New WordPress Theme for Sehdi.com

Thursday, November 1, 2007 @ 5:55 pm by Sofie Hofmann

I finally finished redesigning my own web design site Sehdi.com. I have been working for a new WordPress theme for my web design site for the month of October but couldn’t get satisfied. I waited a little bit until I have no more complaints about my own web design, simple, fast to download and easy to navigate.

Actually, it took me 10 days only not the whole month to do the revision as I didn’t do it continuously. Well, 10 days is also quite long just to do a WordPress theme but I always would like my theme to be neat and nice according to my taste, if not perfect. I worked on it, only if I have time. I make sure that I will be able to concentrate on it.

I couldn’t anymore keep track how many times did I redesign Sehdi.com when I was not using WordPress yet. But this is the first time, that I redesigned it ever since I use WordPress as CMS for this site. When I converted the whole site in December 2006 to use WordPress, not only the blog, I just adapted the old design of this site.

The first WordPress theme was a two-column theme with 750px fixed width to make it still easier for those who are also still using 800×600 screen resolution.

The second WordPress theme is a fluid three-column theme. It still looks good at 800×600 screen resolution but the width will not expand if the user has bigger than 1024×768 screen resolution. The second sidebar adjusts if the user opted for a screen resolution to be even smaller than the old standard 800×600 screen resolution. I configured it that way as the second sidebar contains ads only aside from the random web design images which can be accessed at the first sidebar.

Regarding colors, I like the colors of the old WordPress theme, so I didn’t really change the colors.

New Web Design for Lux International AG

Monday, October 29, 2007 @ 5:20 pm by Sofie Hofmann

I redesigned the website of Lux International AG. It was at least 10 weeks ago when the new web design of Lux International AG went online. It took me 6 weeks to finish everything and before we considered that it was ready for publishing. The design was simple, easy to navigate, and fast to download.

It was a complete overhaul as we changed the web design and layout, revised the content, revised and added new text, changed most of the pictures and images, rearranged the menus and its submenus, implemented a new navigation system, among others.

I coded the site using ASP as the server didn’t support ASP.NET and PHP when I tested it. I actually created the site using PHP first as it was supposed to be possible to upgrade the hosting using PHP, only to find out later that the web host was no longer supporting PHP. I created a simple CMS using ASP, then decided to use ASP.NET instead when I found out that ASP.NET can be used, and when I tested it, there was a permission problem regarding the database. By the way, the web host has windows server. As there is no control panel to work with, and I have no access to the server, I asked the web host to set the correct permission but it was not possible on their part. They already gave me an explanation but I still wonder. I will not elaborate as well.

Actually, I thought of other possible options and alternatives when I started redesigning the site but at the moment we’ll just have to update the site the way we used to, and not using CMS.

Tugbong Festival Website converted to WordPress

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 @ 10:52 pm by Sofie Hofmann

I finished redesigning the Tugbong Festival Website before we left on February 17, 2007 for a week vacation but I was not able to upload the redesigned pages. Tugbong Festival is a yearly Joint Municipal and Religious Fiesta Celebration, every 21st to 25th of April in Pandan, Antique, Philippines.

I finally uploaded the pages a few days ago. I finished converting the site from simple HTML to WordPress using PHP. It took me at least a week to finish it as I was not really working on it everyday. Before that, I also finished converting the whole site of Pagtatap.org from simple PHP to WordPress. It used to be that only the Updates section of Pagtatap.org was using WordPress. You can read about the minor changes at “Newly redesigned Pagtatap.org” at the Updates page of the site. It took me a month to finish the Pagtatap.org site but in reality, I did it for just 10 days as I was not also working on it everyday just like the Tugbong Festival Website.

The new design of Tugbong Festival Website has a similarity with the old design with regards to the graphics but if you really take a look at them, they are different. As of the moment, you will still be able to see the old design but later on I will have to remove the old pages to avoid duplicating the contents. The other pages are still there except for the index.html which was redirected to the new index page.

Anyway, WordPress has a new release, WordPress 2.1.1, and Tugbong Festival Website is now using it. I still have to upgrade the other websites as I was on vacation when WordPress released the new version.

Other Updates:
Also, before we left, I updated the website of Philippine Seafarers Assistance Programme. You can see all the updates at the Site / PSAP Updates page of the site.

