While extending the Arthemia theme for a client (Community Hospital EMR, part of the EHR Group, Inc.) we ran into an issue around providing an appropriate abstract for posts which were really only a couple of lines of introduction and a YouTube link. Of course adding a video-thumbnail instantly gives the Featured abstract the instant context of being a video. However, we didn’t want to over-engineer the theme with logic to detect the presence of a YouTube object.

Our friend Google turned up a post by Bernie Zimmermann detailing how to extract a Dynamic YouTube Image Thumbnail.

We can amend the standard YouTube URL format, to deliver one of three image-thumbnails available for any YouTube video. When a video is uploaded to YouTube, three image thumbnails are automatically created, and the video author can elect one as they preferred thumbnail.

This top URL is the actual YouTube video

VIDEO URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4

IMAGE URL is http://img.youtube.com/vi/bNF_P281Uu4/2.jpg

This bottom URL is the thumbnail #2 for this video. Therefore we can play with the image URL to get the best image to place as a thumbnail for our article. These are images 1.jpg, 2.jpg (the best and most iconic for the video) and 3.jpg.

A little bit of additional digging reveals the default image used by the YouTube video window. This is image 0.jpg.

BlogEngine.NET, Featured BlogEngine.NET, Featured

While extending the Arthemia theme for a client (Community Hospital EMR, part of the EHR Group, Inc.) we ran into an issue around providing an appropriate abstract for posts which were really only a couple of lines of introduction and a YouTube link. Of course adding a video-thumbnail instantly gives the Featured abstract the instant context of being a video. However, we didn’t want to over-engineer the theme with logic to detect the presence of a YouTube object.

Our friend Google turned up a post by Bernie Zimmermann detailing how to extract a Dynamic YouTube Image Thumbnail.

We can amend the standard YouTube URL format, to deliver one of three image-thumbnails available for any YouTube video. When a video is uploaded to YouTube, three image thumbnails are automatically created, and the video author can elect one as they preferred thumbnail.

This top URL is the actual YouTube video

VIDEO URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4

IMAGE URL is http://img.youtube.com/vi/bNF_P281Uu4/2.jpg

This bottom URL is the thumbnail #2 for this video. Therefore we can play with the image URL to get the best image to place as a thumbnail for our article. These are images 1.jpg, 2.jpg (the best and most iconic for the video) and 3.jpg.

A little bit of additional digging reveals the default image used by the YouTube video window. This is image 0.jpg.

BlogEngine.NET, Featured BlogEngine.NET, Featured

We’re working with Dave Burke’s open-source Sueetie applications to provide Theme support. We want to provide the foundation for the Sueetie community and customers to develop or customize their own Sueetie themes.

We have to start somewhere, so have chosen a set of different themes which show the diversity of Theme possibilities and which can be easily amended using CSS customization within a new Sueetie Theme administration section. The new themes chosen are already available as Wordpress or BlogEngine.NET Themes.

The Sueetie Theme Pack will provisionally contain the following themes:

1. Lollipop (a working title) – this is Dave Burke’s original Sueetie Theme. See here for this live theme.

2. Paperclip – this uses a standard width background header graphic which can be easily changed to create a new style. Original Design by Telligent. Demo here.

3. Leaves – Original Design by SmallPark, Adapted by RazorAnt. Demo here.

4. Scruffy – Original Design by Cobus Bester of FRESH01. Demo here.

More news when we have these live as Sueetie Themes.

Nick

Sueetie, Featured Sueetie, Featured

We’re working with Dave Burke’s open-source Sueetie applications to provide Theme support. We want to provide the foundation for the Sueetie community and customers to develop or customize their own Sueetie themes.

We have to start somewhere, so have chosen a set of different themes which show the diversity of Theme possibilities and which can be easily amended using CSS customization within a new Sueetie Theme administration section. The new themes chosen are already available as Wordpress or BlogEngine.NET Themes.

The Sueetie Theme Pack will provisionally contain the following themes:

1. Lollipop (a working title) – this is Dave Burke’s original Sueetie Theme. See here for this live theme.

2. Paperclip – this uses a standard width background header graphic which can be easily changed to create a new style. Original Design by Telligent. Demo here.

3. Leaves – Original Design by SmallPark, Adapted by RazorAnt. Demo here.

4. Scruffy – Original Design by Cobus Bester of FRESH01. Demo here.

More news when we have these live as Sueetie Themes.

Nick

Sueetie, Featured Sueetie, Featured