Easy Admin Color Schemes — 148 Comments — April 18th, 2008
Today, after a few weeks of development, I am releasing my new WordPress plugin called Easy Admin Color Schemes. WordPress 2.5 introduced the color schemes functionality. But, until today, you couldn’t very easily add your own schemes. You had to actually make your own plugin to be able to have a custom color scheme. Not exactly everyones cup of tea. So, I decided I would create a plugin which had an easy-to-use interface which allowed anyone to add new color schemes painlessly.
Information
Latest Version: 3.2
Download: Easy Admin Color Schemes (209.92 KB) - 2,404 Downloads So Far
Version History
- 04.18.08 –
v1.0– First release - 04.20.08 –
v1.1– Changed some URL query variable names in an attempt to prevent clashing with other plugins - 04.21.08 –
v1.2– Changed the way Last Modified dates are handled so the plugin still works instead of erroring out - 04.22.08 –
v1.3– Fixed an issue with slashes in the CSS content when you save a scheme - 04.23.08 –
v1.4– Added a better-looking default color scheme called Washedout - 04.23.08 –
v1.5– Added error codes to aid in debugging and fixed some image issues with the new Washedout color scheme - 04.26.08 –
v1.6– Added a link to the user profile page right by the Admin Color Scheme selector which links to the plugin - 04.26.08 –
v1.7– Fixed the way the new link on the profile page works so only users with proper permissions can see it - 04.29.08 –
v1.8– Corrected some things to allow for better localization - 05.09.08 –
v2.0– Added a new export feature which allows users to export color schemes in a couple different formats- Also added an upload feature so color schemes that have been exported can be imported back in
- Fixed some issues with setting the current scheme from the plugin page
- Fixed a few spelling errors in various parts of the plugin
- Fixed some problems with the JavaScript
- Fixed a few issues with localization
- Improved the error reporting functions
- 05.14.08 –
v2.1– Fixed the major issue some people were having with setting their current scheme from the plugin page- As a positive side-effect, setting the scheme from the built-in scheme picker on the profile page now works correctly
- 06.25.08 –
v2.2– Removed the link on the user profile page until it can be done more reliably- Also added a new scheme called For the Love of 2.3 which attempts to bring back some of the old WordPress 2.3 styles
- 06.28.08 –
v2.3– Fixed an issue with the new For the Love of 2.3 color scheme- Moved the update preview button to just above the preview window
- Added a note just below the primary colors area in an attempt to relieve some confusion many have been having
- Updated the included screenshot to include the new changes
- 06.28.08 –
v2.4– Fixed (hopefully) the issue with the last modified dates - 08.18.08 –
v2.5– Fixed some issues caused by WordPress 2.6 including an issue with the For the Love of 2.3 scheme- Also updated the Washedout color scheme a bit
- 08.21.08 –
v2.6– Fixed an issue with exporting color schemes with Method 2 of the export functionality- Fixed a few minor issues with the localization parts of the plugin
- Also added a small bit to the Right Now section on the dashboard
- 08.22.08 –
v2.7– Fixed (really this time) the issue with exporting color schemes with Method 2 of the export functionality - 01.22.09 –
v3.0– Updated the plugin interface to fit in better with the new WordPress 2.7 look and be more intuitive- Added collapsible sections to help with overall plugin ease of use
- Added a toggle button for the live preview section
- Removed the Washedout color scheme because it is obsolete with the new default gray color scheme of 2.7
- Removed the For the Love of 2.3 scheme because it is too difficult to maintain with the constant changes in WordPress
- Added two new color schemes called Red and Green which are variations of the default scheme of 2.7
- Now allowing more special characters in the color scheme names and also scheme names up to 200 characters
- Also now allowing editing of color scheme names
- Added a Copy action which will copy the selected color scheme into the Create a Color Scheme form
- Can now export the default WordPress color schemes as well
- Now using a new and improved color picker
- Completely removed previously commented-out code to save on the overall file size
- Fixed a few small bugs here and there
- Updated the included readme, screenshot, and .POT file to include the new changes
- 06.17.09 –
v3.1– Fixed an issue with the last modified times- Added Russian translation thanks to fatcow
- 07.25.09 –
v3.2– Fixed (hopefully) the image display problems in the lower preview pane when adding/editing a color scheme- Fixed a bug in the last modified times function
- Replaced some of the old JavaScript with jQuery code of similar functionality
- Added a new Preview function which opens a preview of the selected color scheme in a lightbox
- Added some more in-depth permissions functionality
- Added the ability for the primary colors to actually affect the color scheme
- Added the ability to set a default color scheme which will affect all new users
- Added the ability to force a certain color scheme on all users regardless of what they choose
- Updated the included readme, screenshot, and .POT file to include the new changes
Screenshots
Installation
This plugin is pretty much like any other WordPress plugin. Just download the zip file containing the plugin, extract it to a temporary directory (like your desktop), upload it to your plugin directory in your WordPress installation, and activate it in the plugin area of your admin interface.
