Short News documentation

Here you find Short News documentation to help you to install, setup and use this theme.

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Table of Contents:

  1. Installation
  2. Automatic Update
  3. Manual Update
  4. Menu
  5. Thumbnails
  6. Background Image
  7. Customize Theme
  8. Social Links
  9. Widgets
  10. Custom Page Templates
  11. Translations
  12. Additional CSS
  13. Child Themes

  1. Installation ↑ top

    Installing your theme is easy! After downloading you should have a short-news-pro.zip file.

    – WordPress Method
    1. Go to Appearance » Themes in the WordPress Dashboard and click on the “Add New” button
    2. Click on the “Upload link”, select the short-news-pro.zip file and click “Install Now”
    3. Activate the theme

    – Ftp Method
    1. Log into your site via FTP
    2. Browse to your folder located at wp-content/themes
    3. Unzip the short-news-pro.zip folder and upload Short News Pro folder to your server
    4. Log In to WordPress and go to Appearance » Themes
    5. Find the theme and click to activate

  2. Automatic Update ↑ top

    If your theme is out of date, you will see a notice on your WordPress Dashboard. You’ll be able to update your theme using the traditional WordPress update tools.
    You will get update notifications only if you have an active Theme License. Here you find Theme License Faq.

  3. Manual Update ↑ top

    There are a few different ways to manually update your theme. We recommend using a child theme if you are going to customize your theme files, as this simplifies updating your parent theme.

    Download latest version

    Sign in to our website and download the latest version of your theme.
    If you don’t have an account, you can create a new one with the email that was used to purchase the theme.

    Upload the new version

    The easiest way to manually update your theme is to upload it via the WP dashboard.
    However, if you try to upload a new version of a theme that is already in your site’s themes directory, you will get an error.
    The reason is that you already have a theme folder on your server with the same name as the folder inside your ZIP file.
    You can do one of the following:

    1. Delete the theme on your server

    • Go to Appearance » Themes
    • Activate one of the default WordPress.org themes
    • Delete the old theme (Make sure you make a backup just in case something goes wrong)
    • Upload new version via Appearance » Themes » Install Themes » Upload
    • Activate the new version

    If you have done any customizations to your theme files, these customizations will be lost if you use this method.

    2. Rename the folder (via FTP)

    • Login to your site via FTP or cPanel
    • Navigate to wp-content/themes/ and find your old theme
    • Rename your old theme something like “theme-old” (replacing “theme” with the name of your theme).
    • Upload your new theme folder

    The old and new versions of the theme will both appear in the themes interface, but you will be able to distinguish them by their folder names and version numbers.

  4. Menu ↑ top

    Short News Pro supports four Menu Locations:

    1. Main Menu
    2. Header Top Menu
    3. Footer Menu
    4. Social Menu

    By default, the Main Menu will display the Home link.
    To add Navigation Menus in your site go to Appearance » Menus page in your WordPress admin and create or edit a new menu.

    Create a new menu

    1. Select “Create a new menu” at the top of the page
    2. Enter a name
    3. Click the “Create Menu” button
    4. Add links to the menu by using the options on the left sidebar

    Then at the bottom of the menu structure you will see the Menu Settings, where you can assign your menu to specific locations on your website.
    For more details of adding, deleting, and maintaining menus, please visit WordPress Menu User Guide.

  5. Thumbnails ↑ top

    The theme comes with it’s own thumbnails to minimize the page size and increase the page loading speed.
    The custom image sizes are:
    600×400 px
    820×460 px
    1280×720 px
    We suggest regenerating thumbnails.

    How to regenerate Thumbnails

    1. Install and activate the Thumbnail Regenerate plugin from here.
    2. Go to Tools » Regen. Thumbnails and press the “Regenerate All Thumbnails” button:
    3. Wait until the regeneration process is 100% done and check your site.

    How to Add Post Thumbnails

    1. Create a new post or edit an existing one
    2. Scroll down a little to see if there is a meta box called “Featured Image” on the right hand side of the screen.
    3. Click on “Set Featured Image” link. This will open the WordPress Media Uploader.
    4. Upload an image from your computer or use an existing image from your media library.

  6. Background Image

    Short News supports Custom Background, a theme feature that provides for customization of the background color and image.
    Go to Appearance » Customize and click on the Background Image tab to upload your custom Background Image.

