I’m having a bit of trouble understand how I use the extra content areas of a theme. Can you give me an overview of how they work? How do I make them appear, and how do I add content?
Bruce,
Most modern websites handle placement of content (text, images, headings, links etc) using CSS.
Extra Content uses carefully-crafted CSS to place content in positions on the page that are Extra to the basic Header, Sidebar, Footer, Central column etc.
Each different Theme handles the areas into which you can place content as ‘Extra’ differently.
When it comes down to it, you use the Theme’s styles options to control how the boxes containing EC will look, place your content there - such as a slogan, a strapline, a box of ‘Special Offer’, or ‘Latest News’ and let the Theme do the rest.
Look some some of ThemeFlood’s demo Themes; they use EC in an exemplary fashion. You can turn on a preview of where the ‘boxes’ will appear on a page; a read outline border appears. Then simply place content in the numbered EC container and it’ll appear as predicted.
OK, I see the extra content in preview, but I still don’t understand how I enter content into those areas? I’m using ThemeFlood’s Volcano 2.3 theme. You say “Then simply place content in the numbered EC container and it’ll appear as predicted.” That’s what I can’t figure out how to do.
You need to use either the EC stack or snippets, get them here
http://foss.seydesign.com/?p=ExtraContent
Or the free Extra Contents Plus Stack from Stacks4Stacks - designed with ThemeFlood Themes in mind.
Each Theme handles EC differently. But once you’ve dropped content into the right place, and if necessary enabled that EC area (usually up to 6 or 8 of them), it’ll appear in Preview - then again in Publish of course.
See also this explanation.
Very helpful info. Thanks to all. Now I understand. Will Woodgate’s video cleared it all up for me.
Does anybody know if I can find a stack or another way to “links, buttons, or triggers” to scroll to an extra content area?