newsScape is improved and GD Products Center Pro styling added for custom colors styling too. Both airScape and lightScape includes several fixes and styling improvements and also improved maintenance mode template for GD Press Tools Pro. xScape Core and Framework include number of improvements and fixes, including updated gdr2 shared library. Some deprecated functions are replaced, banner display improved and some missing translation strings added.

Fixing small bugs for all themes continues, and the rest of the themes are getting updated this week. And next week, new xScape Theme Framework with xScape Core theme is coming.

Demo Site:
http://xscape.info/

If you are new on Dev4Press, Core theme is basically a child theme. Parent or main theme is called xScape Core. We are currently converting all our themes to new Core/Child theme versions. lightScape is next on the list, and is now available in this format. Old, standard theme version is no longer updated. Here is the info about Core conversion: http://www.dev4press.com/2011/tutorials/xscape-framework/xscape-core-themes/. It can happen that after update, some theme template layouts can’t be edited. In that case, you need to reset the layouts for the theme. This is very, very rare and I only have seen it once during tests, and it might not happen at all. If you notice any problems with templates for the theme, or bugs in display, please leave the comment here or in the forums.

In the next week, 3 remaining themes will be converted to Core versions, and with that there will be no more updates for old themes, only core editions will be updated and all new themes will be only core editions. But, more importantly, xScape Theme Framework 1.8 will be released by the end of this month bringing massive optimization for the framework loading and few other changes. There will be no new features, just a cleanup and optimization to start with further development in 2012.

All themes are updated for new version of the framework with additional styling and templates changes. Also, as announced before: baseScape, airScape and photoScape are at the end of development. They will still be upgradable with new framework versions, but I don’t plan any more changes to those themes. R8 and newsScape themes got new Core versions for use with xScape Core. More info on Core themes will be published in the next few days.

All updated themes will be released in the next 24 hours, including new Core versions for R8 and newsScape.

bbPress module: Forums

Module: bbPress

Most important new feature is bbPress module that brings full support to all themes for bbPress plugin powered forum. All plugin features are implemented and yet, you can still use full power of xScape template layouts. I will publish tutorials on how to set up everything for bbPress forum and xScape theme. It’s very easy, but its useful to have video showing how the process works.

Unlike default bbPress theme, this xScape module brings more power to the templates with different layouts for forum tables. More unique template features will be added with future updates to the module. Also, I intent to follow development of bbPress plugin and add support all important plugin changes.

Right now, xScape is the only framework with support for this great plugin and using it is made very, very easy with only couple of clicks. And, if you switch from one xScape theme to another, forum will work with theme and use its styles.

Scroller

Modules: Twitter & Side Scroller

Beside bbPress, two new modules are added. Twitter module for now has new Follow button allowing very detailed customization for it. Second module is for a floating block follows page scrolling on left or right side of the main page content. Its customizable and can hold different elements including social sharing buttons from Share This module or main share buttons. Both modules can be seen in action on this page (Twitter follow is at the bottom of this post).

Widget: Pages Navigator

My first WordPress widget I made years ago and it was called GD Pages Navigator. Plugin development stopped a while ago, and plugin is not working with new versions of WordPress. But, this widget is coming back, now as a part of xScape and soon as standalone plugin. Right now, its not yet full featured and has two page display layouts with more to come in the next few versions.

Social Networks Updates

Share This module is updated to support Side Scroller, code for Twitter and Facebook improved. Now, for Facebook link module will add images fond in the post. Twitter button has additional setting for follow option. Few minor bugs in the module are fixed. Share This module generated links will now work on all pages, not only single posts. Module ill grab title and URL of current page regardless of type: home, archive, all will work. For main theme features, Stumbeupon buttons are added.

Brand new Google feature called +1 is also directly implemented in xScape with 2 types of buttons, one big and other smaller for the share buttons block. You can see it in action on Dev4Press already.

Layout Settings

Layouts Manager

Layout manager is a bit changed and now it has a very useful new panel that can be used to override some theme settings for each layout.

Right now, only color scheme option is here and you can change color styles for each template, and you can get archives to use different color scheme from front page or single posts. More settings will be added with next versions of xScape. Don’t expect every setting here, but it will be interesting to see more override changes soon.

