Winter Sale! Save up to 50% now.
By on February 28, 2017
Make 1.8.5 is out and includes several small updates. Here’s what’s we fixed:
By on February 16, 2017
Make and Make Plus 1.8.4 are here! It’s a big update full of small improvements. Here’s what’s new:
Make:
Make Plus:
By on January 20, 2017
It’s time for a new release! After a huge refactor of Make and Make Plus in 1.8, we’re now doubling down on features. Here’s what’s new in 1.8.3:
As always, be sure to update Make together with Make Plus.
By on January 10, 2017
Today we released version 1.8.2 of Make and Make Plus. Back in version 1.8 we refactored our builder backend code, and 1.8.2 we’re patching up several little issues reported by makers. Here’s what’s included:
By on May 4, 2016
Today we released Make and Make Plus 1.7. As we mentioned in the beta announcement, it has a lot of big changes under the hood. It also has some great new features! Let’s take a look:
Instant style previews in the Customizer
In 1.7, Make now takes greater advantage of the “postMessage” feature of the Customizer to instantly update the Preview Pane when modifying a style-related theme setting. This includes all Typography, Color, and Background Image settings, as well as many others. Waiting for the preview pane to reload after every font size increment is now a thing of the past!
New interface for managing social icons
In previous versions of Make, you could choose to add icons for your social profiles via a simple form in the Customizer, or as a custom menu. The form was easy to use, but only a limited number of icons were available. The custom menu could accommodate a greater variety of icons, and had more flexibility, but it was not very intuitive to use. With Make 1.7, the two methods have been consolidated into one interface within the Customizer. Paste your social profile URL into the field and watch the icon appear instantly. Drag and drop the icons into any order you want. And with the Social Icons API, you can add even more icons to the list of 53 that are currently available.
Color and typography settings for buttons
Now you can customize the colors and fonts of built-in buttons (comment form, search) and Gravity Forms buttons from right in the Customizer.
One-click migration of theme settings from the parent to the child
Have you ever started a new Make site and gotten everything configured just the way you want it in the Customizer only to realize that there are a few more tweaks you need to make with a child theme? And then, when you activate the child theme, you realize that everything is back to the defaults in the Customizer, because WordPress treats it like an entirely separate theme? Well, we know from supporting our users that it happens a lot. Now when you have a child theme activated, there’s a new “Migrate Settings” entry in the Appearance menu where you can copy all those changes you made in the Customizer from the parent over to the child. Hallelujah!
Make Plus: Sticky headers
With this oft-requested feature, you can choose to have either just the Header Bar or the entire site header remain fixed at the top as you scroll down the page.
Make Plus: Improved Typekit interface
The process of entering your kit ID and loading the contents of your kit into the list of available fonts has been significantly streamlined. Simply paste your ID into the field, and it will instantly test the kit and indicate whether the fonts loaded successfully. Then just head over to any Font Family dropdown and your fonts will be there!
Make Plus: Improved interface for post and page layout settings
We heard from a lot of people that the interface with “the double checkboxes” was confusing at best, so we changed it to be more intuitive.
New users can download Make 1.7 today. Make Plus users — make sure you’ve authorized your plugin to get one-click updates in your WordPress dashboard.
By on April 8, 2016
You can make a pretty good case that an engaged community ultimately forms the basis of any healthy business. At The Theme Foundry, we have several levels of community. We have our premium support forums here, where we give help and think through solutions with our users. We have our community support forums that we maintain on WordPress.org — which anyone can access to get help with Make. And we have specialized communities — like our Slack channel for Make Plus Professional members.
For the most part, due to the sensitive nature of the topics posted in our forums, we’ve chosen to keep our communities closed. Our members overwhelmingly prefer this for privacy and security reasons. Our Slack communities are more akin to “masterminds” and we try to foster collaboration and share in one another’s successes. So far, we’ve chosen to embrace the closed model for our communities, but lately, we’ve also been considering a more open community for Make users to jam on their site ideas and needs.
In last week’s episode of #CMGRHangout, I had the opportunity to chat with other community managers on the subject of open vs. closed communities. Watch the replay here:
And catch up on the Twitter feed from the show on Storify.
Do you maintain an online community for your business? How do you feel about the open vs. closed model?
By on March 30, 2016
Make 1.7 is now in beta! This release has a lot of big under-the-hood changes, and we need your help with testing so we can make sure the update is as seamless as possible. Especially if you are using a child theme that makes any customizations involving PHP, we need your feedback!
As they say with WordPress core betas, this software is still in development, so we don’t recommend you run it on a production site.
The beta of the Make theme is available here.
The beta of the Make Plus plugin is available to Make Plus license holders. Find it in the Downloads section of your account.
Update: Make & Make Plus 1.7 have been released!
