When creating WordPress themes, one problem I’ve faced is using template tags and other functions which aren’t implemented in older versions of WordPress. Of course the best solution is for people to upgrade their version of WordPress, but you can’t exactly force people to do this. If you want to use new functions, but want to support people with older versions of WordPress, there’s something you can do. As an example, let’s look at wp_page_menu().
Almost every WordPress theme has a 404 template. Some are better than others, and a few are quite impressive, but on problem that pervades all of them is the fact that editing them requires opening finding and opening the correct template file. This is OK for people who know about HTML and PHP and are familiar with WordPress, but what about technically challenged people (like your Grandma)? They’re not likely to be able to edit a WordPress template, so they will be stuck with whatever you give them. If you create a good template, this may be sufficient, but there will still be people who want to change something.
Thankfully you can provide a much simpler solution for people who don’t want to edit your templates. With this solution, users can edit the 404 page contents just like it were any other page. Here’s how it works.
Having perhaps a little too much time on my hands today, I decided to make my Windows XP installation look like Ubuntu. Why bother with Windows XP at all? Well, I still need many windows applications for various classes I’m currently taking, but I like the Ubuntu interface better than the one provided with Windows XP, so making XP look like Ubuntu seemed like a good way to go. I’m actually quite pleased with what I was able to do, and I may stick with this configuration.
I’ve finally done some of the work on this WordPress template that I wanted to do. The graphics look clearer now, and are also a bit more optimized, taking less time to download.