Modern version .9 is a classic and clean WordPress theme in a minimalist style, but its now nearly five years old and it needed some important updates before I could bring it live on my personal blog.
So without further delay, I present to you my 2010 update: Modern 2.0!
Download the Modern 2.0 WordPress Theme
Original Modern .9 Features:
- Fast and light
- Easy to use: well-structured css-file, no plug-ins required
- Page and Archive pages included
- Supports theme preview in WordPress 2.0 – 2.92
- Careful typography and use of white space – aka, it looks good!
Updated Modern 2.0 Features:
- Dynamic sidebars
- Dynamic homepage – Include static content above and/or below your latest posts
Installation Instructions:
Download the Modern 2.0 file, unzip it, and then upload the files to your /wp-content/themes/modern2/ directory. Alternatively, you can upload the zipped theme package and install it through your WP administration screen under “Add New Themes.”
Customizing Modern 2.0:
Once you’ve installed the theme, there’s still a little bit of work to do if you want to set up a home page with a combination of static content and the excerpts from your latest posts.
- Add a new page – this page will be static content above your latest posts.
- Set the page’s template to “Front.php” – the file is already included in the Modern 2.0 zip
- Write the page with the custom content you want to appear above your latest posts
- Save the new page, making a note of its Page ID #
- Insert the Page ID # in the Header.php file
In the header.php file, look for this line:
<?php wp_list_pages(‘include=1&depth=1&sort_column=ID&title_li=’); ?>
Where it says include=1, replace the number 1 with the number of your home page ID
- Finally, load up your theme editor and open the Front.php file. You’ll find the following lines toward the bottom of the file:
<h3>More static info</h3>
If you’re using a dynamic front page, you can add more static information to it beneath your latest posts. To edit this section, visit the front.php file in your themes template.
License
The Modern theme is licensed under the LGPL. It may be freely modified and copied as long as the license stays LGPL. I’m not even entirely sure what that means, so please don’t shoot me if my updates aren’t kosher.
Change Log
2005-12-17: Initial 0.9 beta-release.
2010-04-01: Version 2.0 beta-release.
Download the Modern 2.0 WordPress Theme
Disclaimer:
This theme has only been tested in the latest versions of WordPress and FireFox. You should really keep your files up to date, but I will be checking out compatibility in other browsers and making additional tweaks at some point. If you find any issues or need help getting the theme installed, please leave a comment. They discussions are moderated regularly so you might actually get some support here for the next year or two!
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