Backlight’s WordPress Add-on is now available! With the WordPress Add-on, convert your existing Backlight designs into WordPress themes in a few clicks.
The add-on can be purchased for $40 USD from the Backlight store page; find it under “Add-ons”. If upgrading from CE4 Theme for WordPress, or the CE4 Blog & Galleries Bundle, see below for discount information.
WordPress Add-on Overview
Once installed, using the WordPress Add-on is easy. In Backlight, you create a new theme template, basing your design on an existing page template. The page layout, masthead, navigation, etc. are all inherited from your page template. You then export the theme to your WordPress installation, log into your WordPress admin, and activate the theme like any other.
If using a two or three column page layout, you can add widgets to your tray columns. The main column will house your blog posts, pages, etc., as you might expect.
Updates made to your page template design will automatically carry over to your WordPress theme.
Those upgrading from CE4 Theme for WordPress should know that our support of the [gallery] shortcode is currently very basic, and does not include options for special presentations, such as using Photoswipe or Galleria. Such functionality will be added in updates to come. Galleria, in particular, still needs to be vetted for inclusion in Backlight. Once vetted, I’d like to add it to Theater, and then to WordPress.
Getting Started
Documentation is available, and thoroughly covers installation, setup and basic usage, but here’s the gist.
- Backlight 1.0.5 is required
- Please update to version 1.0.5 before installing the WordPress Add-on.
- Exported WordPress themes continue to utilize functions from Backlight core, so the Backlight requirement is constant; you cannot export a theme, then copy it to another website.
- Backlight 1.0.5 and WordPress should be installed at the same domain
- These cannot be in separate subdomains.
- Installation and Setup
- Copy the /module-wordpress folder into /backlight/modules.
- Visit Backlight’s Settings and provide the address of your WordPress installation.
- In your WordPress installation, ensure that /wp-content/themes is a writable location.
- Usage
- In Backlight, go to Designer => Templates.
- Create a new Theme Template.
- Select a page template to use as base, the same as you do when creating an album template.
- There are no other design options; everything is inherited from the page template. Click the Theme Template’s name in breadcrumbs or from its listing on the Templates page.
- Click “Export Theme” and the theme will be exported to WordPress.
- Log in to your WordPress admin; go to Appearance => Themes, then activate your new theme.
- That’s it. Start blogging!
Upgrading from CE4
Customers upgrading from CE4 Theme for WordPress are entitled to a $10 discount on the purchase of Backlight’s WordPress Add-on. Those updating from the CE4 Blog & Galleries Bundle are entitled to that same discount, plus a separate discount on Backlight or the Backlight + Pages bundle (many of you have already claimed and used this latter discount).
These discounts will remain valid through 2016.
To claim your discounts, look for a TXT file attached to your existing order. For CE4 orders placed before February 1, 2016, click here to lookup your order.
If you have questions, or if you purchased CE4 Theme for WordPress or the CE4 Blog & Galleries Bundle after February 1, 2016, you may contact me through our support page for assistance.