Introducing the Base Hook Widgets plugin for WordPress

Base Hooks plugin for WordPress
Base Hook Widgets is a plugin for WordPress that adds nine new widgetized regions to the Base theme framework and Base child themes.  We created this plugin so users could utilize the various action hooks in the Base theme framework, without writing any PHP code at all.  Simply install the Base theme framework and this Base Hook Widgets plugin and you will have 13 areas where you can add widgets.  (A widget is a fancy word for tools or content that you can add, arrange, and remove from your WordPress site).

Why is this plugin useful, you ask?  Widgets can include things like:

  • Slideshows
  • Welcome Messages
  • About You
  • Social Icons
  • Videos
  • Client Testimonials

Here is the really, really good news:  We are building all of the widgets listed above as plugins that you can add to your site. Combine the Base theme, the Base Hook Widgets plugin and any one of the widgets listed above and you will have a seriously flexible theme design. Simply drag/drop any one of the widgets listed above into any one of the 13 available widgetized areas to build a custom theme in no time flat.  We will be releasing the plugins during the month of January, 2011.

Here are the various places that this plugin enables you to add widgets to:

  • Before Header
  • Header
  • After Header
  • Before Title
  • After Title
  • Before Sidebar
  • After Sidebar
  • Before Footer
  • After Footer

This plugin is free and can be downloaded from your member page here at Graph Paper Press.  If you don’t have an account, please sign up,  The Base theme framework is a paid theme and can also be downloaded from your member page if you have an active, paid account.

We would love to hear what widgets would be most useful for you.  Your comments will help us decide which widgets we build next.  So, speak up in the comments below!

Photo Galleria Plugin for WordPress

Update July 30, 2010

Photo Galleria was just updated to version .0.3.0 and includes some massive changes. Download now from WordPress.org plugin repository.

Photo Galleria is a simple, yet elegant, WordPress plugin for photographers and designers who want to beautify their WordPress photo galleries using an elegant jquery script. The Photo Galleria plugin synchronizes Galleria with WordPress’ built-in media manager. Simply upload photos as normal and the Photo Galleria plugin will create a photo gallery with fade-in and fade-out effects common on flash-based websites. All the transitions happen inline without having to navigate to multiple WordPress attachment pages. Pretty neat, eh?

Photo Galleria displays the thumbnail images that WordPress creates for you and displays the original, high resolution uploaded image. Both are constrained proportionally via css. You can control their display size via the two CSS files included with the plugin. By default, the thumbnails display at 125px by 125px square and the image displays at 950px wide. Virtually every aspect of the presentation of Photo Galleria can be controlled via CSS.

Example gallery

Photo Galleria demo

Resources

Download

Changelog

Version 0.2

Commit date: Nov. 8, 2009

  • Now works with latest jquery (1.3.2)
  • Uses enqueue_script
  • Compressed CSS
Version 0.1

Commit date: May. 31, 2008

  • Initial commit

Tested with Firefox (Mac & PC), Safari, Internet Explorer 7.