Josh Benson

As far as templates go, I have ‘default’, ‘page with left columns’, ‘page with right columns’ and one I’m working on called ‘blog layout’.

The following files are in my theme:

404.php
author.php
blog_layout.php (the one I’m creating)
comments.php
footer.php
functions.php
header.php
home.php
index.php
loop.php
page-with-left-columns.php
page-with-right-columns.php
page-with-two-columns.php
page.php
searchform.php
sidebar-footer.php
sidebar.php
single.php
taxonomy-categories.php

The problem I face now is assigning the blog layout in the widget without making it a column style. It seems the only option I have to select my blog posts is when I use the MY-POST CYCLE widget and click BLOG on the dropdown and assign it to the BLOG page. But so far, it’s better than nothing.

Thanks.

CHIP!

Solved it. HEADACHE…but I figured out a new template, added it to the widgets and connected it. Now I can can stylize what I need. It think that does it. Click on Blog and you’ll see what I’m getting.

Thanks so much for your help!

JB

Chip:

Forgive me as i’m a beginner with PHP. I’m understanding somewhat what you’re saying.

Here’s what happens. You’ll notice on the main page it has a header menu, a JQuery Nivo Slider showing the images, and the only content on that home page is three columns created by a custom post type in the template. If I go to READING and set it to ‘your latest posts’ – any new posts will NOT post to the home page. If I go to READING and select ‘a static page’, I can select any of the pages I created. Then we’ll see the same slider and the ‘pages’ content below that. If then I select ‘post page:’ BLOG, I’ll go and click on my Blog tab and I’ll see a replica of the home page. The slider, and the same custom post type 3-column content I mentioned. The only way to truly get to any of the actual POSTS I want from the basic blog posts you enter has to deal with CATEGORIES and how the widgets direct them. It’s frustrating because I’m trying to jump to letter E without understanding ABCD. (:

This is the current home.php file:

<?php get_header(); ?>
	<section>
		<article class="columns-over">
			<aside class="testi columns-over">
				<div class="container">
					<div class="wrapper">
						<?php if ( ! dynamic_sidebar( 'Sidebar 1' ) ) : ?><!-- Wigitized Request --><?php endif ?>
					</div>
				</div>
			</aside>

		</article>
	</section><!-- #content-->
<?php get_footer(); ?>

Obviously not much in there. All I want to do is create a PAGE called BLOG and direct any posts that the client enters to that page – leaving the home page static and the way it is. I just am having a hard time wrapping my head around how the widgets and plugins may be affecting the posts with categories, etc. Does any of this make sense? Thanks again for you help.

If you go to the BLOG tab now, all it is is a PAGE called blog. Any ideas? Sorry for the lack of PHP knowledge. It’s a work in progress.

Hi Chip:

That’s exactly right. I just want the main page to be as is, but the when the blog tab is clicked, it shows a regular blog format like you’d find on all wordpress blogs.

Under READING when I set static page to nothing and posts to BLOG, I get the current main page, plus the blog entries on the BLOG page. It’s strange.

I’d just like a way to set a custom menu item named BLOG to pull all of the master blog posts to it’s page.

What’s throwing me a bit off, is that this template using a bunch of widgets like Custom Post Types, Widget Logic and WP-Paginate, so I don’t know if they would confuse what I’m doing. I’m sure they are.

Thanks for your help.
JB