  7. Customize Theme ↑ top

    This theme makes use of the WordPress Theme Customizer for all your theme options!

    To access the Customizer from the dashboard, simply go to Appearance » Customize

    In “Short News Settings” Panel you’ll find most of your theme options.

    Theme Customizer allows you to tweak the theme’s settings and see a preview of those changes in real-time.
    After making changes, click the “Save & Publish” button at the top of the Theme Customizer.

    • General ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » General tab.
      Here you find Main Theme Settings.

      Adjust the Layout as you like:

      Sidebar Position
      1. No Sidebar Full width (to remove the Sidebar)
      2. Right Sidebar
      3. Left Sidebar

      You can choose between Fullwidth or Boxed style.

      Site Options are:
      1. Display Author
      2. Display Date
      3. Display Categories
      4. Display Social Share links
      5. Display Scroll Up button

    • Header Options↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Header tab.

      Short News offers four Header Styles:

      Layout
      1. Style 1: Logo left and Widget Area right over Header Image, Nav below
      2. Style 2: Logo left and Widget Area right above Header Image, Nav below
      3. Style 3: Logo centered over Header Image, Nav below
      4. Style 4: Logo centered above Header Image, Nav below
      5. Style 5: Logo left and Nav Left over Header Image
      6. Style 6: Logo left and Nav Right over Header Image
      7. Style 7: Logo centered over Header Image

      You can Center Align or Left Align the Main Navigation below Header.

      Other Menu Options are:
      1. Sticky Header on scroll
      2. Display Social Icons
      3. Display Home Icon
      4. Display Search Icon

    • Header Image ↑ top

      For custom header image this theme uses WordPress Custom Header functionality.
      Click on the Short News Settings » Header Image tab. Upload header image using WordPress Media Uploader or select image which is already uploaded and click on the Publish button. Suggested size is 1600 × 960 pixels.

      Header Image: Padding

      Add Padding above and below Header Image.

      Header Image: Vertical Alignment

      Choose between Top, Center, or Bottom.

      Header Image: Dark overlay

      Add a dark overlay to the Header Image, to ensure the right text readability and contrast.

    • Short News supports WordPress Custom Logo feature (new in WordPress 4.5), that allows users to upload an image for their website, which can be placed at the top of their website.
      Click on the Short News Settings » Header Logo tab.
      Upload your logo by clicking on the “Select logo” button.
      After you upload the logo image, click on Save & Publish button to save the changes.

      Short News comes with additional features to customize your Logo.

      Logo size:
      1. Full width: the logo will fit all the available space
      2. Resize: you can set a width pixel size (default is 220px)

    • Header Top Bar

      Click on the Short News Settings » Header Top Bar tab.
      Check “Display Header Top Bar” to add a Top Navigation Bar to your website.

      Short News Pro supports two Header Top styles:
      1. Breaking News + Social Icons
      2. Top Menu + Social Icons

    • Click on the Short News Settings » Featured Posts Area 1 tab.
      Featured Posts are used to highlight some content to your visitors. If enabled, the Featured Posts area will appear at the top of the Homepage.
      You can display your latest posts or filter posts by Category.
      Short News Pro comes with four different layouts.
      Check “Avoid duplicate posts” option to esclude Featured Posts from the Homepage.

    • Click on the Short News Settings » Featured Posts Area 2 tab.
      Check “Display Featured Posts Area 2” to display additional Featured Posts, below Featured Posts Area 1.
      You can add a Title and short description to introduce Featured Posts Area 2.

    • Homepage ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Homepage tab.
      Short News Theme supports several layouts for the Blog Index Page (the Homepage displays “Your latest posts”):

      Homepage Layout:
      1. Standard
      2. Grid (2 Columns)
      3. Grid 3 Columns
      4. List
      5. Alternate
      6. First Standard then Grid
      7. First Standard then Grid 3 Columns
      8. First Standard then List
      9. First Standard then Alternate
      10. Magazine Style 1
      11. Magazine Style 2
      12. Magazine Style 3
      13. Magazine Style 4

      Magazine Layout provides multiple content sections to show Posts by category.
      For each section, you can choose the title and category.

      Excerpt length

      You can change the excerpt length (default is 25 words).

    • Categories and Archives ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Categories and Archives tab.

      Adjust the Layout as you like. This option overrides the Site Options.

