Our new theme: Absolute Weaver

[Weaver]

Absolute Weaver is our newest theme. It is a new, streamlined version of our long-time favorite theme, Weaver Xtreme.

Absolute Weaver

 

Why are we releasing a slimmed down version of Weaver Xtreme? Well, the state of web design, and WordPress, has changed since Weaver Xtreme was first developed. Many of the features of Weaver Xtreme are in may ways no longer critically needed. The advent of the Gutenberg block editor, and several great page builders, has changed the way websites are built. While Weaver Xtreme’s options will remain relevant and critical for many web site designers, others will appreciate the simplifications of Absolute Weaver.

The current version of Absolute Weaver is very stable as it is totally based on the original code for Weaver Xtreme, but with a reduced option set. It is currently in the review queue at WordPress.org, and given the current theme review queue length, it is likely to be reviewed by May or June of 2019. In the meantime, feel free to use and try this new, streamlined version of Weaver.

Here are some of the features of Absolute Weaver:

• Streamlined, Customizer only based options.
• No old-style legacy option interface – really, it is time to switch to the Customizer.
• No Theme Support plugin available or required. A set of shortcodes, and perhaps Gutenberg Block Editor blocks may be provided. Some new theme helper classes have been added (and to Weaver Xtreme as well) that can take the place of some of the show/hide shortcodes for use within the Block Editor.
• Options greatly simplified. Advanced Weaver Xtreme options such as HTML insertion areas, CSS+, shortcodes, and other obscure options have been eliminated. Weaver Xtreme will continue to be supported for those options.
• Absolute Weaver does not have a secondary menu – just the primary menu and the header mini menu. Support for the “Smart Menu” is standard.
• An premium Absolute Weaver Plus plugin will be available with attractive licensing terms – unlimited sites at prices less than Weaver Xtreme Plus.
• Customizer loads very quickly. The Customizer follows the Weaver Xtreme “what to customize” model, but has some rearrangements.
• 100% upward compatible Weaver Xtreme. Absolute Weaver settings are a true subset of Weaver Xtreme settings. That means that Absolute Weaver settings loaded into Weaver Xtreme will yield an identically styled site. And Weaver Xtreme settings loaded into Absolute Weaver will work for those options included in the Absolute Weaver subset.

 

Click to DOWNLOAD Absolute Weaver

[Maureen]

Quick question: if I install Absolute Weaver, the only other plugin I might need is Absolute Weaver Plus? Just the theme and 1 plugin?

[Weaver]

There no Absolute Weaver Plus yet. But there is the Absolute Weaver Theme Support plugin which add support for saving and restoring theme settings.

[Maureen]

Thanks! Just downloaded and will install on my site.

[curtiss]

Will this theme remove some of the bulk and load time for large weaver sites?

[Weaver]

I’m not sure what a “larger” site is – more pages? More options? More plugins?

Absolute Weaver is definitely quicker on the backend. The frontend load for a “basic” site (not a lot of plugins mostly, no page builders) is not a lot different between the two – but neither Absolute nor Xtreme really have a huge runtime load. And while Weaver Xtreme Plus can add a few new style and script files, they aren’t loaded unless you actually used one of the advanced features.

But while either version of Weaver will some style and script overhead compared to a bare bones theme likeTwenty Nineteen, these things are necessary for some of the features provided by any of the more advanced themes. And with today’s general web speed, it is not really not noticeable for the average site visitor. A decent cache plugin or caching service like Cloudflare can eliminate almost all loading overhead for any advanced theme.

In my current experience, the overall overhead of WordPress (and there is some) is not much changed by a particular theme – the core WP overhead accounts for most of any delay.

[Author]

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