Then when we arrived from our vacation, I started updating other websites too. I just updated the News page of Pandan.gov.ph, and the Publication and Media pages of Green Cross Switzerland.

I did not design the website of a certain fund company!

Monday, January 29, 2007 @ 12:30 pm by Sofie Hofmann

THE FACT AND THE TRUTH: I did not design the website of a certain fund company.

For some time now, since December 2006, I have been getting emails through my contact form asking me about a certain fund company. These people were always asking me if I designed the website of that fund company. Until now, I still get these emails even if the website of that fund company is no longer active in the internet.

For once and for all, I would like to inform all of you that I did not design the website of ***fund.*** and other websites connected or associated to it. I am not mentioning the website because I really do not want to promote that website at my site and at my blog.

Actually, at first, I just ignored the emails because I knew that I did not design the website. I thought that the emails were just another kind of spams. But I kept getting more and more, so I checked the site, and voila, I saw a name similar to mine, just when I was still single. I checked if there’s really another one who has the same name as mine when I was still not married, but the search results were just my site and the site of that fund company.

Knowing that, I immediately put a notice in my contact form that I did not design the website of that company. I just can’t understand why people kept on writing me even if I already put a notice above the contact form that I did not design the website of the company.

So, today, I again put a note inside the form itself, maybe this time people will finally get it that I did not design the website of the company. I am not at all connected with the company. I don’t know those people behind the company.

A lot of people have written me, I answered some of them and the others who were somewhat like demanding, I just ignored them. I feel like I have no obligation to answer them since I am not at all associated with the company.

I did not report the website but I guess those who have read my notice and those who wrote me that I answered have organized themselves and reported the website. If you try to access the site now, it’s no longer accessible. They tried to transfer, but it’s also gone now.

A few questions though to those who invested with that fund company.

1. Why were you investing in the first place, if you haven’t even met the person who founded the company? The company was just founded November 2007 and you already trusted your money to them.

2. Why were you believing them that you can have 200% ROI or Return on Investment? What a crap! Didn’t you ask any dignified legal financial consultant or a bank for example if it’s possible.

3. Why were you investing if you haven’t even checked if the company is a valid company? The company that they mentioned is not at all the same with the company they tried to copy. You should have checked with the original company if it’s really part of the company at all.

4. Why were you not checking the names they mentioned at the website if they’re valid names before you invested? You checked my name because you saw my name there, that’s fine, if indeed it was me that they were referring to. You assumed that it was me who designed it. The problem was, you kept on writing me even if I already put a notice at the contact form that I did not design the website.

5. Why were you not checking my DESIGNS page before you wrote me? Did you ever see that company among the list of the websites that I designed? No! Not at all! Even if you explore my other sites, you’ll never see that website.

Anyway, once again, I repeat, I did not design the website of that fund company.

Now, that the site is not accessible, people are just assuming that I designed it. Now, they’re asking me what happened to the site of the company. If you are going to ask me what happened to the website of that fund company, my answer is, I don’t know. I repeat, I did not design its website and I am not at all connected with the company, and so, I can’t answer any of your questions. So please, have some consideration, don’t ask me anymore about it.

To conclude this, congatulations to those who put them out of business in the net but one way or the other, they can always transfer from one site to another, from one server to another. Even if they’re not in the internet they can still talk to people. I just hope that the authorities will be able to catch them. They’re destroying people including me. I am trying to earn an honest living and they destroyed my web design business.

WordPress 2.0.7, WordPress 2.1 RC1, Site Updates

Saturday, January 20, 2007 @ 12:41 pm by Sofie Hofmann

As I was saying before, it’s really crazy, it seems like the month of January is a month of upgrading from WordPress 2.0.5 to WordPress 2.0.6, then just 5 days ago, WordPress released WordPress 2.0.7 but I found that out only 2 days after it was released.

So there, for security, I upgraded all my WordPress sites and blogs to WordPress 2.0.7. To think, that WordPress is going to have a major release soon before the month ends. Then they’re thinking of releasing 2.2, most likely late April. They even invited bloggers to contribute some ideas. Read about it here, Ideas and Kvetch!.

The truth is, when I visited Matt Mullenweg‘s blog yesterday, he has a link to the WordPress 2.1 Release Candidate 1. It is out. I already downloaded it for testing but not really using it yet for the public sites and blogs.