And more changes…

Google Web Fonts module got 50 more fonts to a total of 111. Theme admin access links are now added to admin bar (can be disabled through xScape Global Settings) under Appearance menu. xScape now also has built in support for styling the WordPress post editor. Themes will get own styles for this soon. Tracking code for Clicky Web Analytics is updated to use new code. xScape loading is improved and a bit faster, many core classes and functions are updated, JavaScript files improved and other minor bugs fixed. And, you can notice that theme has new location in the admin menu, now its moved just bellow Appearance menu where its more logical.

Promo Codes & Gifts

Over the weekend, number of videos and tutorials will be published, xScape.info website will be updated with all themes, and starting Monday, a full month campaign will be announced with promo codes and chances to win licenses for xScape themes. So, stay tuned for more info on that, it will be very interesting.

If you are using Dev4Press Updater plugin, you will be able to update themes with new framework, and also, you can download it from your account dashboard download page: http://www.dev4press.com/user/download/.

Test all themes, and try them with a free test drive, for both front end and back-end before deciding what is right for you. Free registration is disabled, so you need to send the request for the test account using the contact form.

Demo Loader: http://xscape.info/load/
Demo Home: http://xscape.info/

Module: Side Scroller

xScape 1.7 will have two new modules. One, is already mentioned bbPress plugin support (that one is currently in beta) and the second one is called Side Scroller. This module adds a floating box outside of the content area, that will move along with the page scrolling, and will always remain on top of the visible part of the screen. It can contain different things, it can have 3 different widths and will be styled by the theme. Share This module is changed to support this new module (as on the image), but also, xScape theme settings will allow adding major share buttons to this area and freeing some space in the content for the post.

Beside two modules, new framework will feature many minor changes and improvements, more fonts will be added to Google Web Fonts module, Clicky tracking code is updated… Also, few more changes are expected for the interface to complete the cycle of changes in the past couple of versions.

This framework version will also mark end of (development) life for three themes: baseScape, airScape and photoScape. Next week they will get full support for all new xScape features including bbPress and Side Scroller modules. They will still work with new versions of the framework, but if some framework features come along that require changes to the theme files, they will not support these themes.

But, as previously announced, new photo/media theme is in development, and it will be called Liquid. It’s expected some time in June. Also, another theme is in planning stages, it will be blog oriented with interesting layout.

airScape Login Styling

Both these themes have new xScape Theme Framework 1.5.5, and the rest of the themes can safely be updated with framework only by using updater or download it from your account panel on Dev4Press. New xScape updates many aspects of jQuery and jQueryUI use, and it will work fine with the new version of WP 3.1 that will have jQuery 1.4.4 that caused so many problems to xScape already. more info on that will follow tonight, as well as the release of framework for update for other themes (testing some things with other themes, just to be safe).

With these updates, all themes now support all xScape features added over the past months.

To see the theme and framework in action, visit the WordPress MultiSite powered demo website and get your own blog to see who the framework back-end works:

Demo Site:
http://xscape.info/

lightScape and airScape are updated again to fix the issue of missing top header ad space support in Ads Manager. Sorry about missing that yesterday.

baseScape and photoScape themes will be released in the next couple of days. Don’t try using new framework with those themes, it will break them, best is to way for the proper updates.

Promo coupon

Starting now, until the end of November 2010 you can get 40% discount for xScape Theme Club Membership (includes all current and future themes) and GD Affiliate Center plugin (both with yearly recurring payments only). For this discount you need to use coupon: XSCAPE15.

xScape Theme Club:
http://www.dev4press.com/themes/xscape/purchase/
GD Affiliate Center:
http://www.dev4press.com/plugins/gd-affiliate-center/editions/

And more

To see the theme and framework in action, visit the WordPress MultiSite powered demo website and get your own blog to see who the framework back-end works:

More Info:
http://www.dev4press.com/themes/newsscape/
Demo Site:
http://xscape.info/
eScape:
http://xscape.info/escape/

Many improvements and features added to xScape 1.5 included and few bugs that are now fixed. They include: broken initialization of meta elements, problem with overriding width for oEmbed elements, broken display of full code ads, some invalid names of groups on the Settings panel and problems with front layout caused by new Blueprint class.

All the other themes will be released in the next couple of days. Don’t try using new framework with those themes, it will break them, best is to way for the proper updates.

