Lumen Reborn is here…

Posted on July 27th, 2009 under Design, Paintbits

… or part of it! Well, most of the theme is done now. There is still a lot of areas to work on but I guess that can be done in small stages. It’s the sidebar and footer that needs most of the work, but the rest is pretty usable I would say. :)

lumen reborn theme preview

I decided to release it before completely finished because I’m so tired of this temporary theme. I like dark themes but this one is a bit too black for my taste. :)

The Theme

Basically what you see is what you get (and I will get into more detail when I finish it, though I don’t think it will ever be finished, I’m one of those persons that keep tweaking stuff), but I can give a few more details on the work done so far (and I promise a more extensive post on sources and useful link to develop a theme from scratch).

I’ve tried to use as few images and icons as I could, I wanted a clean, fast and uncluttered theme, I think I kinda achieved that. Being a dark theme that felt like an upgrade from the last one was another goal, again I think that was also accomplished.

Some Details…

There is still a lot of stuff to do (you’ll find a lot of broken pages, like the showcase, tutorials, etc…), archives don’t quite work yet, search isn’t implemented, footer is empty yet, sidebar widgets still an ongoing process, but there are some functionalities we can see already.

Lumen Preview

For instance, the header features a nice breadcrumb menu. I always thought I missed it and I think it makes an essential navigation element for a streamline browsing experience. The main navigation menu features a nice lavalamp effect. Other interesting aspects of the theme can be seen for example on the automatic generation of a Related Posts list without the use of any plugin (same for the Popular Posts, the “widget” in the sidebar, so far the only one).

I can tell you that the part that gave me the most trouble was the comment section. I tought in doing the comments a la WordPress 2.7 style (that is, threaded, paged…) but I find threaded comments a bit combersume, so I decided to implement a system of Reply – Quote. This system isn’t working yet because I’m trying to program it instead of using an overkill plugin like WP-Comment Remix.

Overall, I’m liking the theme. I know I’m not trustworthy saying this, as I was the one doing it, but I do like the yet not final but close to it result.

Final thoughts

Remember, there is still a LOT of things broken. Pages not working, features not implemented so no need to report them since mosf ot them I am aware of. If you are into WordPress and blogging (most possible you are if you’re reading this) I really recommend if you have some time to read about wordpress theming, about CSS and XHTML (and a bit of PHP as a plus), its well worth it in the end.

Any advices or comments on the theme so far?

Tags: Design, Paintbits

Louis on July 27, 2009, 02:40

As I thought.. It’s really cool.
I like dark themes very much.

I don’t know if you are going to style the Name/Email/Comment textbox, but I think you should :P Just an idea ;)

Well.. I just have to say that, as always, your blog is awesome. :D

[ Reply ]
greven on July 27, 2009, 02:52

Thanks Louis, damn… you are fast!

Yes I’m going to try to style it… need to read on that. :p

But thanks Louis. By the way can’t access your blog in some time. You killed it? :)

[ Reply ]
Sutton on July 27, 2009, 04:57

Excellent!

My jaw dropped as soon as I saw it!
Well done sir, well done.

[ Reply ]
Filipe on July 27, 2009, 10:47

Ficou maravilhosamente belo!
Parabéns!

[ Reply ]
Louis on July 27, 2009, 13:34

@greven I visit your blog frequently, that’s the reason :P

Yes, I killed it… right now I’m working on my personal blog, but this time with no “(…)hasablog” in the domain. Because, if at some point I want to make something else, I don’t want to be limited. With “(…)hasablog” I was limited to do a blog. So, this time will be: “iamlouis” :D

I’m working on it, I’ll tell you when it’s ready :D

[ Reply ]
greven on July 27, 2009, 16:11

Thanks guys. :)

And, cool Louis, looking forward to see it. :) If you need any help just ask. :)

[ Reply ]
freedy on July 28, 2009, 20:27

I’m lovin it! :D

Very good work! Personaly I prefer this new version rather than the old one. I’m looking forward to see how this will be when finished!

[ Reply ]
edumicro on August 9, 2009, 23:25

Gostei bastante do resultado. :D Só falta o logo! :P

[ Reply ]
Delta Force on November 1, 2009, 00:10

When can we buy this theme?, best theme I have ever seen.

[ Reply ]
greven on November 1, 2009, 11:09

Hi Delta, thank you, that means much to me. :)

But it’s not for sale, it’s the theme I’ve made for this website, my personal blog. :)

I’m thinking in creating something similar maybe for a release. Will take a bit tho.

[ Reply ]
Ace on December 1, 2009, 12:09

I very like your theme ,may i develop it by myself and I will change a lot of things if you don’t matter?
thanks

[ Reply ]
greven on December 1, 2009, 19:08

Hey, Ace. What you do or don’t I can’t control. If you inspire your theme in mine is ok, of course mate. :) Copying it all is lame.

[ Reply ]
Frey on January 4, 2010, 11:37

Hi,

great job for this theme!
How can i use this theme on my web blog?
i love it and i hope sharing is possible!

bye

[ Reply ]
Eurico Leite on July 4, 2010, 22:11

This theme is just WOW. I love it! Any plans in releasing it for the normal guys like us? I would love to use it!

I recently found your blog and I’m amazed with your skill. :D

[ Reply ]

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