The only other note I can think of is, make sure you have the “schemes” folder (which is inside the “easy-admin-color-schemes” folder) writable. That is required because the plugin needs to interact with that folder to store and access the schemes created with this plugin. If your server runs Linux, you should chmod the folder to something like 777. If your server runs Windows/IIS I don’t believe you have to mess with anything.
Usage
I created the plugin to be as user-friendly as possible. So, I don’t think there needs to be a great deal of explanation of how it works. It has seven main functions: Use, Add, Edit, Copy, Import, Export, and Delete.
Useallows you to set a color scheme as the current one on your profile. So, say you are currently using the Fresh color scheme (default in WordPress 2.5), and you want to switch to a scheme you just created. No problem! Just click on Use next to the scheme you want to use, and bam, you’re now using that scheme.Addlets you do just that, add a new color scheme. All you have to do is fill in the few form fields and click Add Scheme. You’re done! Now anyone who has access to your admin interface can use that scheme.Editwill load up the scheme you have selected into the form. Now you can modify any aspect of the scheme and save it. Simple.Copywill load up the selected scheme in the Create a Color Scheme form with all the same details so you can make a copy of it and modify it for your needs.Importallows you to import pre-existing color schemes into your WordPress site. If you have a CSS file that has the proper headers (e.g. a color scheme that you have exported from the Easy Admin Color Schemes plugin) you can use the import function to be able to use it.Exportwill load up the scheme you have selected into the export form. Now you can choose to export the color scheme as either a special CSS file or a generated WordPress plugin which allows the color scheme to be used on any WordPress site without the need for the Easy Admin Color Schemes plugin.Deleteof course, allows you to delete any scheme (except for schemes that are not compatible with this plugin). Just click Delete next to a color scheme you want to delete, and that’s it!
Known Issues
- Images in the live preview don’t appear correctly. However they do in the actual scheme if you link them correctly.
Important!
- With the major changes in version 2.0 of the plugin there are some major chances for problems. If you experience any problems please get in contact with me right away so I can fix it.
- Users upgrading to version 2.1 of the plugin from any previous version should delete the
wp_admin_colorrow from thewp_usermetatable in the database where WordPress is setup. If this row is not removed the plugin may not function as expected. - If you would like to use this plugin in versions of WordPress prior to 2.7 please download version 2.7 of this plugin. Version 3.0+ of the plugin is for WordPress 2.7 and up only.
Related
- WeblogToolsCollection.com – This plugin was just featured on Weblog Tools Collection. Sweet!
- WordPress.org – My plugin can also be found in the official plugin repository on WordPress.org.
- For the Love of 2.3 – My post on the new scheme included in Easy Admin Color Schemes 2.2
I haven’t been able to test this plugin extensively yet, but I believe it should work on most setups. If you have any problems though, please feel free to get in contact with me. I’d be happy to look into any issues that might exist.
I think that pretty much covers the basics. Come to think of it, I think that pretty much covers everything. Simple huh? Well, give it a go! Let me know what you think! Most importantly, have fun! 
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148 Comments
Yo dude,
Tremendous work, serious well played. Big shame I don’t use WP any more although this new release is tempting me back in.
Thanks for contributing.
Thanks for the kind words man! I just hope some people will find it useful. It seemed like I kept reading how people didn’t like the idea of having to create an entire plugin just to make a new color scheme. I just wanted to address that issue. Heck, maybe this plugin could even be used as a template for how to implement something like this in the WordPress core. Who knows…
Hi James,
Great plugin. I’ve been wanting to do something similar and you have done an excellent job. I would really like to integrate this plugin with my Custom Admin Branding Plugin. With it you can style the login screen and the header and footer of the admin with custom images.
Put the two together and you have a super admin customizer.
What license is your plugin released under?
Hey Josh, thanks for the comment.
