Platforms & Shopping Carts
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 20: Product Category Pages
Product category pages are extremely important in ecommerce site design since they often serve as the bridge between one section of the site and another. What's more, category pages are increasingly becoming the actual locale of the buying decisio...
WordPress Theme Development Part 3: Getting Started on Style
Cascading style sheets (CSS) are the web's presentation language, directing the web page's positioning, font and color specifics. This article is part of a series of tutorials demonstrating how to create a WordPress theme. In "Part 2", I demonstr...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 19: Updating Templates for Account Pages
There are two basic approaches to Magento theme development. First, a developer may start with a completely blank slate, write out the HTML markup, and then integrate the server side script within this framework. This is how I tend to create Word...
WordPress Theme Development Part 2: HTML Markup
Transferring a graphic design to HTML5 is simply a matter of trying to write — as semantic markup — what one sees. This article is the second in a series devoted to demonstrating how to create a WordPress theme. WordPress is one of the single mos...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 18: The Footer
In theme creation, the majority of design time is often spent building the home page since it frequently serves as the template or guide for the rest of the site. For the past several weeks, I have been demonstrating how to build a custom Magento...
WordPress Theme Development Part 1: Installation and Graphic Design
WordPress is a leading content management system capable of serving as the backbone for just about any sort of site project, including retail sites. What's more, WordPress has its roots in blogging, and can be an excellent choice for a business b...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 17: Finish the Content Slider
When a user clicks on site navigation, the expectation is that something is going to happen. For example, interacting with an icon on a content slider or carousel typically repositions the slides. That is precisely the behavior that I am going t...
Use Content Delivery Networks for Better Performance
Content delivery networks (CDNs) can significantly improve web page load times, providing users with a better and more reliable online experience. In an Internet CDN, web content is replicated across many servers strategically positioned around a...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 16: Synchronizing Slides and Icons
Developers must create user interfaces that are intuitive — behaving as users expect. In terms of content sliders or faders, it is normal to have a set of icons — often represented by a number inside of a colored square — that indicate which slid...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 15: Content Slider Icons
Numbered slide icons that allow users to move from one image or section of content to another are a common feature of content sliders and faders. In this article, I will demonstrate how to add slide icons — in the form of list items — to the page...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 14: Fading Transitions
Transitioning smoothly from one slide to the next is an important way to convey expertise with a content slider. In this tutorial series, I have been demonstrating how to build a custom Magento theme, using the Magento Community Edition version 1...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 13: Positioning Slides
Content sliders, movers, and faders are an important feature of modern site design. In this tutorial series, I have been demonstrating how to build a custom Magento theme, using the Magento Community Edition version 1.5.0.1. The theme I am workin...
Create a Custom Magento Theme Part 12: Beginning the JavaScript for the Content Slider
When you're including a content slider in your Magento project you have two basic options. You can use an existing carousel or slider, or you can code your own. Both solutions have their challenges. If you pick an already made slider or carousel,...
Create a Custom Magento Theme, Part 11: Preparing for the Content Slider
Content sliders are a good way to make a page more dynamic, fit more content into the available space, and give users something with which to interact. It's time for me to get started on the content slider for the ABN theme home page. I am not ye...
Create a Custom Magento Theme, Part 10: Clearing the Main Content Area
An online store's home page is in some ways analogous to a brick-and-mortar's large storefront windows. Both need to entice shoppers to come in. In the ecommerce world, a potential customer can enter a site on nearly any page. But this in no way ...
Create a Custom Magento Theme, Part 9: Background Rotation
Developing a Magento theme that fits your client's needs and expertise is important. In this tutorial series, I am demonstrating how to build a custom Magento theme, using the Magento Community Edition version 1.5.0.1. The theme I am working on, ...
23 Free, Open-Source Shopping Carts
Open source shopping carts can help ecommerce developers who have special client needs or require customized features. Here is a list of free, open source shopping cart platforms. If you know of other free, open source carts, please let us know...
Create a Custom Magento Theme, Part 8: More Search and Navigation
A significant portion of any design is devoted to tiny details that can make or break a project. Here in "Part 8" of this series, I am going to focus on some minor details with the search bar and secondary or account navigation. It is not glamoro...
Create a Custom Magento Theme, Part 7: More Header Work
The header portion of a Magento theme appears on every page and can be one of the most important aspects of the design. So don't be afraid to spend some time getting it right. I am seven installments into this Magento theme tutorial series and st...
Create a Custom Magento Theme, Part 6: Style and Position for Category Navigation
Because Magento uses the popular Model, View, Controller (MVC) structure, it is possible to create attractive custom or semi-custom themes using mostly CSS. In this installment of the "Create a Custom Magento Theme" tutorial series, I am going to...