Promo coupon

Starting now, until the end of November 2010 you can get 40% discount for xScape Theme Club Membership (includes all current and future themes) and GD Affiliate Center plugin (both with yearly recurring payments only). For this discount you need to use coupon: XSCAPE15.

xScape Theme Club:
http://www.dev4press.com/themes/xscape/purchase/
GD Affiliate Center:
http://www.dev4press.com/plugins/gd-affiliate-center/editions/

And more

To see the theme and framework in action, visit the WordPress MultiSite powered demo website and get your own blog to see who the framework back-end works:

More Info:
http://www.dev4press.com/themes/newsscape/
Demo Site:
http://xscape.info/
newsScape:
http://xscape.info/newsscape/

xScape 1.4.5 is in works with one major new option, called Theme Upgrade. Theme will still be updatable only through Dev4Press Updater, but this new Upgrade panel will allow you to set folders and files you want to keep after upgrade. This way you can add templates or whole folders with code and after upgrade all will be safe.

To see themes and framework in action, visit the WordPress 3 MultiSite powered demo website and get your own blog to see who the framework back-end works:

Demo Site:
http://xscape.info/
lightScape:
http://xscape.info/lightscape/

Themes are updated, and reached new major numbers: baseScape 1.4, photoScape 1.3, eScape 1.1 and airScape 1.1. And for the most part, these themes are not going to change anymore. They will be updated with new frameworks from time to time, fixed if needed, but nothing new will be added to them. To avoid releasing new versions each time xScape is updated, xScape will be download-able separately, so you can only get the framework and upgrade the theme with it. I will also try to build that into Dev4Press Updater.

lightScape is now 2 sidebars theme. Also, it features many updates and fixes to styling, blueprint grid model, updated POT translation file. Next lightScape update will be to improve the slider and few other things. There is no ETA on the next version right now. For users that got developer license for this theme, I must apologize about being late with releasing the PSD sources for this theme. It will be released on Tuesday.

What’s next? Well, new module called Translate This is in works. Also, I am working on several new tutorials. First new tutorial is released yesterday: Adding custom page Templates. Work has resumed on newsScape theme and I hope that it will completed soon, but I can’t give any more info right now. And with new plugin to be released soon (GD Amazon Fusion), framework will have full support for it to display data for Amazon products.

Test all themes,and try them with a free test drive, for both front end and back end before deciding what is right for you:

Demo Loader: http://xscape.info/load/
Demo Home: http://xscape.info/

xScape 1.4.3 features new set of icons for ShareThis module, and also new widget. Facebook module is expanded with LikeBox widget allowing customization of page to like, and all settings supported by Facebook widget control. Rest of the themes will be updated in the next couple of days.

lightScape theme had some styling issues, problems with ad in the header and problems with displaying widgets with the front page layout template.

To see themes and framework in action, visit the WordPressMU powered demo website and get your own blog to see who the framework back-end works:

Demo Site:
http://xscape.info/
lightScape:
http://xscape.info/lightscape/
airScape:
http://xscape.info/airscape/

airScape

Theme has 6 preset color schemes, with more to come in the next versions, but you can set all colors from control panel and make your own unique look. Theme has support for two sidebars that can be resized and moved left or right or completely disabled depending on the template needs.

To see the theme features and read more about it check the main theme page:

airScape Info:
http://www.dev4press.com/themes/airscape/

airScape Screenshots:
http://www.dev4press.com/themes/airscape/screenshots/

To see the theme and framework in action, visit the WordPressMU powered demo website and get your own blog to see who the framework back-end works:

Demo Site:
http://xscape.info/

airScape:
http://xscape.info/airscape/

Google Buzz button is added to the buttons you can add to your posts. Layouts manager has a new Tools tab, and one tool for now for setting mirror template to all templates. Master template is now improved and allow using of layout as well as settings in both custom and mirror modes. There will be more changes here in next 1.4.1 release. There are also many improvements in the theme and blueprint classes allowing for more flexibility in working with page templates.

New theme airScape is completed, and will be released tonight. Demo is already live on xScape.info using latest version of the code.

Test all themes and try them with a free test drive, for both front end and back end:

airScape Demo: http://xscape.info/load/?theme=airscape
Demo Loader: http://xscape.info/load/
Demo Home: http://xscape.info/