I released this plugin under the standard GPL that most WordPress plugins follow. So, it’s open for everyone.
Anyway, I think that’s a great idea! I’d love to work with you on that.
Why isn’t it included as a submenu of the Design menu?
RegardsYeah, my initial idea was to include it on under the design menu, but I wasn’t sure. But, since you mention it, perhaps it would be a good idea to have it there.
Question though, should it be only on the design menu? Or maybe where it is now and the design menu. Not sure how it should be.
I tried using this plugin, but it kept interfering with the plugin management page. I installed it like usual (and I’ve installed plenty of plugins, so I don’t think I did anything unusual there), but after installing it, I couldn’t install or uninstall any other plugin… including this one! When I tried, I would get taken to the Easy Admin Color Schemes page with some kind of error message at the top about an unsupported action? Something like that. The only way to get out of it was to rename or delete the directory in ftp.
I thought it might be a conflict with another plugin, but I disabled everything but Akismet, and it did the same thing.
Just FYI, since it looks like a great plugin. But it’s not worth giving up the ability to install/uninstall other plugins to use it.
Oh really? Weird! I do know of one plugin that it is not working with. It’s the download monitor one. I’m working on a fix for it right now and I’m thinking it might fix compatibility issues with some other plugins at the same time. The fix will be in the next release. I’m working on it right now and I’ll be releasing it shortly. I’ll update this post once I’ve released it. I’d really appreciate it if you could try the new version (once I’ve released it) and let me know if it fixed it.
Hey Rich,
Can you download the latest trunk build of my plugin and let me know if that works for you? Just overwrite the current PHP file of the plugin with the trunk version.(You can find the latest trunk build here)
Few arguments to locate it into the Design submenu.
- it is design
- suppose user do not need it each time, thus can be located into a submenu.
- a lot of plugins with daily usage already use the first menu, and I need space.
- You could rename it scheme or color (minimize space too
I currently evaluate WordPress and a whole bunch of plugins and I have no blog (yet), I am not the most concerned
Regards.Thanks for getting back to me. Those are some good points. I’m going to consider it all and have it changed in the next release. Thanks for your input.
James-
Awesome idea, and I can’t say enough about people like yourselves who offer your time and talents to the world.I’m not having any love with this plugin. I’m running 2.5.1, BTW. The live preview doesn’t actually change, and even though I can create and edit schemes until the cows come home, and with a new scheme active, the colours don’t change. Frustrating, to say the least.
By the way, there is a typo in your success message…it says “Your chnages have been saved” so when you get time you can change chnages to changes!
Well, I can’t say enough about the great people like you who take the time to point out my obvious screw-ups.
Honestly, thanks for taking the time to comment. I wouldn’t have any idea about the problems if you didn’t let me know. Anyway, as for the live preview not working, that has to be a problem with my JavaScript. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it is a JavaScript problem. This plugin is the first time I’ve ever really knuckled-down and made myself learn a bit of JavaScript.
So, I’m sure you can guess that means I’m a bit of a n00b when it comes to that area. However, I did test it out in several browsers before I released the first version. I have just now again tested it in Firefox 2.0.0.14, Opera 9.27, Safari 3.1.1, and Internet Explorer 7. It seems to be working without any errors in all those for me. What browser are you using?About it not using the scheme you choose, I’m not quite sure what might be causing that. Do you get any errors or anything? Have you tried refreshing the page a few times after you set the new theme? It might be a caching issue with your browser. Also, have you tried setting the new theme as your current one in your profile page? If it works from there but not from my plugin page then that would narrow it down to an issue with my plugin.
And as for the typo, I keep typing the word “change” wrong like that lately for some reason.
I’ll fix that right away.Again, thanks for getting in contact with me. If you can give me some feedback on the points I mentioned I hopefully be able to fix the problems really quickly.
Good job, I think is a good idea …. similar than
http://www.wpadminthemes.com/Thanks for the link. That looks like a cool site. Never heard of that site until now. Cool idea.
I’m having the same issue with the Preview not loading, and the new scheme not showing up. I use Firefox 2.0.0.14 and have the latest javascript installed. I’ve refreshed several times, cleared the cache, selected the new theme in my profile as well as on the plugin page, but I have not attempted to restart my PC – will attempt that next.
It’s a great plugin! I just wih it were working for me
Hmm… It must be a real problem considering you are like the 3rd person to report that same issue. I’m just not sure what is causing the problem.
