAX implementation at the top: by clicking on the top left corner icon, an information sheet slides down with a list of links, categories, recent articles and recent comments
• uses del.icio.us bookmarks as a linkdump on the right in a sidebar format

Installation

The installation of LightPattern is very simple. All you need to do is to copy and paste the content of enclosed text files into the appropriate places. If you are a bit familiar with Textpattern already, just follow the steps below. If not, I recommend reading at least a couple of these wonderful introductory articles before proceeding with the installation.

1. Upload images

   Login to you account using an ftp client and upload all files that reside in "images" directory of the template package to "images" directory in your textpattern installation.

   If you don't have an FTP access to the website, you'll have to upload every image through the textpattern admin interface, in which case you'll need to watch out for the occassional changes in the file names.

2. Upload javascript folder

   You will find a folder named "js" that you need to copy to the root of your TXP installation. It will make the AJAX thing work.

3. Set up pages

   Every text file in the "pages" directory of the template package corresponds to a template page with the same name. Go to presentation -> pages in your Textpattern admin interface, then create (or replace) all appropriate pages, using the contents of that directory. (The extension "_page" at the end of the file names only tells you that the text file should be copied to one of the pages, but need not be retained.)

4. Set up forms

   Every text file in the "form" directory of the template package corresponds to a form with the same name. So go to presentation -> forms, then create (or replace) all appropriate forms. (The extension "_form" at the end of the file names only tells you that the text file should be copied to one of the pages, but need not be retained.)

5. Set up CSS

   Go to presentation -> styles, then replace the default stylesheet with the contents of "default.txt" file in "styles" directory.

   (If you were unable to access your Textpattern installation through FTP, rename every reference to image in the stylesheet according to filenames you've got after uploading images through the admin interface.)

6. Set up sections

   Go to presentation -> sections, create "archive" and "contact" pages. Set the following settings:

   • "about" section uses "static_page" page and "default" as style, all settings to no, except for search
   • "archive" section uses "archive" page and "archive" as style, all settings to no
   • "contact" page uses "static_page" page and "default" style, all settings to no

   Don't forget to save every section you adjust.

7. Install plugins

   Go to admin -> plugins, then install plugins by copying the content of each file in "plugins" directory into an appropriate field and clicking "install." You'll only have two plugins for the contact page - of course feel free to employ any other if you need.

8. Do a final bit of editing

   Go to presentation -> pages and edit the menu: you will need to do it for every page template you use. Also, if you want to change something in the AJAX slider section, you need to implement these changes on every template page to appear the same.

You've done it! Congratulations! Now your website should work fine, but be sure to check everything at this point. The final step would be to customize it a bit...