CMS Modifications
For my final project i will be modifying Omeka with via a plugin, but that was outside the scope of this assignment. I will likely do CSS modifications to the final project, but for this assignment I chose to set up a blog (focused on testing history) and an e-commerce site. Both installations utilize wordpress as the CMS.
I modified a wordpress install located at Http://historytest.depressoboy.com. After installation, I applied a basic 2 column theme that reflected my interests. After installing the theme, I modified the Page.php, header.php, footer.php, single.php, and archive. php files.
In the page, single and archive.ph files I removed the calls to the sidebar. In the header file I added the archive page/tab. Finally, I moved the archive navigation into the footer.
Using CSS, I adjusted the content to display on the left and organized the navigation elements in the footer.
I opted to remove the sidebar to streamline the reading experience. I also wanted a rich(er) footer to aid in the navigation. I am having an issue in the CSS getting the elements in the footer to line up correctly, but I believe that is an issue with the way I have attempted to modify the theme using floats to order the elements as opposed to locking each element in a table.
Using photoshop, I modified the header graphic. I added some Japanese to the tag image. I modified the text to have it match the line in the image, resaved it as a jpeg and uploaded the modified file.
This is a basic modification of a wordpress theme that is mostly presentable for a weblog focused on presenting content with little to distract from the main content areas.
In a different wordpress installation, I set up a basic e-commerce site utilizing the Krafty Cart theme and 2 plugins provided by wordpress. Using Photoshop, I redid the navigation images. I replaced the clickable title with a clickable logo image, and replaced the background tile image. I removed the "blog" functions and front page where the posts would normally go. The theme provided a "products" page that is now the front page of the site.
With minimal modifications, I was able to set a functional e-commerce site in a short time frame.
In both cases, I was able to take the basic wordpress install and with some modification I have been able to present two sites for two different purposes.