Other Updates:

I updated the site Weggis.net. Sennenchilbi Weggis 2006 Video by Sofie Hofmann, courtesy of Yahoo! Video, and several photos were posted at the site.

I updated the site Pagtatap.org. As it was newly redesigned, I’m still improving certain things at the site.

I updated the site Greencross.ch. It was October 2006 when I removed the donation pages as I need to fix the pages. Yesterday, I finally finished configuring them. They were uploaded, and once again, Green Cross Switzerland is now ready to receive online donation.

Websites and Blogs upgraded to WordPress 2.0.6

Friday, January 12, 2007 @ 10:58 pm by Sofie Hofmann

It was just before Christmas when I upgraded Simply Sofie Blog and Pandan.gov.ph News section from WordPress 2.0.4 to WordPress 2.0.5. Then, I upgraded the other sites just after New Year, on January 05, 2005. I know it was kind of late already since WordPress 2.0.5 was released on October 27, 2006.

The last website that I upgraded on January 05, 2006 was Pagtatap.org. I finally finished converting the whole site from simple PHP pages to WordPress CMS. I used to have simple PHP pages with Pagtatap.org integrated with the Updates section using WordPress. The theme design was patterned after the original web design of Pagtatap.org. I just redesigned it a little bit.

Just when I finished uploading Pagtatap.org files using FTP and then logged on to WordPress to check if everything was ok, I saw that just 2 hours before that, WordPress.org released the new WordPress 2.0.6 version.

I immediately downloaded the new version and upgraded Pagtatap.org. As I was still checking and finalizing Pagtatap.org, I was only able to upload and upgrade the other websites after 3 days. Sehdi.com, Weggis.net, SofieHofmann.com Blog, Pandan.ph, and Pandan.gov.ph News were all upgraded to WordPress 2.0.6 on the same day. Upgrading takes about 3 to 5 minutes only, it’s really that easy. I won’t write here anymore, on how to install and upgrade WordPress as I have written about it several times. You can read my other posts if you like to know more about it.

Just when I upgraded everything to WordPress 2.0.6, I read too that WordPress will have a major release soon. You can read Matt Mullenweg‘s blog entry, Ideas and Kvetch, at WordPress.org.

It’s just so crazy, upgrading all the time for the month of January. Well, that’s one good thing about WordPress, even if WordPress releases a new version within a month, it’s not really a hassle because it’s not so complicated to upgrade from one version to a newer one.

Other Updates:
I just finished updating Green Cross Switzerland and Swiss Big Game Fishing sites.

Sehdi.com converted to WordPress as CMS

Saturday, December 9, 2006 @ 11:55 pm by Sofie Hofmann

I finally converted www.sehdi.com from simple PHP to WordPress as CMS (Content Management System), specifically using the new released version WordPress 2.0.5. It could have been an easy conversion but I was making sure that everything should be in order including my codes before I publish the new converted site.

It took me five days to finish the whole thing. For one thing, even if no one sees the codes, MySQL database, and folders, except me of course, I make sure that they’re not messy. Another important factor is the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), naturally, I revised the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) too.

I did not install another WordPress for the whole site but integrated it with the existing blog. I just wrote a few codes and everything went fine. It almost looks the same as the original web design.

Another update, I already upgraded www.weggis.net from WordPress 2.0.4 to WordPress 2.0.5.

That’s it! I’m into converting sites from simple PHP to WordPress as CMS at the moment.

For those who are linking my blog from your website or blog using the RSS feed, please update your link from https://www.sehdi.com/blog/feed to https://www.sehdi.com/feed. Although https://www.sehdi.com is not really my blog rather https://www.sehdi.com/blog, but since sehdi.com is now using WordPress as CMS and blog was added as a page, blog updates will only appear if you update your RSS feed. It’s because of the conversion.

Thanks!

Update: No need to do anything about the RSS feed, I managed to make both https://www.sehdi.com/feed and https://www.sehdi.com/blog/feed work.

WordPress as CMS for Pandan.ph

Saturday, October 21, 2006 @ 9:11 pm by Sofie Hofmann

I decided to use WordPress as CMS (Content Management System) for my sites. I already started using it as a CMS at Weggis.net. Weggis theme is based on the original design of Weggis.net when it was not using WordPress, PHP and XHTML yet. I also made several code updates at the other pages using PHP.