The only thing I can think of for the preview issue is that my JavaScript is not correct. Seeing as I’m not a JavaScript pro that is a real possibility. I’m going to do some searching and forum posting to see if I can find a JS pro that can review my code and see if it has any issues.
As for the scheme not being set, that is all PHP. I am quite knowledgeable with PHP so I don’t believe it to be a problem there. Plus, it works for some people (and me). One possible problem is that it can’t set a custom scheme as your current scheme for some reason. What happens if you try to set one of the default schemes as your current scheme from the plugin page?
hmmm….the plugin isn’t changing anything for me? I’m on WP 2.5.1. I can get into the plugins settins and set up my own scheme. The live preview doesn’t show any change. But when I save the scheme I just created it shows me the scheme with my colour choices and title all proper, and that it is selected. However nothing actually changes.
Looking at question you’ve asked others, I figured I’d answer those same questions. I used to be able to switch between the WP included themes just fine (as of yesterday). But I just discovered with this plugin installed, it says my Custom Theme is the selected theme (though it isn’t showing). But now I can’t seem to change my theme at all. Even to the standard themes.
Thanks for the feedback!
What you have described makes me pretty sure it is an issue with something in my plugin. What is baffling though is the fact that it seems to work for some people but not others.
Like I said in my last comment, I’m gonna do some poking around to see what I can figure out. Hopefully I’ll come up with a fix to the problems.
Anyway, thanks! Your feedback has helped me to track down the problem.
I love your idea. It’s really nice.
But then, I’m having a hard time customizing it. Also, the live preview doesn’t work on 2.5.1. I hope there’s already a premade scheme for us to choose with. It’s quite time consuming to replace those hex codes one by one. I tried it but I ended giving up.
Still looking forward for the changes.
Hey Anne,
Yeah, I’m currently aware of the live preview not working for some people. I’m getting that fixed ASAP!As for schemes, by default the plugin comes with a theme called Washedout that I made. But, the dull grays I’m sure is not everyones cup of tea so I’m planning on adding some more default schemes in the very near future. I’m also currently in collaboration with the creator of WpAdminThemes.com which will hopefully bring even more pre-made schemes into the mix.
So, keep an eye out for that very soon. Also, I will hopefully have the live preview issue fixed very soon too.
Thanks for your comment!
this is a great plugin, and lucky for me, the washout theme is pretty close to what i wanted to do.
I’m glad you like it.
I need help, What i am doing wrong.
Fatal error: Call to undefined function wp_admin_css_color() in G:\server\wamp\www\wordpress\wp-content\plugins\easy-admin-color-schemes\easy-admin-color-schemes.php on line 294What version of WordPress are you using? Also what version of the plugin are you using?
I have the same problem that some report. The preview don’t work, and I can’t change between color schemes.
What is more worying is that when i deactivate this plugin, and can’t change the admin color scheme from the edit profile screen! I’m doing some tests now.. will post more when I’m through with that.
Ok.. I have done some testing, and I’m able to recreate the problem. I have noted down what I did, so you can recreate the problem yourself.
1. Start with a fresh install of wordpress 2.5.1
2. Verify that you can change admin color schemes from the profile screen
3. Copy Ease Admin Color Schemes to the plugins folder and activat the plugin
4. Verify that you can change admin color schemes from the profile screen
5. Set permissions on the schemes subfolder to 777
6. Verify that you can change admin color schemes from the profile screen
7. Go to SETTINGS > COLOR SCHEMES
8. Click on EDIT on the washedout scheme
9. Verify that Live Preview works
10. Click on Create a color scheme
11. Choose some random primary colors
12. Click Update Live Preview
13. Verify that Live Preview DON’T WORK
14. Click on Create Scheme
15. Verify that the new scheme is added to the list (My Cool Scheme)
16. Click USE on My Cool Scheme
17. Verify that NOTHING HAPPENS
18. Deactivate the plugin
19. Go to the profile screen
20. Verify that NO COLOR SCHEME IS SELECTED and you are NOT ABLE TO CHANGE ANY COLOR SCHEMES
21. Reactive the plugin
22. Go to SETTINGS > COLOR SCHEMES
23. Choose USE on the Fresh color scheme
24. Go to the profile screen
25. Verify that the fresh scheme is selected, but you are NOT ABLE TO CHANGE THE COLOR SCHEME
26. Deactivate the plugin and delete the files from the server
27. VERIFY THAT YOU STILL CANNOT CHANGE ADMIN COLOR SHCEMES FROM THE PROFILE SCREEN!!There is something your plugin is doing to wordpress that is destroing it! How do I enable changing of admin color schemes again? Am I sure this is the only thing that isn’t working now? No, I’m not. I have tried copying inn the wordpress files again, but nothing helps.. so it seems the problem is in the database? What data does your plugin change in the db?