      Sidebar Position
      1. No Sidebar Full width (to remove the Sidebar)
      2. Right Sidebar
      3. Left Sidebar

      Short News Theme supports several layouts for Category, Tag, Search results, Author and Archive Pages:

      Archive Layout:
      1. Standard
      2. Grid (2 Columns)
      3. Grid 3 Columns
      4. List
      5. Alternate
      6. First Standard then Grid
      7. First Standard then Grid 3 Columns
      8. First Standard then List
      9. First Standard then Alternate
      Excerpt length

      You can change the excerpt length (default is 25 words).

    • Post ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Post tab.

      Adjust the Layout as you like. This option overrides the Site Options.

      Sidebar Position
      1. No Sidebar Full width (to remove the Sidebar)
      2. Right Sidebar
      3. Left Sidebar

      Choose between three different post styles: Classic (default), Magazine, or Cover Image.

      Post Options are:
      1. Display Featured Image
      2. Display Author
      3. Display Author Bio
      4. Display Date
      5. Display Categories
      6. Display Tags
      7. Display Reading Time
      8. Display Social Share links
      9. Display Breadcrumbs Navigation (Yoast SEO 2.3 or higher is required)
      10. Display Related Posts

    • Page ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Page tab.

      Check “Display Featured Image” to display Post Thumbnails.

      To remove the Sidebar apply the No Sidebar template to the page.

    • Typography ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Typography tab.
      You choose between Google Fonts and System Fonts.

      Options are:
      1. Site Title font
      2. Site Tagline font
      3. Title font
      4. Text font

    • Click on the Short News Settings » Footer Options tab.

      Check “Display Social Icons in the Footer” to add Social Icons in the Footer, below the Footer Widget Area.
      To add Social Icons create a new menu and assign to Social Menu location.

      Footer Tagline

      Display a Custom Text in the Footer. HTML tags are allowed (strong, em, b, i, br, a)

    • Colors: General ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Colors: General tab.

      Options are:
      1. Background color
      2. Accent color
      3. Post/Page Title color
      4. Text color

    • Colors: Header ↑ top

      Click on the Short News Settings » Colors: Header tab.

      Options are:
      1. Header Background color
      2. Site Title color
      3. Site Tagline color
      4. Header Heading color
      5. Header Text color
      6. Header Link color
      7. Header Link hover color (Default is a lighter color based on Link color.)

    • Colors: Top Header

      Click on the Short News Settings » Colors: Top Header tab.

      Options are:
      1. Top Header background color
      2. Top Header Link and Text color
      3. Top Header Social Icons color (This option overrides the default color.)

    • Colors: Navigation

      Click on the Short News Settings » Colors: Navigation tab.

      Options are:
      1. Menu Background color (Applies to Mobile Navigation and Main Navigation below Header.)
      2. Menu Item color
      3. Menu Item hover color (Default is a lighter color based on Menu color.)
      4. Menu Social icons color
      5. Menu Social icons hover color (Default is a lighter color based on Social Icons color.)

    • Colors: Sidebar

      Click on the Short News Settings » Colors: Sidebar tab.

      Options are:
      1. Sidebar Heading color
      2. Sidebar Text color
      3. Sidebar Link color

    • Click on the Short News Settings » Colors: Footer tab.

      Options are:
      1. Footer Background color (Applies to Footer Widget Area, if active.)
      2. Footer Heading color
      3. Footer Text color
      4. Footer Link color
      5. Footer Copy Background color
      6. Footer Copy Text color

  8. To setup your Social Links, go to Appearance » Menus.
    Enter a name for your menu and add social links to the menu by using the option “Custom Links” on the left sidebar.
    You have to enter a valid URL and a label. Here the list of social icons:

    • dribbble
    • facebook
    • flickr
    • instagram
    • linkedin
    • medium
    • pinterest
    • google+
    • stumbleupon
    • tumblr
    • twitter
    • youtube

    Then at the bottom of the menu structure, you will see the menu settings and check “Social Menu” to assign your menu to Social Menu location on your website.

    To display Social Links in the Header Top Bar:
    go to “Short News Settings » Header Top Bar” and check “Display Social Links” option.

    To display Social Links in the Main Menu:
    go to “Short News Settings » Header Options” and check “Display Social Icons” option.

    To display Social Links in the Footer:
    go to “Short News Settings » Footer Options” and check “Display Social Icons” option.