I also revised Weggis.net search capability. Weggis.net search is not only searching posts or entries in categories (normally the updates) but other pages as well.

Since several search engines have already indexed Weggis.net, especially google, I also placed google search at Weggis.net as another option to search the site. I also implemented this in my other sites.

Then, I revised Pandan.ph once again. This time though, WordPress is not only being used for the News and Gallery Pages. I used WordPress, specifically WordPress 2.0.4 version, as CMS for the whole site.

I just revised the codes so the web design is still the same. This WordPress theme is based on the original design of Pandan.ph when it was also not using WordPress, PHP and XHTML yet.

I also installed a new guestbook using WordPress Paged Comments Plugin. I removed the comments capability for the gallery, news and other pages. Instead of commenting at the news page and its subpages, people can only now leave their messages at the guestbook.

I removed the CGI script used for my contact page and used WordPress comment capability instead with Akismet Plugin so that comment spams could be caught and de-spammed. Comments that were de-spammed will be submitted to Akismet as mistakes so it can learn and get better.

To use Akismet, I needed Akismet WordPress.com API Key, so I opened an account with WordPress.com but then opted not to get a username only but registered a blog too, sofiehofmann.wordpress.com. I could not use my own theme though. I have an idea what to write there but still thinking of other possibilities.

Anyway, if you look at Pandan.ph, as if, there are no changes at Pandan.ph, but on my part, with regards to coding, it was such a lot of work. I could have written something about it everyday but opted not to do it. I was just too busy.

Other updates: Publications and Media pages of Green Cross Switzerland have been updated.

Pandan.gov.ph News improved

Thursday, September 21, 2006 @ 10:50 pm by Sofie Hofmann

It’s been more than a month since I converted Pandan.gov.ph from HTML to XHTML and PHP. I wrote about it on August 15, 2006, Simply Sofie Blog WP Upgrade, Pandan.gov.ph HTML to PHP. For the past few days, I’ve been also working on the News section of the site.

The News page of Pandan.gov.ph, the Official Website of the Municipality of Pandan, Antique, Philippines, is using WordPress 2.0.4. Now, that the site uses XHTML tags and PHP, and since WordPress uses PHP too, I used WordPress as a CMS (Content Management System) for the News section for easy updating purposes. I designed a theme patterned after the original design of the site, spending a lot of time creating CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). The News page is the only section which is using WordPress at the moment. I’m still thinking if I should use WordPress for the other pages. Well, for a start, I removed the Events menu and transferred it under News section.

The News section has several news updates too. Read the latest news update, 2006 International Green Apple Awards Winner. Bugang River Tour has been chosen as a winner in the International Green Apple Environment Awards for Environmental Best Practice.

For other pages, I need to make a template for each section so the subsections will reflect and not just the normal sidebar. It’s a lot of work, and so, for the meantime, I’m shelving that idea. If ever I decide to really do it, then I just have to do it slowly.

I also updated the Services section, added Engineering Services on how to apply for a building permit with links to building permit forms and documents for downloading. The forms and documents are also linked at the Downloads section. At the Downloads section, aside from the forms and documents, several resolutions were uploaded and they can be downloaded as well.

I made several changes at the site, and hope to be able to do more improvements later.

Pagtatap.org Site Updates

Friday, July 28, 2006 @ 5:18 pm by Sofie Hofmann

I just finished updating Pagtatap.org site. I finally finished resizing the pictures and uploaded them at the site. Photos of the activities of Pagtatap Foundation taken in April especially during the Tugbong Festival in Pandan, Antique, Philippines are now available online.

It took me 1 1/2 days to finish resizing and reducing the pictures. You can view the photos at the Activities section of Pagtatap.org site particularly at the 2006 Activities section. I started working on the pictures on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 and finished them the next day but didn’t upload the pictures right away as I wanted to do something more at the site.

When I was finished with the pictures, I created a new section at the site of Pagtatap.org. Instead of News only, we now have the News and Updates section. I used WordPress here and integrated the other pages with it. The old pages are still the same, only the Updates section is using WordPress.

It took me 1 1/2 days too, since yesterday afternoon until today, to design a theme for Pagtatap.org site, which was actually just patterned after the original design of the site, as well as configuring a few things like the login and register pages just like what I did with Sehdi.com Blog, SofieHofmann.com Blog and Weggis.net site.