I really hope you are able to fix this problem.
Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to track down the problem. I really appreciate it.
I think you’re right. Since re-installing WordPress files doesn’t seem to help it has to be an issue in the database. Since there is only one database entry my plugin changes, there can be only one cause. My plugin changes the admin_color entry in the user meta table of WordPress. It does so utilizing the update_user_option function of WordPress. So, it uses all internal functions, not custom code of mine.
I would really like to know what version of the plugin you are using. Because I made some changes in the new 2.0 version that I was hoping would fix the preview issues. But, if you are using 2.0 then that means my efforts didn’t work.
Anyway, if you could let me know what version of the plugin you’re using that would be great! Thanks again!
I’m using the latest version, 2.0.
Let me know if you want me to do some more testing. I really like your plugin, and want it to work
@bnry – I just updated the plugin to version 2.1. I’m pretty sure that should fix the issue of not being able to set the current scheme. Please take note of the note I added to this post under the “Important” header. If you don’t remove the table row like it says it won’t work.
Please give the new version a try and let me know if it works. Please also let me know if you have any other problems with the plugin. Thanks again for tracking down the problem.
Good news James. After removing the row from the db I had control of my color schemes again, and after installing version 2.1 of the plugin I can create and use my new themes! The Live Preview works also. Good work!
But I have a sugestion for you. The fields where you enter the primary colors don’t really do anything in the theme, with the exception of choosing the colors that “represent” your scheme. I think it would be more intuitive if when you changed one of these colors the plugin would then change the color value in the css-file as well. So if you change the first primary color from #464646 to #FF3FFF it would reflect the same change throughout the css file. Then you could quickly just change the primary colors and you would already be a long way toward your new cool color scheme.
Yeah, I had the same thoughts about the 4 primary colors. The only place those 4 colors are even used is in the list of schemes. I do think they should have some sort of actual function though. I just wasn’t sure what the 4 colors should apply to. What colors should change by changing the 4 colors? How should that be handled? What if someone sets a primary color and then they set it to something else in the main CSS? What should happen then? But, my main concern is what I already said. What should the 4 colors apply to? I think people would argue what they should apply to. Like, color 1 will be the background color of the header, color 2 will be the color of all text, etc. But other people might not like that. Then you’d also have issues with people wanting a 5th color and 6th color and so on. I just don’t know how to go about doing what you’re talking about. I do like the idea though.
Anyway, I’m glad it’s working for you. I feel stupid now that I know what was causing the problem. I just missed out one little variable in a function. Doh!
Thanks again for your help.
I really like the way this plugin is going.
Keep at it cookie.
Thanks man! I like it too.
sigh. still no love for the Rev. with this plugin. I love the idea but it just won’t work for me. No preview and no colour scheme switch. I deleted the entry in my table, which allowed me once again to switch between the 2 default schemes. Then I installed the newest version of EasyAdmin, but no luck. Thanks for the effort tho.
Really?
I thought I had fixed all the major issues…Is there any other info you can provide? Maybe what type of host you’re on? Linux, Windows, etc. You do have the permissions set correctly right? Before my host was switched to PHP5 I was noticing that it took file permissions of 777 before it would work. Also, just any other info specific to your setup would help me track down the problem.
Sorry again that it’s still not working. But if you could get back to me with that info I’d be happy to do some more research.
Thanks!
yo! Found the plugin and was excited to give it a try. I installed v2.2 of your plugin on WP 2.5. I set the schemes folder’s permissions to 777 and activated the plugin.
Upon activation I created my own theme (the preview doesn’t work) and saved it. Upon changing over to my new theme, the colors reverted back to the default BUT it said that my theme was currently in use. I deleted my theme and created a new one, selected it, and again, the colors went back to the blues and oranges but showed that I had selected mine.
