The Privateer WordPress ThemeThe Privateer is a WordPress theme based upon the excellent Atahualpa theme.
Requirements: WordPress v 2.7 or later
Current Version: The Privateer Theme 1.3
Core Features:Originally, The Privateer was simply an older version of Atahualpa with some modifications. In time, I rewrote it from the ground up to add in features I wanted, revise some things that didn't sit quite right with me, and remove functionality that I did not want.
Below you will find the primary features which set The Privateer apart from most other themes which I have run across. More features are added as I integrate new plugins into the theme ( to reduce overhead and page serving time ) and implement things that I need for my own sites.
Separation of Posts and PagesWordPress, by default, uses post and page objects. However, from a database standpoint they are the same object beyond the fact that different functionality is supported for each.
This confused me when I first started using wordpress and I have noted that it confuses others as well...so I split these two types of objects out as follows:
Pages, Templates, and PostsThe individual page types (WordPress Templates such as home, post, page, search, 404, etc. ) each have configuration menus to let one configure different settings for each type of page. Some of the settings include:
- Page kickers, titles, bylines, subtitles, summaries, and extra content sections
- How posts will be displayed on a particular type of page
- Whether or not to use custom displays
Additionally, posts ( Articles you create such as WordPress Posts and Pages ) have built in settings for subtitles, additional excerpts, and custom display options which can be configured individually.
For more information see the "
Separation of Posts and Pages" topic in the Tutorials forum.
Custom DisplaysCustom displays are basically built in templates for different page types which have configurable options in the privateer admin panel.
Multi and no page templates ( Home, Search Results, Archives, and 404 ) have individual options which depend on the particular custom display and apply to the page types in question. Additionally, if you enable more than one custom display for a particular page type then one of those enabled will be served at random during each page view.
The post and page templates ( Single Page and Single Post ) have options within the admin menus which can be used to set defaults for those posts/pages using them as well as to configure generic options that will apply to any post or page object which uses the display. They also have individualized options which are displayed for each post or page on your site.
See the
Custom Page Display topic in the Tutorials forum for more information on custom displays.
Flexible Sidebars and LayoutsRather than being a 1, 2, or 3 column display, the privateer offers the ability to place your sidebars where you want them and decide which types of pages will display particular sidebars.
For example, you could have two sidebars on one side, one on each side, use only one on the right or left, or use no sidebars at all. Additionally, you can choose to show or hide either sidebar based on the template type ( home, search, single page, etc. )
For more about sidebars and layouts see the
Sidebar Manipulation topic in the Tutorials forum.
Quick SetsQuick sets are like database backups, but only for theme settings.
You can use pre-installed or downloaded quicksets to get the general look you want with a single click, save your current look as a quick set in case you want to switch back at some point or forward it to someone else for use, etc.
For more about quicksets, see the
Quicksets at a Glance topic in the Tutorials forum.
Search Engine OptimizationThe Privateer Theme has some search engine optimization built in ( which can be disabled ) to provide:
- Template level seo options ( meta title, meta description, meta keywords, yahoo directory, open directory, and canonical settings )
- The ability to include tags, categories, titles, and subtitles in your meta keywords and/or use those you specify manually
- Post and Page level control of meta tags
- The ability to specify what kind of tags you want used for titles, subtitles, summaries, etc. as well as the ability to style them so that they look the way you want.
See the
Search Engine Optimization thread in the Tutorials forum for more information.
In depth admin menusThe Privateer has a lot of options...which provide a lot of extra flexibility but do require a little getting used to.
All Privateer specific options are listed in submenus under the Privateer menu added by the theme. Current submenus are as follows:
- The Manual Menu
- Global Settings ( for account and sitewide settings )
- General Display ( for styling and setting up the overall site look )
- HTML Entities ( for styling and setting up html tags and sidebars )
- Default Page ( for setting defaults for all template types )
- Archive Page ( to override defaults for all archives template types )
- Template Page Menus ( to override default and archive for particular templates )
For detailed information on the admin menus, see the
Privateer Admin Menu thread in the Tutorials forum.
Getting the Privateer ThemeCurrently, there are a couple of different options for getting the Privateer theme:
The Minimal VersionIf you are unsure as to whether or not you want the Privateer theme, this is a good option to try it out and see what you think. It comes with the following:
- The Privateer Theme ( current version )
- The Home Page custom display from the Boxlist-Postlist display set
- Owner access to these forums, which gives you the ability to post in the Help and Support, Feature Request, and General Discussion forums here
- The ability to upgrade to the full version by simply paying the difference in price between the two versions
- Access to the Owner forum here which is used to put up occasional extra freebies for those who have picked up the basic version as well as occasional discounts and special offers.
The Full VersionThe full version includes the following:
- The Privateer Theme ( current version )
- The full Boxlist-Postlist custom display set
- Owner access to these forums, which gives you the ability to post in the Help and Support, Feature Request, and General Discussion formus here
- Full Owner access to these forums which gives you access to not only post in the Help and Support, Feature Request, and General Discussion forums, but also to access the Owner and Full Owner forums where additional content and discounts are placed from time to time.
- Priority help and support
- Free upgrades to all future versions
If you pick up either version, please note that you can contact me within a months time and get a full refund for the theme, no questions asked ( well...I would like to know if there were particular things that you did not like about it...but I'll still refund your money anywise ).
If you like what you see, please support my efforts by picking up a copy:
