Themes

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There are currently 20 different themes that are available through blogs.oregonstate.edu.  They are as follows:

Benevolence ● Bluebird ● Blue Zinfandel ● ChaoticSoul ● Connections ● Contempt ● Copyblogger ● Cutline ● Dark Tree ● Falling Dreams ● Fauna Beta ● Glorious Day ● MistyLook ● Ocean Mist ● OceanWide ● OSU Sport ● Quentin ● Rubric ● SeaShore ● Waterlilly

How to Change a Theme

To change your theme, just do the following:

  • From within your Dashboard, click on Appearance > Themes.
  • A selection of available themes will appear.  Click on the image of one that interests you.
  • A full-screen version of the selected theme will appear for closer review.
  • If you’d like to look at a different theme, just click on the X in the upper left corner.  If you want to enable the new theme, click on the Activate link in the upper right corner.

Some Things to Consider About Themes

Different themes, obviously, possess different features.  This is true both on the surface, as well as in the underlying programming structure.

For example, if the theme you choose has right sidebar navigation, this is not something that can be changed.  The colors, the menu font styles, pattern fills that are used in the background – these are all things that are part of the theme and also generally can’t be changed.

Additionally, if you happen to change your theme from one that, say, has two sidebars to a theme that only has one sidebar – any Widgets that you may have placed in the now non-existent sidebar will no longer have a place to reside.  These items will have to be re-added to your layout.

Special Theme Features

There are some themes that are quite flexible in terms of how you can change regions that are usually more “fixed” in nature.

For example, some themes will provide you with the capability to change a header image.  Others might possess certain built-in capabilities, such as a calendar or clock.

If a theme possesses any special configurable qualities, these items will show in the Appearance menu group.

Appearance

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The appearance of a site is affected by two things; the theme and the layout.

A theme regulates the “look and feel” of your site: the background colors, background images, font type, font color – even the space between lines of text can be controlled by a theme.

Layout is concerned with what Widgets are enabled and where they are placed on your blog.

You have a lot to say in terms of how your blog appears, so let’s see how these things can be customized to suit your needs.

Site Configuration

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Don’t be intimidated by the word “configuration”.  All it means is that you have the ability to actually change how your site is set up to suit your own personal needs.

The configuration side of things is something that a site Administrator is privy to.  If you are a blog owner, or if another blog owner has made you an Administrator on their site, you will have access to these configurable options.  If you are not an Administrator, you will not have access to these items.

There are many different things that can be configured on a WordPress blogsite:

  • Appearance: This relates to how the site “looks and feels” regarding themes, as well as how the site is laid out.
  • Plugins: These are add-on pieces of software which expand the functionality of WordPress.
  • Users: This is where all of the user management is performed, which includes adding new users to your site and editing their permission levels.
  • Tools: This includes different tools used in the import, export, and subscription base management of your blogsite.
  • Settings: This is where many different settings can be performed which affect the reading, writing, and commentary features on your site – amongst other things.

To learn more about the different configuration options, just click on the item of interest in the Categories menu item.

Media

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The Media menu group is where all uploaded media files are managed.

Clicking on the Media menu item will, by default, take you to the Library, where you can view and manage all of your media files.  On a new site, of course, the Library will have nothing in it.  File uploads can be performed here as well.

Please note that there is an upload limit of 1500Kb. If you try to upload a file larger than this, you will receive an error message.

Upload a Media File

To upload a media file, do the following:

  • From within your Dashboard, click on Media > Add New.
  • Click the Select Files button.
  • Browse to the desired file on your computer and then click the Open button.  The file will then be uploaded into your blogsite and display as a cropped thumbnail image.
  • Enter the following information:
    • Title: A title is required. This field will auto-fill with the name of your file, by default.  You may change this if desired.
    • Caption: This optional field performs two functions.  It shows as a caption underneath your image when the image is embedded into a Post or Page.  Additionally, it serves as the alternative text (also commonly known as the alt text) for an image.  This text is used by screen readers for the visually impaired.
    • Description: This optional field allows you to enter a text description of the image, which will appear as a tool tip when a user hovers a mouse over the embedded image.
    • File URL: This is the directory path where your image is stored.  Changing this is not advised as it could break the link to your image.
  • After all information has been entered, click the Save all changes button.

Filter Media Files

Since different types of media files can be uploaded into your Media Library, sorting through things can sometimes be a bit of a burden.  There’s an easy way to do it from your Media Library panel, though.

At the top of the media list are four links:

  • All: Clicking on this link will show all media files.
  • Images: Clicking on this link will show only image files.
  • Audio: Clicking on this link will show only audio files.
  • Unattached: Clicking on this will show only files that are not attached to any posts or pages on your blogsite.

Delete Media Files

Files can be deleted in a couple of ways, either one at a time, in groups, or all at once.

To Delete a Single Media File

  • Click on the check box next to the file you wish to delete.
  • From the Bulk Actions drop down box, select Delete.
  • Click the Apply button.

To Delete a Group of Media Files

  • Click on each check box next to each file you wish to delete.
  • From the Bulk Actions drop down box, select Delete.
  • Click the Apply button.

To Delete All Media Files

  • Click on the top check box, in the grey table header.  This will select all checkboxes.
  • From the Bulk Actions drop down box, select Delete.
  • Click the Apply button.

Note: Keep in mind that if you have media attached to posts or pages and you delete the files, they will not show on your post or page.