Suggestions? I didn’t upgrade from a previous plugin – it was a clean install
I forgot to mention that I AM Able to switch over to both the ‘Washed Out’ and ‘For the Love of 2.3′ with no problem
Sorry to flood your comments. In looking into the schemes folder, I do see that the scheme I created was successfully created (test.css). I even looked at the CSS file itself and saw the colors I chose. So I have no idea why it’s not working.
@Jake: Hmm… That is odd… Especially since you seem to be able to use the 2 schemes included with the plugin. You would think that if you were able to use the schemes that are included that you should be able to use your own.
Well, the only thing I can think of is to try to get some info from you about your specific setup. So if you could look at the couple questions I just asked Rev. and answer them that might help me get an idea of what is going on.
Oh, also, what did you do to make your own scheme? Did you take the default CSS and just modify it? Are you sure you modified enough of the CSS to be able to notice a difference in the styles?
Oh, and what about your browser cache? Have you tried clearing it after you apply your scheme and then refreshing?
(By the way, we’ll get to the preview problem next. I just figured not being able to use your own scheme is of higher priority)
No, I’m not editing the default schemes. I’m creating my own. I chose bright colors specifically so that I would know it changed. I didn’t try clearing my browser cache because I figured if the ones you supplied with the plugin worked successfully then so should the ones I create.
if you have aim/msn/yahoo you can add me and I can screen share and show you exactly what I’m doing.
Just for reference, Jake and I resolved his problem over IM. It turns out it was just a misunderstanding. He thought that all you had to do was edit the four primary colors and the scheme would be done. In actuality, you have to edit the CSS to change anything.
However, I’m planning on releasing a new functionality in the next version that will allow you to edit just the four colors and get results. I think that will make it much easier for people who don’t really know CSS. I will still keep the option to edit the raw CSS as an “advanced” feature though for those who want it.
hi. Thanks for plugin
perfect.
Regards
I’m glad you like it. Thanks for the comment.
We chatted in email, but I wanted to post up how much I like this plugin. Now that it’s working for me I’m able to ‘darken up’ my admin area to fit the overall feel of my site! Thanks for the plugin. I can’t wait for the simplified version you mentioned. Ive been able to get things pretty nice using the CSS, but some things I can’t quite figure. I’ll get it through trial and error I’m sure!
I’m glad to hear you’re getting it figure out. Maybe you could send me a copy of the scheme you come up with when you’re done. I’d be interested in seeing where you take it.
As for the simplified version, it’s looking like it’s going to be harder than I had originally thought. See, setting four colors in the scheme is not enough. If you just change the four main colors of the scheme by searching and replacing the colors for that scheme, there are still many other shades of blue left all over the place. My idea for that was to take the base four colors and darken or lighten them according to where they’re used. However, that hasn’t been working out too well so far. I found a few functions online for darkening and lightening hex colors in PHP but those don’t seem to do it quite right. Other ways I’ve attempted to do it have also not worked out too well.
So, for now, I’m not sure how to make it so all you have to do is enter the four colors. It’s not that I don’t want to. I think it’s a great idea and all. I just can’t figure out a very feasible way of doing it at the moment.
Perhaps someone will stumble across my little plugin with a good way to achieve it and let me know. That would be great.
thanks for youe work ,I will try it
??????????????????Heyyyy…. am I not figuring something out or is the download link broken (ie. forwards to the front page, at least on OSX + Safari..)
I’m asking, since I’d wanted to try out the new v2.5 (have been using 2.4) – I really love the idea of EACS, but it still having bugs kind of prevents me from using it the way I need to. There’s a bug which prevents you from adding or editing (or submitting after editing, more like) your own schemes. Importing schemes works fine, but unless you go all Sherlock on the code, you won’t be able to create new ones.
Pressing the “Create scheme” button gives “The upload file is empty or invalid” whereas if I press the “Import Scheme”-button, the plugin goes “The scheme CSS file is empty or invalid!”. This seems wonky, shouldn’t the error messages be the other way around?
Anywho, creating a new scheme doesn’t work UNLESS you first select a foobar file from the import menu and THEN press “Create scheme”. Since the foobar file is never uploaded, a new scheme with a template CSS file is created – and only then can you edit and/or modify the Scheme. It’s a bit frustrating, since you need to go edit the files from the shell and kind of takes away the point of the whole EACS plugin :/
Keep working tho, this is a GREAT plugin!
I’m using EACS 2.4 on WP 2.6.0 on Mac OSX and Safari 3.0.4.
