This tutorial relates to displaying a image slider in the header area of different WordPress themes.
Tools Used:
- I used a free web design tool, Paint.net to create the slider images
- Images are 960px width & 330px height.
- Genesis simple hooks plugin
- Easing Slider Plugin
Area’s we’ll display the slider include:
- Before your header
- In your header (yeah!)
- After your header
Once you install the plugin, go to the slider settings and:
- Set the width and height
- Customize the border width & color
- Customize the padding width & color
Create and upload your images according to these settings.
Add image file link and click thru url’s.
Display Options
You can use a shortcode or the php script
1. Shortcode in posts/pages:
[easingsliderlite]
2. Php function in template files (such as header.php, index.php, home.php, etc.):
<?php if ( function_exists( "easingsliderlite" ) ) { easingsliderlite(); } ?>3. Custom code in your child themes functions.php file which includes a theme specific hook location and conditional tag.
Execute PhP In Your Theme
You can write a custom function and hook it in using one of your theme’s action hooks.
Or you can install a hook plugin and simply add the php code above to the hook field. Like this:
Example Of Slider After Header
Here’s an example of what the slider looks like using the code above to display the slider after the header.
I reduced the height of the header area to zero before adding this code.
Here’s what it looks like using the Lifestyle theme on top of Genesis without the shadow arc effect.
This example shows the slider displayed using the same hook with the Genesis theme framework without a child theme and with the shadow arc effect turned on.
Your slider will blend in perfectly with your background so you won’t even notice its a slider. You can also change the appearance of slider so it
Displaying Slider In Header
You will have to change the size of your header area in both your themes functions and style.css files.
You can easily change the size of your header area if you are using a Genesis child theme from StudioPress.
Insert the php code in the hooks header field.
This is what your slider will look like if you follow this method.
Its will include the nav menu in the bottom part of the header on the homepage and even more so on your single posts and pages. You might like to keep it that way depending on your images or you may want to change it by adjusting the CSS.
Here’s what it looks like if you
The header is replaced entirely with the slider and the navigation menu displays below the slider which you can remove easily or move to above the slider.
Note the shadow Arc effect which you can turn on and off.
Here’s what the slider looks like with the shadow Arc turned off.
Display Slider Before Header
Lets finally take a look at how to display the slider before the header area.
Paste the slider code into the genesis_before_header Hook field.
I’ve also reduced the header height to zero in the Genesis theme’s style.css file.
Line 189 folks!!
#header {
margin: 0 auto;
min-height: 0px;
width: 100%;
}Slider Before Header With Shadow Arc
Slider Before Header Without Shadow Arc
Adding Sliders in Other Themes
If your themes uses hooks, then you’re in luck as its the easiest way to execute php code in WordPress.
Image Slider In Twenty Eleven Theme
Paste the php code for the slider into the header.php around line 77
Comment the header image out as shown in the screenshot below.
Here’s what the slider looks like in Twenty Eleven
Adding Slider in Twenty Twelve Theme
Add the slider code to the header.php file around line 41
Looks even better once you enable the shadow Arc effect.
What do you think?
Slider Header Image Gallery
Compare which slider display option is right for your theme’s header area.
Video – Watch & Learn
Display Video’s & Text In Slide Show
Here’s a post i wrote earlier about how to create slide shows using a WordPress plugin.
You can also use this plugin to pull content from YouTube and other social media networks into your slide shows dynamically.
hello all
run wp version 4
with responsivepro theme and responsive-pro child theme
want to add meta-slider into the header
as i am new to wp i wonder how to do this
can some one assist here
love to hear from you
greetings
Happy to help Martin
Please sign up for monthly membership
Hi Brad, great tutorial. I want to add the easing slider to the header. I’m working through the instructions and am trying to paste the code in the my child theme’s header.php. Problem is that I am using the Twenty Fourteen theme and am not sure exactly where to past the code. Can you give me some specific guidance and/or line number where to paste the code?
Thanks so much!
Copy the header.php file to a child theme and paste the code where you want to display the slider in the file.
Sorry, there’s no sound on this video. Other videos play fine. So, maybe just as well, as I would get hyper-frustrated trying to work with this. Seriously. I recently learned how to format a kindle book, using quite a bit of CSS code. I feel like that’s a huge achievement! LOL. And I’m looking into doing my own audiobook recording. But frankly, this looks totally intimidating. After my experience with the Frisco theme, I wouldn’t readily try to work with a slider, not until the process is simplified considerably. I’ve just scrolled down through this silent page and it’s fairly overwhelming. My hat off to those who can do this sort of stuff. I now have Wultim theme for my webpage, and it’s fine, with mailchimp forms for signups. For now, it’s sort of a static site, no slider or other dynamic elements. Maybe someday I’ll do this sort of stuff on my site …
Its a walk in the park really.
Only need to add one line of code in your header.
I have a problem with easing slider, make slideshows, and put the code in the header.php, appears slider, but I have no control over it, I can not move him where suits me, for example in the middle, and nowhere does his css code that could change, thank you for your response in advance … best regards
Thank you, thank you! From your detailed information, I was able to figure out how to install the slideshow in my header for the Tiny Forge theme!
Blessings on you!
Hi Brad Dalton,
This is wasim from India. you have given very excellent tips about image slider plugin but just i want to little bit that we can use the slder plugin only twenty eleven theme…..i want to design my own theme how it is possible …………would you explain me clearly.
You would need to add all the code from the slider plugin to the theme files. Not really recommended.
Hello Brad,
Thank you for great tutorial!
I have a theme Twenty Twelve and I found
excellent explanation HOW and WHERE insert php code for slider.
Thanks again,
Svitlana
You’re welcome Svitlana
hey brad…i have a question…i was able to do this…your video was awesome. anyways…i was able to enable the new sliding feature but there is a black circle image on the top left corner of all my slider images. how can i take that out? what is that?
I couldn’t find any black circle on any images.
Looks like you fixed it Drew.
Thanks for the comment.
brad…i see it in chrome but i don’t see it in firefox. what browser are you viewing it from?
i see it in chrome…but not in FF
Must be a browser issue.
You might want to try using http://validator.w3.org/ to validate your markup.
Otherwise, Firebug or Chrome Dev tools may help.
I did one of your tutorials on how to transfer my localhost website to a live web host and I really messed up my wordpress site please help!
I would install WordPress again and use the export tool to move the content over. You can then upload all your files and change the DB connection details in your wp-config.php file.
I do offer a free migration service which includes restoration of file as long as you use my link when buying hosting.
Hi Brad,
appreaciation from my side for your tutorials…
But i get a problem with the theme Raindrops and Easing Slider “Lite” … it doesn’t work at all !!!
i put the code wherever in the header.php but nothing showed…
Please, give me 5 minutes of your time…
Cheers
Gianni
Did you also install the plugin and add images?
Double check that you have used the correct code because some code is for the header.php and some for custom functions when using Genesis themes.
Hi Brad
I’ve looked at your blog and video but can’t see how it relates to the theme that I use – Minimal. I’m wanting to replace the header with the slider but can’t figure out how to do it. As I’m not using Genesis, what free plug ins should I use?
Peter
Hi Peter.
Use Easing Slider or Soliloquy. You’ll find that link leads to a tutorial on how to do it and contains a link at the end of the post on how to add Easing slider to the header of any theme.
I’ve also created a video on how to do it.
awesome.. thanx bro…
Happy to help Santosh!
Thanks for great tutorial… made my life easier with my site’s header…. Cheeers mate….
where to I put the code for the slider for my Theme which is “Raindrops”
Hi Raymond. In the header.php file