Theming
DrupalCamp LA 2010: Want a custom theme?
I just gave a presentation at DrupalCamp LA 2010 about creating a custom theme. I wanted to post links to some resources.
Using Cufon
Dealing with web typography can be a disaster. Finding a font that fits the site, setting the font-family CSS property (and "fallback option/s"), then testing the rendering in different browsers.
Converting Drupal 5 Themes to Drupal 6
Drupal 7 is maturing and should have an official release before the end of this year. Once there is an official release support for Drupal 5 will stop. So if you have a Drupal 5 site and haven't upgraded now is the time to do it.
User Login Block, Drupal 6
While working on the Earthish theme, I wanted to theme the Drupal user login block. I did a quick Google search, but the results were not great. Many of the tutorials were about customizing the user form or customizing the login form on the user page.
Drupal Sub-themes (Not just for zen)
After reading a few posts in the Drupal forums I felt compelled to write this article to help people new to Drupal theming. Any Drupal theme can be a sub-theme and actually this is probably the preferred way of modifying a theme rather just modifying the HTML and CSS.
Creating a Drupal theme
Sometimes an existing Drupal theme just will not do. Or possibly you might have a designer that has PSD or InDesign file of exactly how you want your site to look. At this point you could try to find an existing theme that mostly works and just tear apart the CSS and HTML and customize it until you get the look you want.
CSS Specificity
CSS Specificity is one of those things that you might assume you already have a firm grasp of since you are able to write solid CSS. Yet, CSS specificity is pretty confusing. It takes a little bit of time to get used to, but is well worth the effort. Have you ever created a CSS rule and wondered why it didn't apply to an element even though you thought it would?
Linking author names in Movable Type
I just recently completed a project involving theming a Movable Type blog. Although I didn't install Movable type I know the install was a Movable Type Enterprise set up. What was also a bit unique was that whoever configured the install severely limited the functionality of the blog.
Submitting themes to Drupal
It's important to contribute to the Drupal project so that it continues to grow and improve. Yet, if you want to contribute you may face road blocks along the way: getting a CVS account, installing a CVS client, or just learning to use CVS and how it works with Drupal. After just committing the earthish theme, below are my tips for contributing themes to Drupal.org.
Top Drupal Themes
One of the major benefits of using Drupal is the separation between content and presentation. Meaning you can easily change the look and feel of a site without having to recreate all of its pages. Drupal's theme layer makes this whole process possible. And thanks to Drupal's active community, many pre-made themes are available to download.
