After installing version 3.0 of WordPress, Thesis theme has a minor conflict. When trying to access the Custom File Editor from the admin toolbar, you may see a message similar to this:

Fatal error: Call to undefined function use_codepress() in /ANY_OLD_DIRECTORY/public_html/wp-content/themes/thesis_XX/lib/admin/admin.php on line XX

The editor is still usable but will no longer have syntax highlighting until DIYThemes finds a solution. until then, this fix allows you to again access the file when in WP admin.

You will need to access your site via FTP; dowload admin.php from this directory path. (wp-content/themes/thesis_XX)/lib/admin/admin.php).

Using a plain text editor, comment out the line that calls for syntax highlighting; place two forward slashes just before it:

// if (use_codepress()) add_action('admin_print_footer_scripts', 'codepress_footer_js');

I use the Thesis theme for WordPress for all of the sites I deploy so an upgrade to a new version means a lot of sites need this upgrade activated. The instructions on the theme website seemed awkward and I’ve found this method to be easier and works like a charm. Here are the simple steps (this assumes you have an FTP program installed; if you don’t you can download FileZilla for free).

1. Backup your database; if you don’t have a database backup plugin installed, now might be a good time to do that. Schedule regular backups while you’re at it!
2. Navigate to www.diythemes.com and login with your assigned user and password and download the 1.7 version to your hard drive.
3. Unzip the file.
4. Login to your website via FTP; your host can provide you with access information which will include the FTP address along with a user/password combination. I use bluehost for hosting; so using them as an example, the FTP address would be ftp.yourdomainname.com (substituting your actual domain name). Your  user and password are the same as those created to login to the bluehost Control Panel. Contact your web host for these specifics as they may vary widely depending on hosting platforms.
5. Locate the unzipped version you just downloaded to your hard drive in the left screen of the FTP program. Open until you can see the ‘custom’ directory.
6. Browse through the files you’ve connected to on the right to get to your current Thesis themes directory. This may depend on your web host, but for bluehost, it would be public_html/wp-content/themes/thesis_16/
7. You should now see a ‘custom’ directory in the right panel that displays files on the server.
8. Delete the ‘custom’ directory from the new unzipped  version 1.7 in the files on the left (your hard drive).
9. Drag the ‘custom’ directory from the version 1.6 on the server to your hard drive to replace the directory you just deleted.
10. Go up one level in both panels so that you are now viewing the folder for Thesis 1.7 on the left and your current installed themes on the right.
11. Drag the thesis_17 folder into the themes on the right. You should now see theme directories for both 1.6 and 1.7
12. After the theme has finished transferring, login to your WordPress admin panel and navigate to Appearance/Themes. You should now see the 1.7 listed as a choice. Select and Activate the theme. It may not look accurate in this display; view your actual site and it should look the same as before.
13. Your Thesis Theme section in the admin menu should now have five sections for managing the theme.
14. DO NOT DELETE THE OLD VERSION – Your custom stylesheet that is located in the ‘custom’ folder may have web addresses that direct it to files in the Version 1.6 custom/images directory; either modify these addresses in custom.css in the new theme to reflect the new version number or make sure you keep the older theme files so that your images continue to display for any of these addresses.

If you have issues with this method, revert back to the older Theme version. This has worked seamlessly for upgrading over a dozen sites but not all installs may be exactly the same. You might want to try the instructions located in the www.diythemes.com site or try the forums for alternative methods depending on your situation.

I’ve been blogging for some time now and with that blogging has come relationships all over the world so thought it was time to move my web development company site to a blogging platform and provide a source for client information in the most timely manner.

Look for tips and tricks on developing a WordPress blog, using the Thesis theme, domain name transferring information…and more.

If you’re so inclined, please visit my own food blog at www.vinolucistyle.com for recipes, wine reviews and the occasional gardening tip!

Welcome, hope you’ll come back…