Best,
LarsHey Lars, thanks for taking the time to comment. It sounds like you’re having all sorts of problems. That’s not good…
The download link seems to work for me. I’m on Ubuntu 8.04 using Firefox 3.0.1. But, perhaps you’re trying the wrong link. I recently discovered that the download manager plugin I am using on this site stopped working with clean URLs so I had to change the setting to use messy URLs. So, perhaps you’re still trying the old link or something. Make sure this is what you’re trying:
http://www.jamesdimick.com/?dl_id=1
Please let me know if that doesn’t work either. I’ll try to hunt down the problem then.As for the other problems you’re talking about, I neglected to check if the basic functionality was still working in WordPress 2.6. I just assumed it should still work because I didn’t think there was that many changes from WordPress 2.5 to 2.6. But, since you are reporting problems I’ll be sure to take a look now. You’re right that the plugin is pointless if the main functionality of it doesn’t work correctly.
Anyway, try the download link I’m posting in this comment and let me know if that works. I’ll get right on those other issues. I’ll post back if I come up with anything.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Lars, I just got done doing some testing of my plugin. Everything seems to work just fine for me. There is only one problem I’ve found and that is if you happen to have the Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin (or any plugin which utilizes the PclZip class from the WordPress core). If you try to export a color scheme using method 2 (a standalone WordPress plugin) you get an error. That is because I didn’t have code in my plugin to check if the file that has the PclZip class was already included. So, my plugin ends up including the file with the class a second time which results in an error.
I have already put a fix in my local copy of the plugin and I’ll have it available in the next release.
But, as I said, everything else seems to work just fine for me. Perhaps you can give me some more details on your particular server configuration (such as: php version, operating system, etc). I only ask because it seems to work for me so that makes me think that it might be some specific issue with your particular server or it’s configuration. Also, please ensure that you have your file permissions on the plugin folder and inner schemes folder set correctly.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment. I hope to hear back from you soon.
One more thing…
I just (hopefully) fixed the issue with downloading the plugin from here. The download link in this post should work correctly now. Please let me know if it doesn’t though.
Any thoughts on how this plug-in will work with WordPress 2.7?
Hey Ken, thanks for stopping by.
To answer your question, I do plan on attempting to make this plugin work with WordPress 2.7. I’m just waiting for all the design elements to be finalized on 2.7 before I delve into making my plugin work with it. There have been some major changes to WordPress in 2.7 so it may take me a little time to get everything ironed out. The basic functionality of the plugin should remain the same but there are a few things I need to address in order for it to work with 2.7.
Anyway, yes, I will be working on making this plugin 2.7-compatible. It just may not be finished until a while after 2.7 has it’s final release.
Thanks again for stopping by.
would love to know when this is ready to rock for 2.7 – thanks for keeping it going
Hey Jason,
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the comment. I really appreciate it!The new version of EACS will be jumping to 3.0 because there will be quite a few changes and also it will only be compatible with WordPress 2.7 and up. I’d say the new version is about 80% complete at this moment. I still have a few small things to work on and some bug hunting to do. But things are moving along pretty quickly so far so as long as nothing bad happens you can expect the new version very soon.
By the way, I love your site. Very awesome design! Great work.
James – I’m looking forward to the release of 3.0 of this plugin – I have a few clients who love everything about WP2.7 EXCEPT the color schemes available. (Some of us old women need more contrast on those screens!)
Thanks in advance for upgrading it to work with 2.7.
Hey Suzanne,
Thanks for the comment!I’m glad you like the plugin. I also read your post about it on your Website. Thanks for the mention. I also really like your site. Great work.
As for the plugin, it is now at about 98% complete. Just a few last-minute fixes and additions and then it should be ready for the world. It is quite a change from version 2.7 of the plugin so I hope people will like it. It has a new (and hopefully improved) interface and some new functionality as well. I also plan to include a few more color schemes by default. I’m thinking maybe a red and green variation of the default color scheme.
I agree with you about the contrast. I was recently viewing my dashboard on another computer with an older LCD and the contrast was so bad I couldn’t even differentiate between the white background and the subtle grays of the other parts of the design.
Anyway, thanks again for the comment. The new version of the plugin should be out any day now. Thanks for the support!
Awesome plugin! I just ran into an error I thought I’d report. When trying to create a new scheme using a pre-existing one (from copy) I got the following error:
Fatal Error!
