syncbox

personally, I find upgrading via Fantastico easy… (not using Bluehost, but another host with it). My hosting company (midphase or anhosting) backs up all files, including the db on upgrade AND provides a detailed list of files to revert, should anything go wrong.

That said, per ANY upgrade, simply copy all the files you’ve modified to your local machine… (I do this using Dreamweaver CS3). Typically, this would be the theme folder, plugins and potentially quicktags.js or other core WP files, if you’ve modified those (I often do).

I try to keep a text file of any non-theme/plugin files I modify for each WP project. It simplifies things tremendously.

The upgrade will not remove the database (at least where I host – I suspect the same for your host) but it never hurts to backup the database as well.

Better safe than sorry. When you’ve upgraded, check to see what, if anything, changed. If it did, upload the custom files. All should be well. As a test, I just upgraded from 2.1.3 to 2.2 for an out-of-date project (not using this anymore) and nothing needed to be saved or uploaded.

But again, that is midphase, not bluehost.

I just wanted to counter the negativity of Fantastico. I’ve NEVER had a single issue with it and I’ve just spent 2 days trying to deal with a host that said “sure, we can do WordPress” but who’ve failed to get it working properly DESPITE links to all the install instructions, etc I’ve supplied.

I insist on clients having hosting where Fantastico is installed. It makes my job easier.

My 2.

you really need to understand css and how to use it in combination with your markup (html) to be effective in this. I’d start with that – get a book about how to apply css to html tags and such.

you DON’T add img.left to the style sheet… you create a class in your style sheet

.left {
float:left;
/*whatever other properties and values you want*/
}

THEN, in the actual PAGE or POST you are writing in the admin pages, you insert an image, which means you are using the <img /> tag.

After that image is inserted, you modify the tag to add class=”left” inside it. It will automatically use the properties you’ve given to the class .left in the style sheet.

There’s a lot more to using CSS than that, though, so a better understanding of it would be really valuable to you.

I use both WP and DW a LOT.

I develop a design in DW, using xhtml and css (and js, etc as needed)…. when I have a design working, layout wise – css layout, that is – and I know it is x-browser compatible, I move on to WP development.

I set up the wp site, set up my template files, from header.php, etc to footer.php, etc, then put my xhtml/css markup in where needed.

No, you won’t see much in design view once you are working on the php files – sadly. If you want this (as I do) GET VOCAL WITH ADOBE! It’s been mentioned as a possible feature, but requests for such functionality (understanding basic WP functions, such as get_header(), etc) are what drives Adobe to improve the product.

There is a DW extension that adds a WP insert bar for wp functions (tagstention, just google it) that is useful.

To get vocal with Adobe, add your request via their bug submission form (http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform)

and state your case for wanting WordPress support in Dreamweaver. I have.

So, to summarize, DW works well to develop a layout (static) then in code view, to develop the php and ftp files as needed. I also use it to edit the db sql file if moving from one domain to another.

hth – and yes, looking at other themes is one way to do things, as is (very important) reading the codex documentation.

well, I have a cable connection in my home office and it took about 7 seconds to load the first page of your site. Is that too long for you?

That’s with Firefox 2x on Windows XP Pro sp2 on a p4 3.8 hyperthreading laptop with 1GB ram.

In IE6, about the same, maybe 1 more second or so.

doesn’t seem that slow to me.

HTH

Except that it isn’t just about colors of text or even containing blocks… there is the layout and the logic of the site.

That’s probably the most important reason why someone who takes a paid job to design a wp site needs to understand the markup, css and php end of things. If the designer doesn’t understand where to “put” the content (using php logic to conditionally show things, likely) then they find themselves frustrated by how wp will remove injected scripting or markup or whatever.

I do things either way – I take other designers’ ideas and translate to a working site AND/OR design the look/logic and translate that to a working site. I prefer the later only because many graphic site designers don’t understand how dynamic sites work and think it’s all about the pixels…

rather than logic, user interface, simplicity, SEO, the content from the visitor’s perspective, etc

Anyway, it’s an interesting topic. Getting back to the request for help, it’s all about trying to balance polite requests with helping yourself with the existing documentation and previous help supplied in this forum…

IMO.

Casey

Or, comment out the call to the sidebar.php file if everything in there is stuff you don’t want…
from:
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>

to:
<?php /*get_sidebar();*/ ?>

would eliminate the sidebar altogether.

HTH

Try not using the single quotes around the page number?

<?php
if (is_page(72))
{
    echo ('page id 72');
}
?>

<?php
if (is_page('content'))
{
    echo ('page named content');
}
?>

That’s the first thing I’d try… and then be sure you are getting to those pages, of course. When you are testing, what is the page url you are on?