If you think you’ve found a bug, please create an issue on the Make GitHub repo, or send an email to [ttf_email]support@thethemefoundry.com[/ttf_email] and note that you’re testing the beta.
The focus of this release was improvements to theme settings and how they are presented in the Customizer.
Here’s a rundown of the front end and admin changes in Make 1.7:
And in Make Plus 1.7:
The biggest changes are actually behind the scenes. As Make has continued to evolve and grow in popularity, we’ve realized that we need to be more strategic in how we maintain code and build out new features.
When we first built Make, most of the functionality was implemented the same way you see a lot of things in WordPress core: lots of procedural, global functions. This strategy keeps the code easy to follow and familiar to those who develop themes and plugins for WordPress. However, it also tends to lead to a couple of common coding pitfalls:
What we’ve done in Make 1.7 is deprecate a lot of these global functions and encapsulate related functionality into “module” classes (Note, though, that we aren’t using namespaces, so Make is still compatible with the same minimum version of PHP as WordPress). This allows us to have smaller, more abstract functions that are kept to their intended scope, which makes our code DRYer, more flexible, and easier to test. This in turn lays a robust foundation for future enhancements to the theme and plugin.
The other thing we did when we first built Make was to make nearly all of the functions in the theme “pluggable”. This allows child themes and plugins to override an entire function by defining it before it gets defined in the theme. WordPress core also has pluggable functions, although it is no longer considered a best practice and they are no longer being added.
These pluggable functions in Make can cause problems, because they limit the effectiveness of improvements and iteration of the code. If a child theme overrides a function, we can no longer be sure that the function will return the expected value. If we change the logic within the parent function, the child theme’s version may still be using some or all of the outdated logic.
Many of Make’s pluggable functions are now deprecated in 1.7. In some cases we’ve added new action/filter hooks to maintain customizability.
A full list of deprecated functions is included at the end of this post.
WordPress has a class for handling errors, but it doesn’t have a very good way of surfacing these errors. Since Make 1.7 deprecates a lot of code, we needed a way to display the deprecation notices that would get the site administrator’s attention without disrupting or breaking the layout of the site for visitors.
What we came up with is a notification in the Admin Bar that only displays for logged in users who have the capability to install/change themes.
Click on the notification, and an overlay will appear that displays the Make error messages and a backtrace to the location of the error in the code, when possible.
These notifications can also be turned off via a filter, but it is more advisable to fix the errors instead. 😉
Moving to a modular architecture gave us the opportunity to expand the theme’s APIs to improve developers’ abilities to go further with their Make sites. We haven’t completed the documentation for these APIs yet, but here are a few example uses:
The following functions are deprecated. They will trigger a Make error if used or overridden in a child theme. If there is a direct replacement for the function, it will be called instead.
The following hooks are deprecated, but will continue to work without disruption. They will still trigger a Make error, however, so their use should be discontinued.
Update: Some of the hooks that were previously listed under “no longer used” have been moved up to the “continue to work” list.
The following hooks are no longer used in the code. They will trigger a Make error, and functions added to the hooks will no longer be called.
By on March 29, 2016
If you’re ever interested in the pain points associated with WordPress, you should ask someone in the trenches of providing technical or customer support. We’ve heard it all, over and over again. One recurring theme I’ve noted since my tenure in the support forums is this: users are afraid of installing plugins.
The original tickets are usually about some feature they need on their website. I’ll pick a common example we’ve dealt with — a mailing list subscription form. A user, we’ll call her Jane — asks her theme authors, “How do I add a mailing list subscription form to my website?” and we explain, “The theme doesn’t include this kind of functionality. But you can install a plugin to do this for you.”
Jane balks, “I’m trying to avoid plugins.”
***
I’m sure the first time Jane installed WordPress, she was giddy with power. She instantly sought out a new theme to change the look and feel of the front page. Because the more modern-looking and featured themes on WordPress.org are typically well-maintained, this experience likely went pretty well for her. Change theme = success.
Next, Jane learns about plugins. Understanding that plugins add all kinds of cool things, Jane searches for a social sharing plugin. “This plugin hasn’t been updated in two years…” Well, it’s here in the search! “This plugin hasn’t been tested with your version of WordPress.” What does that even mean? Install, activate. Best case scenario? Sidebars look wonky. Worst is the white screen. What kind of experience has Jane had now? Plugins = things breaking.
Then something magical happens. Jane notices a theme that includes social sharing functions. A lightbulb goes off in her head. It will just work, and that’s all that matters to her.
***
It turns out, the WordPress plugin directory is not the greatest resource for people seeking out well-maintained plugins. Developers might initially have altruistic intentions when they added their plugin, but it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by the demands of support and maintenance, so abandoned plugins abound. It’s one thing for WordPress folks to understand this is essentially a volunteer gig — but it’s not easily communicated to the other sixty million users out there who expect things to just work by virtue of it being listed on the website.
On the other hand, there are also so many brilliant and useful plugins out there — built by passionate, professional, and generous community members. It’s just harder for new WordPressers to sort those out in the search results.
We shouldn’t be avoiding plugins at all. In fact, I wholly advocate going plugin crazy. Just be smarter and more responsible about it. Look for plugins that have been updated in the last year (at least!). Check out the developer’s other work and suss out whether they’re valued members of the community. And…
Most of all, I think we all should be writing useful and insightful reviews for the plugins we’re using — when they work well, and when they don’t. Keep in mind that a review is not the appropriate place to request support. If something is broken, it’s really important to open a thread on the appropriate support forum — even if you end up moving on and using a different plugin.
If the WordPress community would be better about those two items, users would have an easier time sorting through the results for well-supported and updated plugins. I recently went through my own website plugin list and left a review of each one I’d activated and used. I even wrote a review for one I activated and liked, but ended up going with another I liked better. I explained the feature difference in my review, and I hope it’s useful to the next person whose looking for a fancy Instagram integration. ?
Here’s a template you can use for your own plugin reviews:
I installed[plugin name] on my blog/business site/portfolio.
The plugin has these features which I really like:
I wish these features could be improved upon:
These features didn’t work for me, even after I tried to get support in the forum:
Overall I would recommend/not recommend this plugin if you’re trying to accomplish __________.
***
I get that reviews and open threads in the WordPress.org forums alone won’t solve the problem of abandoned or poorly coded plugins. I know that we’ll still see unfortunate conflicts between plugins and themes. But I think as a community, we could do a lot better about flagging what we notice. Who knows, your review or your open ticket just may save some new WordPresser from the panic that goes along with their very first white screen of death. It could even save someone from getting so frustrated with WordPress that they jump ship altogether.
By on January 7, 2016
Maira Martins is a Brazillian photographer living in Stockholm, Sweden. She specializes in wedding and portrait photography, defining her style as natural, honest and emotional. On her about page, she explains, “I don’t want to be yet another photographer, shooting yet another wedding… that’s just boring. I am looking for meaningful stories and evocative images.”
Martins recently redesigned her website using Make, and despite not having a background in development or design, managed to capture both her style and purpose with effortless perfection. Her website and blog are full of small touches that convey her personality and philosophy to potential clients.
“I am totally in love with what I crafted for my business using Make,” Martins told us. “I have used other [themes and frameworks] before but was tired of them being so heavy, you know? Everything takes hundreds of clicks to achieve and the website was slow.”
Part of what makes Martins website so wonderful is how she’s leveraged different aspects of the page builder, along with the content features of Make and Make Plus. Martins explains, “I upgraded to Make Plus because I wanted the Post List section, but I ended up finding lots of other things I love and had no idea I needed!”
Her homepage and portfolio galleries use the Posts List section, along with different taxonomy tags to filter her favorite posts and categorize the types of photography she specializes in. She brilliantly uses the Gallery Slider on her photobooth page, and she makes liberal use of the Format Builder. “The Icons! I love them! I’m always using the hearts on my blog posts and have little diamonds on my pricing list”
Using Make and Make Plus, Martins also plans for expanding the current site. “One thing I’m planning to do is to create a one page ‘mini site’ with info about my commercial and editorial work! It will be just a page on my normal site, but I’m planning to try some Parallax and use the Banner, Columns, and Posts Lists sections. I have already drafted on paper how I want this page to be and it shouldn’t take me more than 3 minutes to create it with Make Plus.”
Martins enthusiasm for Make and Make Plus lies in its ease of use and efficiency. “I think Make is brilliant! First off, it’s easy to use. Anybody can customize a website and actually understand what they are doing. Secondly, I discovered there is something liberating about Make’s minimalism. I love that I don’t need to struggle with millions of options. All the options are actually linked to my own creativity.” Not only has the redesign impacted the way she showcases her work, it’s also rekindled her love of blogging.
“The simple but powerful approach of Make has taken me off that bad habit of constantly tweaking my website instead of writing. I now blog more often, because I’m finally free to focus on my content! And my wedding inquiries kinda doubled now that my website is looking amaaazing!”
If you’re looking for a photographer in Europe, check out Maira Martin’s services or follow her on Instagram.
How do you use Make? If you’d like to be featured on our blog or in our #iusemake showcase, reach out via email, Facebook, or Twitter.
By on December 21, 2015
Since I’m the community manager at The Theme Foundry and I can get to Philly in just a few hours and on one tank of gas, it made sense for me to attend the inaugural WordCamp event earlier this month.