A fatal error occurred while trying to interact with needed files and directories. This could mean your server is not configured properly and/or the files and directories are not writable…
— Easy Admin Color Schemes [Error Code: 2]Sorry, I should have read first! I chmod’d my schemes dir to 777 and it worked!!!
Hey there!
I’m sorry you ran into an error. But, I’m glad you were able to resolve it.If you run into any more errors feel free to get in contact with me and I’d be happy to look into it.
Thanks for the comment.
Hello webmaster
I would like to share with you a link to your site
write me here preonrelt@mail.ruHi James this is great but i am getting an error code 3 and can’t find where to find out what this is.
Hello Marshall,
Thank you for the comment!Error code 3 usually indicates that there was a problem reading and/or writing to needed files. This is commonly caused by not having the correct permissions on the files.
Have you tried setting the permissions of your schemes directory to a high enough level to allow access? I have found in some rare situations that the plugin only seems to work when you have the schemes directory set to 777. That is generally not recommended for security reasons but you might give it a try to see if that helps. If it does, you can try lower and lower settings to try to see what the lowest setting is it will work with on your particular setup.
Also, if you want to work with the schemes that are included with the plugin by default (Red, Green, etc) you’ll need to set the permissions on those files as well. Or, if you have a setup that will allow it, just do a recursive permissions set on the entire schemes directory and all of its contents.
I hope that information can help you. Just let me know if what I’ve suggested doesn’t work and I’d be happy to troubleshoot further with you.
Thanks again for the comment and thanks for using my plugin. Good luck!
Hello,
an amazing plugin I must say. It makes blogging even more enjoyable. Thanks a lot.
I just had a question about “ready-made” color schemes that we can download in addition to those that are available. Are there any?Thanks,
Wa7diHi there!
Thanks for the kind words!There are a few schemes floating around out there from what I’ve seen. But, in the near future I plan to create a site or section of my site which will be dedicated to color schemes. A directory of sorts. That way anyone can visit and see a ton of color schemes to choose from and download. In the further future I may even create a link between the directory and the plugin so you can install new schemes directly from the plugin interface. But, as I said, that will most likely be the further future. But in the near future, keep an eye out for the directory I’m talking about.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for using my plugin.
There’s an error:
Warning: filemtime() [function.filemtime]: stat failed for /home/frodo/public_html/files/files/wp-admin/css/colors-classic.css in /home/frodo/public_html/files/wp-content/plugins/easy-admin-color-schemes/easy-admin-color-schemes.php on line 455
Basically it is in a sub-folder “files” it cannot locate the things it needs. because it puts two sub-folders there “files/files”
Hi!
Thanks for reporting that. I’ll investigate it further and have a fix in the next version. Hopefully I’ll have it out very soon. I’m adding some new features as well so it may take a while.
Thanks again for the report!
Hey man, nice work, once again
Keep it up!Hey man,
Very nice plugin. Just what I wanted. I was getting tired of the default colors!.A pink and a yellow color sheme. Who have one?
I might make one some day. I’ve been meaning to get around to creating some new schemes to include with the plugin by default. Just been kind of busy lately. I’m actually working on a new plugin as we speak.
Hello!
I love your plugin, it’s really well done.
However, is there any chance to make a custom color scheme that would apply by default to any new registered user please? And override the Wordpress default colours.
Thanks in advance for your reply!
Hi there!
Yes, you can do that easily. Just create a scheme and save it and then select it from the list in the Settings panel of the plugin where it says “The site-wide default color scheme is:”. Click “Save Changes” and you should be good to go.
Hope that helps.
Thank you very much for your reply, as well as for your hard work on this plugin! It’s awesome and works perfectly.
May I suggest a feature ? It would be fantastic if the admin could choose, by forcing a colour scheme for all users, to remove the radio inputs on the user’s profile which normally let them choose their favourite colour scheme.
Since you force one, there’s no need to suggest a choice to the registered user that he, in the end, hasn’t really got.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Yes, I really want to be able to do that. The only problem is there aren’t really any hooks currently in the WordPress core that would allow me to do that. However, I know that would be really nice to have so I’m going to submit a ticket to the core that will add such hooks.
I’ve never submitted a ticket for such a thing though so it may take some time to figure out. So, keep an eye out for that perhaps in the next version.
Thanks again!
Green Color Theme – easy way to change color. Man this is so sweat .Perfect for my ganja fan site
. Saved me lots of time . Thanks
Craig said: 
Ramsey said: 
