AutoTheme

What is a theme?

One of the characteristics of a CMS (content management system) is that it separates the visual elements of a site from the content. This is done through the use of themes. Unlike desktop themes and "skins" used in many programs, a MDP theme controls far more than the color and graphics of a site. It also controls the layout of a site and the placement of various elements. This includes not only the placement of blocks but also elements within them and whether or not those elements are displayed at all, depending on the theme type used.

For example, it is a theme that controls whether or not a title is shown for blocks, including center blocks ( depending on the theme type used). I had to edit some PN themes to include a title for news feeds from other sites. It also took editing to place the line (x reads) Read more... (x bytes more) comments in news stories below the basic text instead of above it in those same themes.

Most anything you will do to affect the appearance of your site will be done by way of themes.

MDP uses the popular AutoTheme as its theme engine. It is HTML based and is easier to use than other theme engines. MDP comes with a few themes although modification is required to use them as the graphics promote MDPro and you will likely want to use your own site name instead. Logo templates are included for that purpose so you can rapidly make use of any included theme by replacing the logo graphic with one that has your site name on it. Additionally, there are hundreds of themes available Some MDP users have modified the stock themes accordingly.

There are a great many advantages to using AutoTheme over other theme types. The one potential drawback is that blocks are displayed whole and there is no adjustment of elements as with the classic PN themes (the entire theme is contained in theme.php).

Free or low cost themes are available on a number of sites. Another option in having a distinctive theme is creating one with AutoTheme. There is a free version (AT Lite) included with MDP and a licensed version of the program. AutoTheme supports short URLs, custom descriptions and meta tags, all of which are important as regards search engines.

The creator of AutoTheme is an MD staff member and this has some distinct advantages. There are some interesting and unique features of AutoTheme developed especially for MDPro. These include Themes on a Date, which can change automatically to a different theme on specific dates (great for holiday themes) and the related Theme Time, which can change themes on specific times of the day. There are further enhancements planned just for AutoTheme on MDP.