Every new WordPress website created on ACC’s WordPress network comes pre-installed with the ACC Default WordPress theme. The following sections outline the theme’s features and technical background.
If you are new to WordPress please review WordPress Training for Content Managers at ACC.
Built on the Skeleton WP Theme
The ACC Default WordPress theme is built using the Skeleton theme from SimpleThemes. Skeleton is a Responsive Web Design (RWD) theme based on the Skeleton boilerplate. Many of the features that are available to the Skeleton theme are carried over into the ACC Default WordPress theme.
Required Plugins
The ACC Default WordPress theme requires 3 plugins to function properly. These will be installed and activated when you receive your new website credentials:
If these plugins are not installed and enabled the theme will not look and function properly.
Base Theme Features
The following is a list of features that are carried over from the Skeleton base theme. Please refer to the base theme documentation on how to use these features. Please note not all features are listed here.
- Columns (up to 6!)
- Buttons
- Tabs
- Toggle Panels
- Callout Boxes
Base Theme Feature Examples
Columns
Tabs
- Tab 1 content
- Tab 2 content
- Tab 3 content
Toggle Panels
Callout Box
Post Settings
The default view of the ACC Default WordPress Theme will display a list of posts with a thumbnail and the post excerpt.
Featured Image
Examples of Featured Images
Users can add a “Featured Image” to the post when creating a new post. This image is what will be set as the thumbnail in this view. The system grabs a perfect square of the image form the center of the image going outward. If you’d like to make sure your featured image is set perfectly in this view, be sure to use a perfectly square image for your “Featured Image” image. There is no pixel dimension required for this as long as it’s 1:1 proportional. Example: 300px by 300px.
If a featured image is not set the ACC logo on a blue background will automatically be set as the featured image.
Featured Banner
The Featured Banner appears at the top of the post. Images that are used for featured banners must be 960px by 367px. The system will prompt users to crop and select an image to these dimensions when an image is selected. The system will make a copy of the cropped image and it to the Media Library.
Example of a Featured Banner
Tip: Upload a large image but reduce its file size first. Then use the Featured Image image cropper to set the Featured Image. Even if a user uploads and selects an image that is 960px by 367px, the system will still ask to crop the image.
Users can also add a caption to the Featured Banner if desired.
It is acceptable to use the same image as both the Featured Image and Featured Banner. Again, a copy of the image is made when it is cropped for use as a Featured Banner.
Page Settings
Featured Images and Featured Banners are both available for new pages, but Featured Images for pages are not displayed in the ACC Default WordPress theme in any default locations.
Both pages and posts can use any of the Base Theme Features outlined above.
Page Attributes
Templates
There are three templates that come with the ACC Default WordPress Theme.
Page Attributes – Templates
Default Template – This is the standard template that displays a content area and the menu areas with the ACC default look and feel. It does not have a widget area or any other special content areas.
Landing Page – This is a totally blank template. There are no widget areas and all preloaded theme features are removed. Avoid using this template unless you have contacted the ACC Webteam. It is used only on special occasions.
Show right sidebar widget – This template is the same as the Default Template except that it adds a right sidebar widget area that users can use to display widget content.
Menus
Pages have the ability to display two menus at a time in their default locations. In the full desktop view, one menu is at the top called “Primary Navigation” the other is located on the left hand side called “Secondary Navigation”.
The ACC Default WordPress Theme comes preloaded with 2 menus: Menu 1 and Menu 2. By default Menu 1 is assigned to the Primary Navigation Theme Location. Menu 2 is assigned to the Side Navigation Theme Location.
Manage Menu Locations
The Automatically add new top-level pages to this menu option has been specified for Menu 1 but it can be selected for Menu 2 or any other new menu that is created if desired.
Users can edit and reassign these menus as they see fit. Users can also create new menus to be used on different pages in different theme locations.
This is done using the “Select the menu for this page” area when editing a page. Using this overrides the default menu settings that are set in the main Menus area of the website. Users do not need to specify the location of each menu for each page unless they wish to override the default settings.
Select menus and assign them where to appear on a page-by-page basis if needed
Tip: Keep your Primary navigation consistent but use as many menus for the sidebar navigation as you need especially if your website has a very large number of pages.
Widgets
The ACC Default WordPress theme does not come with any other widgets other than the default WordPress widgets. Some plugins may add a widget to the available widgets list when activated.
By default, widgets are displayed on posts in the right sidebar known as the Pages Widget Area. Widgets are displayed on pages only when the Show right sidebar widget page template is used (see Page Attributes > Templates above). This is specified as the Pages Widget Area.
Posts and Pages Widgets
Widgets are added to posts and pages in the Widgets main area. Here settings and other specifications can be made. Please see An Overview of the Default WordPress Widgets.
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