  9. Widgets ↑ top

    Short News comes with different widget areas you can use to customize your site.

    Header Right – Widget area on the right side of the Header, suitable for 728×90 Banner ad. Short News displays this Widget area when Header Layout is set to Style 1 or Style 2.

    Sidebar – Widget area on the right/left side of the web page.

    Footer – Widget area in the footer of your site. There are three widget columns that you can use to add widgets to the footer.

    To set up widgets, go to Apperance » Widgets and use the drag and drop interface to insert widgets into the desired widget areas.

    You can also click on a widget title from the list of the available widgets. WordPress will show you the list of sidebars where you can add this widget.
    Simply select the sidebar where you want to add the widget, and then click on Add widget button to add it.

    As an addition to the built-in WordPress widgets, Short News Pro also has four custom widgets:

    1. Profile Widget
    2. Recent Posts Widget
    3. Social Icons Widget
    4. Facebook Like Box Widget

    1: Profile Widget

    Profile Widget displays your profile: Title, Short Description, Image and Social Links.
    Options:

    1. Image size (Large, Medium or Thumbnail)
    2. Optional Link to a custom Page

    2: Recent Posts Widget

    Recent Posts Widget allows you to show your latest posts.
    Options:

    1. Post Style: First Standard then List or List.
    2. Filter by Category: select All Categories or filter posts by a category
    3. Number of posts to show
    4. Show thumbnail: check this option to show Featured Image.

    3: Social Icons Widget

    Social Icons Widget allows you to add Social links to appear in your Sidebar or Footer Widget Area. Simply copy and paste your Social URLs.

    4: Facebook Like Box Widget

    The Facebook widget lets you display a Facebook Like Box in your site. The new Facebook Like Box will only work with Facebook Pages, not personal profiles.

  10. Custom Page Templates

    To have a Full width Page and remove the Sidebar go to your Page editor.
    On the right side you’ll see a box named Page Attributes.
    Select “No Sidebar Full width” and then update the page.

  11. Translation ↑ top

    Short News comes with POT file included under the wp-content/themes/short-news/languages folder.
    (For Short News Pro Theme the slug is short-news-pro)

    Method 1:

    To translate a theme into your language, follow these steps:

    1. Log into WordPress Admin and install Loco Translate plugin:
      https://wordpress.org/plugins/loco-translate/
    2. Make sure the following folder exists on your site, and is writeable by the web server:
      wp-content/languages/themes
    3. In the WordPress Dashboard go to “Loco Translate » Themes” and find the Theme in the list
    4. Click on “New language” link
    5. Choose language and “System” location
    6. Add your translations and save

    If you have automatic updates enabled then the wp-content/languages folder probably exists already. The themes subfolder is there to protect your custom translations from automatic translation updates.
    Loco Translate also lets you save translations inside the theme’s folder (“Author” location), but this is provided for theme developers only.

    Note: Files inside the theme folder will get deleted by WordPress updates.

    Please visit Plugin Documentation.

    Method 2:

    1. Download and install the free application Poedit
    2. Open Poedit and click on File » New catalog from POT file in the main menu and select the POT file in your theme’s languages folder.
    3. A properties box will open up where you must enter the language name you want to translate. ( the default for English it’s en_US ; for English (UK) it’s en_GB ; for French it’s fr_FR ; for German it’s de_DE.po)
      Each language and country has a specific code you will need to use when saving translation files.
      Languages list can be found here
    4. Save your new language file, a new .mo file should be created.
    5. Upload the generated .mo and .po files into your type/languages folder on your live site.
    6. Save a backup of these files somewhere safe. If you upgrade the theme from WordPress admin, the language files will have to be re-uploaded.

    How to configure your WordPress language
    Go to Settings » General in the WordPress Dashboard and scroll to the bottom.
    You should see a dropdown list with the label “Site Language”. Select Site Language and save.
    Changing this will set a new default language for all site visitors.

  12. Additional CSS

    Short News supports Additional CSS feature (added in WordPress 4.7).
    Click on the “Additional CSS” tab from the left panel.
    You’ll find a simple box where you can add your custom CSS. As soon as you add a valid CSS rule, you will be able to see it applied on your website’s live preview.

  13. Child Themes ↑ top

    You can use it to edit and customize your own theme, without losing your customizations when you update the theme.

    About child themes: WordPress Child Themes