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August 8, 2008
I just want to shout out a huge GREAT JOB to everyone who has been sending me links to the stores they have successfully converted to a WordPress-BANS site. Aside from a few smaller issues with the BANS Template files, it seems that many of you are having great luck with your experience and I am happy to have helped bridge the gap we have longed for!
Build a Niche Store Template for WordPress
Along with this series of posts, I included a set of stripped down BANS Template files that can be used as a blank pallet to start your own conversions. I just wanted to run through them real quickly and explain how and WHY they are designed to work the way they do.
Before I get too far along, let me emphasize that the reason I put these templates together in this fashion is to keep the two separate applications, completely separate! NONE of the core BANS files and NONE of the core WordPress files were changed in making them work together! This means that when WP has an update or BANS has an update, the transition should go very smoothly!
You install WordPress just like you would normally, you install BANS just you would normally do! (Except maybe into a folder)
And Now… The Files (Download here)
inc-store-menu.php
The purpose of the inc-store-menu file is to allow your BANS menu to function outside of Build a Niche Store. It is placed in the root of your BANS folder, but can truly be anywhere in your file structure as long as you correct the path in top 5 lines of the file to their exact location. It is easiest to drop it in the root of BANS and you will have to make no additional changes!
BANS Header.php
This is a very stripped down version of your header file from BANS. The reason for it being so slim is that we want to use the code from the template in WordPress, not BANS, to wrap our eBay listings! As soon as you open the file, you can see that the most important elements of this file are contained in the <head> section. They point to BANS specific styles and meta information that we cannot get from our WP theme. As son as we have the <head> info out of the way, we go right out and grab the WordPress template code!
BANS Footer.php
Just like the header file, this file is used to call the associated code from our WP template to complete the wrapping of the site. Inside this file however, we call two include files.. a sidebar and a footer.
BANS Styles.css
The stylesheet we use for out integrated site has been pared down to the basics! In other words, a standard BANS style sheet has the code in place for your fonts, your body, your content, sidebars etc. Well, since we want to retain the look and feel of the WP template, I have stripped out any of the code that may conflict! The WP template already has all those tags in place for the site…
The style file may be one of those you have to experiment with a little. In particular, the search box code. You may find that your WP search box grows to 400 pixels wide on some themes. That’s because the code is replicated in both your WP and BANS theme file. Using the FireBug plugin will tell you exactly where to look in the style sheets to see if they contain the same references!
inc-bans-header.php
This is where we start getting into the meat and potatoes, so to speak! The inc-nas-header file contains identical code to your wordpress header file, but also adds the correct <divs> in place to display your BANS listings! At the end of it, it closes down just after the listings and where your sidebar will begin.
inc-bans-sidebar.php
The inc-bans-sidebar is needed because within the BANS menu system, it relies on certain elements that were passed from the categories, to show the menu structure you desire on your site. We all know you have three menu options, Open - Closed - Staggered. Using the inc-store-menu file mentioned above, only shows 2 of the three menu types, as staggered relies on additional database values in order to function.
The inc-bans-sidebar is used to display everything ABOVE where you want your menu to show… then we go back to BANS code for quick second to show the menu tree… then immediately, jump out of BANS and back to the wordpress code, which is called within the next file.
inc-bans-footer.php
This file is the anchor to your site! It closes everything back up and makes sure your site will display as intended from the WordPress template.
Why So Many Files?
I have been asked why we need these include files in the first place! Why cant we just call the same header, footer and sidebar files from BANS as wordpress? Honestly, You can… and it WILL work! As a matter of fact, I even developed a theme doing just that! The problem is… they wont work for everyone! Unless you are a good code person, you are not going to get it worked out on your own and it will not be a simple thing to make work with other sites, so why bother?
ANY of the themes I have released or intend to release soon will work for almost everyone! At the same time, they maintain the functionality BANS was intended to provide in regard to menu structure etc.
Once you do this a time or two, you will be able to convert a theme in less than 10 minutes, not counting the time it takes to install BANS and wordpress! I mean it… it gets that easy!
Later today, I will randomly choose a few templates that you can suggest below and record the transformation of these themes into BANS sites. Go ahead… shoot away!