If we’ve met in person, you know I’m pretty introverted. Conferences, and especially high-energy conferences, can take their toll. So instead of writing another standard #wcus recap, because I’m sure you’ve read a million of them by now (Learn Javascript, Deeply, right?), I’d like to offer some insight on how to find connection and value at WordCamp when you’re a hopeless introvert.
The view from my Instagram at #WCUS. That’s a lot of WordCampers!
While I’ve been involved with WordPress on the ancillary (as a writer, blogger, user, etc.) for years, I’m newer to the WordCamp scene. It’s awkward to go to an event alone and not know anyone though! What I’ve discovered about WordCamps in particular, is that there are always a few people there who actually make a concerted effort to notice those loners and reach out. Inspired by those connections I’ve made, I’ve decided to make a special effort in 2016 to introduce myself to anyone who seems to be struggling to find their footing at WordCamps.
So if you find yourself at a WordCamp I happen to be at, and you look lonely and lost, I’m going to find you. And I’m going to introduce you to that one person I know who knows everyone else.
While at WordCamp US I attended a handful of really fabulous talks — and missed more than a handful because I was having fabulous conversations with other folks in the hall, dining room, and around town.
Just a few of the amazing talks I watched included:
What I learned when my blog post went viral – With humor and humility, Happiness Engineer and comedy writer Dennis Hong shared the pitfalls and rewards of accidentally creating viral content.
Open Source and Museums – My inner super-nerd was fascinated by the challenges Mel Choyce and Courtney OCallaghan overcame by embracing open-source culture, technology, and practices when faced with the task of digitizing the Freer and Sackler Galleries entire collection.
Teaching the next generation of WordPress bloggers and hackers – Charlie Reisinger shared an amazing talk about how he and his IT department at Penn Manor School District in Pennsylvania gave students a voice and a platform by choosing WordPress and other open-source technology. The results were nothing short of inspiring.
All the talks that I missed were recorded anyway, and I was able to catch up later (I’m still catching up). I get the FOMO that introverts sometimes struggle with — especially if you just need a quiet break. But it doesn’t have to be that way at WordCamp. While it’s awesome to support the amazing speakers who are innovating in WordPress, you shouldn’t pressure yourself to do ALL the things.
I tried to personally thank the speakers of all the talks I watched, though I missed a few. I also made sure to reach out to WordPress community members that I’ve interacted with on Twitter, in Slack, etc. People go to WordCamp to network, after all. I’ve learned through experience that a simple hello at a WordCamp can lead to business ideas, partnerships, brainstorming sessions, and professional development. Introducing yourself to strangers is hard! Make it easier by just saying, “I saw your talk and thought it was great! Thanks so much for that!”
Sometimes reaching out and making friends leads to wacky misadventures. Like walking six miles across Philadelphia at night, experiencing falafel fail, and crashing sponsor after parties with fellow geeky developers (you know who you are! Let’s do it again next year!).
Omg #wcus after party with @Josh412 and @melissajohill. It's been epic. Thanks @wpengine! pic.twitter.com/U06JnEYzp9
— Postmatic (@GoPostmatic) December 5, 2015
My advice: wear comfortable shoes.
Almost every time I introduced myself as a member of The Theme Foundry team, I heard, “Oh! You guys built Make! I love that theme!” Which was super encouraging and exciting. The fact that The Theme Foundry is now synonymous with Make means we’re doing our jobs here. I’m going to work on getting more Makers at WordCamps and meetups in 2016 and if you end up going, I hope you’ll find me and say hello!
One of the differences between WordCamp US and the smaller WordCamps I’ve attended is how busy and crowded the sponsor hallway was. The sponsors really came all out, showing off their enthusiasm and knowledge of WordPress and really engaging the community. I learned a ton — especially about hosting, security, and the Automattic suite of products.
The swag haul alone could have filled another bag and I came home with nearly an entire wardrobe — shirts, hats, socks, and gloves. I’d like to challenge the 2016 sponsors to print up pants of some variety — leggings (my vote!) or sweats? — so I can be fully clothed in swag when I leave.
Notable promotions included the SiteGround Christmas socks and GoDaddy Pro commemorative coins that Michelle Schulp designed. I happened to pull a special black coin from the bag — for which I was rewarded a new Blue Yeti Microphone (was hoping to snag a GoPro to attach to my motorcycle! I’ll console myself by starting a podcast).
https://twitter.com/melissajohill/status/673213234380472320
And finally, I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying myself. It’s always difficult for me to venture outside my bubble. One reason I love our distributed team is that I don’t have to interact with the outside world. While the idea of attending a conference with a thousand other people, in a city I don’t know very well is scary, I was surprised by how quickly it is to find a rich and diverse community at WordCamp.
Tickets for WCUS 2016 are already available. Will I see you next year?
