Can anyone help me with a WordPress theme?

motdaugrnds · #1 09/13/13, 09:46 AM

I considered placing this in the "computer" forum; but it didn't seem to fit there either.

I know that WordPress forum is getting tired of me. I am so difficult to deal with because of my need for specific/concrete answers. Still I need some help I'm not getting there; so thought I'ld try here.

I have a BlueHost account (a primary domain and 4 sub-domains). The primary domain is working fine, albeit not at all professional looking. It is the sub-domains I am working now. Actually only one at a time.

I installed WordPress to each of the 4 sub-domains as I want one to be a store and the remaining 3 to be different types of blogs. (The different types of sub-domain blogs will be "Educational", "Inspirations", "Protections" & "Homesteading from scratch".) It is the "inspirations" sub-domain I've been struggling with.

I chose the WP theme of TwentyTwelve with only two columns. I wanted the left column for some text explaining that blog and the right column to be for hyperlinks to the blog pages (total of 2 blog pages) where posts could be created. (I do not want posts to be created on that "about" page.)

So, to start, I set up only two pages, one the static front page and one a blog page. I put only the title in the blog page and left the rest of it blank. It is the static page I've been working and having problems with. You can view it at http://inspirations.motdaugrnds.com

As you can see it has two hyperlinks above that picture. One of those takes the reader to the inspirational page on my primary motdaugrnds domain, which is what I want. The other, however, takes the reader nowhere but actually returns them to this same page which really is quite foolish. (I wanted a title above the picture; but I couldn't get it up there without it turning into another hyperlink which, again, would return the reader to this same page.)

As you can also see, this page has only one column now. (It use to have two and I have no idea what happened except that I'm sure it is my fault.) And there is a place to post at the bottom, which negates the need of my having any blog page.

Now, if anyone can help me please. This is what I've been trying to do:

1. Place a title above the picture at the top of this static front page that is not a hyperlink

2. Take that foolish hyperlink off at the top of the page

3. Remove the area at the bottom of this page where posting is permitted

4. Place a hyperlink to each of my 2 blog pages on the right side of this static front page. Heck I'ld even settle for a pull-down being at the top above the picture where that foolish hyperlink is.

Please know I've gone thru the WordPress tutorials and they have helped a lot. It is that, when I go to do something, that theme seems to have a mind of its own and turns what I've done into something else. Then I've had to try and find a way to work around what that theme did...thus I get messed up....if that makes any sense.......

Can anyone help?

mistletoad · #2 09/13/13, 11:47 AM

On Line 50 you have

Quote:

<li id="menu-item-30" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current-menu-item page_item page-item-13 current_page_item menu-item-30"><a href="http://inspirations.motdaugrnds.com/">Events that inspire ….</a></li>

Remove the parts I have marked in red.

On lines 82-90 you have

Quote:

<div id="comments" class="comments-area">

<div id="respond" class="comment-respond">
<h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply <small><a rel="nofollow" id="cancel-comment-reply-link" href="/#respond" style="display:none;">Cancel reply</a></small></h3>
<p class="must-log-in">You must be <a href="http://inspirations.motdaugrnds.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Finspirations.mo tdaugrnds.com%2F">logged in</a> to post a comment.</p> </div>

</div>

remove all of that.

motdaugrnds · #3 09/13/13, 09:29 PM

WOW mistletoad, that is excellent!

Now where on earth is all that coding to be found? (Seems the "themes" have it all hidden and I think that is what throws me into confusion.)

I actually got so frustrated today that I "uninstalled" WordPress from all four of those sub-domains and cleaned out the folders. I figured I just start over and try not to mess it up again. (Gonna look for that coding too.)

mistletoad · #4 09/15/13, 09:08 AM

Well now that you are starting from scratch again

1. Dashboard>Customize your site>Site Title and Tag Line - type in the title

2. I think you have that covered

3. Dashboard>Pages - under the sample page (or whatever you choose to rename it) select "quick edit" (this does not work with "edit") and deselect "allow comments"

4. Dashboard>Manage Widgets> - drag "Text" over to the right hand column (above "search" if that is where you want it). Put the link in the large box. You can leave the title box blank if you prefer. You can place both links in one "Text" widget or use one widget for each. You can also drag any widgets out of the right hand column that you do not want there.

This should work with any theme, but I have only tested it with twentytwelve so I hope you didn't change your theme

motdaugrnds · #5 09/15/13, 10:01 PM

Mistletoad, I sure appreciate your response. I have not even gone over to look at that sub-domain today as I just knew I was going to mess it up again and I didn't need the frustrations. However, your comments sound so simple that I think I will go over and, without actually adding anything, at least look at what you've brought to my attention. Then sometime tomorrow when I get up some nerve, I'll go over and get started.

Thanks again. I'm sure I'm making this harder than it actually is simply because of my need to understand the nuances of that theme, which would require me to know a great deal about coding than I do. I'll just have to TRUST ... oh dear that is even hard to type ... that the theme will actually turn out well when I put my own personal pictures and texts into it.