Mark
18 Responses to “The Build a Niche Store Template for WordPress”
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So let me see if I understand this… this explanation is for our own edification only, or will it provide the means to go out and grab some wild-ass WP theme, slap BANS into it, add the above files somewhere, and we’ll have a working, converted WP/BANS theme??
If so, then its all very interesting, but I want to just point and click my way to a shopping cart where I can buy a package all ready to upload and run.
@ Alice -
You almost got it right on the spot! This series of posts in regard to Converting WordPress Themes into a BANS Template is exactly that… to help you understand how to do it on your own, versus having to pay out of pocket every time you want a new look on your site.
I realize there are a certain percentage of readers that would simply prefer to point, click, buy, install and be done, but there are others who prefer to learn about doing it themselves, versus being tied into buying something new with every site.
Now, that said… its not as quite as easy as just dropping these files into your directories and having them work, but the conversion can be done in less than 10-20 minutes once you understand the process.
The best part is that you arent tied to 5-10 available themes. If you see one you like somewhere, you have the knowledge to just grab the free (or commercial) template and convert it for your site.
Incidentally, I will be converting MANY more themes in the coming weeks that will be available over on the templates page as well. As a matter of fact, I have a new website being worked on now (Not my Big idea) that will feature completely indexed and operation websites featuring BANS as well.
Mark
Ok, so maybe I’ll try one… JUST ONE THOUGH!!
Since I have a difficult time with the videos and prefer to see written instructions like the ones you did earlier, can you tell me if this is the right sequence to success??
1. Move BANS info a Shop folder
2. Find a WP theme I like and install it into the root WP themes folder
3. Take those files above and put them somewhere (this is what I’m missing - I don’t know where to install these. Can you help? )
4. Do something about redirects (again, not sure what to do or how, is there a widget that will do it all at once? If so, where do I find it?)
For a brand spankin’ new site, I can skip step #4??
OK, I’m ready as soon as you tell me where the above files go (or point me to where its been written before, since now I’m hopelessly lost!) and explain the redirect thing I’m gonna try it. :)
Alice -
I wouldnt “experiment” on an existing site that is earning money… I would push up a new site from one of your domains lying around (cmon, we all have them) and test with that!
Find a theme that you LIKE versus one that available… From there, shoot me the URL if you want and I will help you with it.
In regard to the redirects… you really only need that on an older site with indexed content. There is a redirect plugin, which I will get to soon on a post about plugins. I did post on it once before here but it needs more info… I wish I had more hours in a day! LOL
In regard to writing the instructions as well as video… I do intend to do that one day, but for now, the info I can drop into a 10 minute video, would take me 8 hours to write. I used to do everything in writing… by popular demand, I ended up with video.
I do have a post already started with a step by step, video 1, video 2 etc, of the entire process. It will be posted on the last day when it all comes together.
Mark
First of all Mark, I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU for all of the wonderful things you’ve done for all of us, and many of us personally as we’ve bogged down. So please don’t take anything I say as a criticism about the way you’ve done things - I know you’re busting your buns with all this, and I know you need to get the most info out to the most people without going crazy.
I know all the nice-to-haves will get done in time, and I’ll love them!!
I was going to try it on a built-out site that has never made a nickel, but you’re right, I should probably start fresh with an unused domain. I’ve got about a million themes I’ve downloaded that I like - the trick is topick ONE to do it with! But I’ll force myself and show you the one I think I’d like to try on a site.
again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
Alice
URGENT REQUEST!! Generic white blog theme.
While I’m having a blast “shopping” for free cool-looking themes to add on to or convert my BANS sites into, the one thing I really really need asap is just a plain (white preferred), no-graphics, 2 or 3 column generic theme. No borders, boxes, shading or other decorative features. Just plain vanilla blog that I want to add to some of my sites where I have custom templates that I don’t want to abandon.
I just want a plain white blog that I can decorate like my cool BANS site if I have time, or just use as-is until I can get around to changing it. I’ve been searching the free blog theme websites until I think my eyeballs are going to explode and am not finding what I want, so maybe some more eyeballs will help spot it for me.
Funny thing is, I saw just what I needed a week or so ago, but of course didn’t need it at the time and now I can’t find it. D’oh!
