Arras 1.5.5 is now officially available for download.

This version is the first re-release of the Arras Theme since restarting development from Arras 1.5.3-RC1. It includes all the features that were present in version 1.5.3.

ARRAS 2.0 is known to be unstable with WordPress 3.9. If you’re using Arras 2.0, I highly recommend rolling back to version 1.5.5 for now. Many of the 2.0 features will return in future releases.

In this release I’ve focused on fixing various JavaScript conflicts that have developed since the last release 2 years ago. Unconventional loading of scripts has been cleaned up to minimize scripting conflict with plugins.

Overall, you should find that things are much more stable, and the slideshow issues that have plagued Arras users since WP 3.8 have been cleared up. Specifically, I’ve addressed the following issues:

Bug Fixes:

• Fix Admin bar search background css bug
• Fix wp_reset_query() issue in arras_document_description() - library/template.php
• Fix Sidebar registration to properly fire on wp_init - functions.php
• Remove unused actions and constants - functions.php
• Add initial content_width global - functions.php
• Fix js loading from all over. JS now loads via wp_enqueue_scripts()
• Eliminate outdated jQuery and use jQuery and migrate (1.11.0 / 1.2.1) packaged with WP
• Eliminate outdated jQuery HoverIntent and use r7 packaged with WP
• Remove outdated/unnecessary scripts (jQuery Validator and jQuery superslight)
• Fix tabbed sidebar widget script loading
• Add dynamic sizing to default thumbnail image

Other Changes:

• Convert form input backgrounds from image to css3 gradient
• Move Arras Theme Admin Pages to an Appearance submenu
• Remove Donate Button from Admin sidebar
• Set “About Arras Theme” URL in footer to new website
• Update Superfish menu to latest version (1.7.4)

Milestones and Priorities

My immediate priorities for development are to start re-integrating some of the HTML5/CSS3 features that were part of Arras 2.0.

Features proposed for implementation in future versions include:
* Conversion to HTML5/CSS3 (the previous developer did this in Arras 2.0. The redevelopment will follow a similar track to maintain as much consistency as possible.)
* Make search bar in header optional
* Allow custom color settings in the header
* Make page meta info (author, time and date info, etc) configurable separately from single post meta info
* Add Theme support for custom posts types
* Make the theme mobile-ready

If you have an idea for future development or new features, I’m open to suggestions.

If you’re using the theme with your own modifications, please use a child theme to avoid losing your customizations.

(Photo by Napafloma-Photographe, by permission Creative Commons.)