SimpleCSS isn’t simple enough, takes too much editing.
Thanks for any help in spotting the plain-jane blog theme!
@Alice - check out http://cutline.tubetorial.com/. It’s white and pretty simple. It is 2 column, but I played around with it and made it a 3 column for the blog at I attached to my Vintage Collectible Dolls site (not integrated). I changed the colors also to make it look more like my BANS store. It’s easy to add your own header.
Sherrin
Sherrin, you rock! That’s IT!!
Just what I was looking for, and almost identical to the one I’d seen earlier and didn’t download. This will be easy to adapt to my custom header/logos that I have on some of my sites but not require that I do much for it to look consistent with the BANS store.
Thank you Sherrin!
Alice
I am trying to convert the WP Premium template over to one of my existing sites. i grabbed the files from above along with the WP theme and almost got it going except for the layout looks messed up. Looks like something with the sidebar. Can you explain a little as to what to do to the inc- files in the WP directory and how to get the theme to match across.
Thanks
Building a new site with this theme and can’t get the theme to roll across all the pages with the basic template files. There must be more guidance to come with these files. Can’t believe the inc-header and footer files have only one line of code, must be the call from wp-config that does all the work?
@Alice -
You’re very welcome. I’m glad it will work for you. I’m not much help to anyone when it comes to technical questions, so I’m glad I can offer something useful every now and then.
Sherrin
@ All who may be awaiting the rest of the story on this… take a look at the day 1 introduction video.
It is a full walkthrough from start to finish and gives you a good idea of the coding involved for those files.
http://www.thenichestorebuilder.com/converting-a-wordpress-theme-to-work-with-bans-introduction.htm
Mark
Thank you so much! I’ve been having a hard time with my bans front menu in wordpress. I tried everything. The weird thing was that the menu actually worked but it was giving me the wrong store pages, (some default stuff from the db). Turns out that using an include to my bans menu file didn’t give me an error, it jut gave me bad data - once I changed it to get file contents like you suggested it brought in the correct menu information.
I’m usually a pretty decent php programmer, I’m still not sure why it wouldn’t bring back the correct db info using the include. Any thoughts?
@ Putters101 -
Yes… its actually in the way you call the file. If using as a simple include without doing the database work, the code will just execute the get-pages sections.
Once it is in the BANS store directory structure and you use the parent page polling from the file, it will only grab the correct categories.
Mark
Hi Mark, A question from a newbee (read student) I have installed firebug on foxfire and downloaded (and installed) WP_Premium Bu tI can’t find a file that will open up the graphical layout. When I open the folder, I see many files (php files, .js, .txt ) etc but when I try to open any of then in foxfire, I get html code of other verbiage text but nothing like in your video
Can you tell me the name of the file to open> (I tried the index.php but got php code.
Thank you
Dave
Mark Hi,Wanted to say this:Have to say without your help would be in a great hole:However I still am:To explain,I have got many free things from you and have purchased some all being bloody great-now as a average builder of Bans-I would love to go only at this moment with the Wp-Theme- and have it on all my sites-but I am in a mess here-what about you doing A-Z just on this theme and charging any thing from $20-$100 for a complete nuts and bolts-not free -we all have to survive in life and really nothing is free only fresh air,I feel many of your followers find it hard like me to realise they have missed a very important post only to find it hard to find it again-so always spending lots of time searching to extract posts with what they missed.
Bans is making me now some money with your help-I feel Wordpress and Bans is the way to go-great content and great looking sites-to me it is better to have 5 top looking sites than 20 average ones that could get banned.
Also going of the theme a bit,with so many Bans sites out there is there a good way for us to link together-in other words say I have a site on fishing! why can i not find other bans sites with CONTENT willing to link with me-seems a huge net work of people all trying to do their own thing out there. May be to much Johnnie walker talking now!
But remember this- most people respect more things they pay for than free hand outs! Get that Wordpress concept out there in one package for the triers of life,there are always the people that expect huge dollars for a small out lay and do no work,the triers will pay to learn- I feel you have the patients of a Saint some times reading some posts including mine–Only my thoughts-hope am not upsetting anyone?