Zeitfresser-Wordpress-Theme/readme.md

Zeitfresser Theme

A performance-optimized, minimalist dark blog theme for WordPress, focused on privacy, security, and technical content.

Originally based on Daisy Blog, this theme has been heavily refactored, simplified, and extended into a lean, production-ready custom theme.

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✨ Features

🚀 Performance First

• Optimized asset loading (no unnecessary scripts/styles)
• Removed WordPress bloat (emoji, embeds, etc.)
• Lazy loading images (loading="lazy")
• Async decoding (decoding="async")
• WebP image support (if server supports it)
• Reduced image sizes & optimized upload handling
• Minimal JavaScript footprint (vanilla JS only)

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🧠 Core Web Vitals Optimized

• No layout shifts (CLS-safe)
• Optimized Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Efficient DOM structure
• Lightweight scroll-based TOC (no heavy libraries)

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🖼️ Image Optimization (Native)

• Automatic downscaling of large uploads
• Removed unused intermediate image sizes
• Balanced image quality vs. file size
• Optional WebP generation for thumbnails

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📑 Floating Table of Contents (TOC)

• Editorial-style floating TOC (left side)
• Automatically generated from headings (H2–H4)
• Smooth scrolling navigation
• Active section highlighting
• Progress indicator
• Responsive (hidden on smaller screens)
• Scrollable without visible scrollbar

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⚙️ Customizer Options

Located under General Options → Article TOC

• Show Article TOC

  • Enable/disable TOC globally
  • Default: enabled

• Number of Headlines to Start TOC

  • Minimum number of headings required
  • Default: 3
  • Range: 1–50

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🎨 Design Philosophy

• Minimalist dark theme
• Strong focus on readability
• Accent color driven (purple highlight system)
• No visual clutter
• Editorial-style layout inspired by modern tech blogs

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🧹 Clean Code Architecture

• Removed legacy theme bloat
• Modular structure
• Reduced CSS overrides and conflicts
• Centralized configuration handling
• No unnecessary dependencies

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🔤 Typography

• Oswald (headings)
• Roboto (body)
• Optimized loading and fallback handling

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📱 Responsive

• Fully responsive layout
• TOC automatically disabled on smaller screens
• Optimized mobile navigation

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🛠️ Development Notes

• Built with performance and maintainability in mind
• No jQuery dependency
• Async-first approach where possible
• Designed for long-form technical content

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📦 Installation

1. Download or clone the repository
2. Upload the theme to: /wp-content/themes/
3. Activate the theme in WordPress: Appearance → Themes

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⚡ Recommended Setup

For best performance:

• Enable server-side caching
• Use a CDN (optional but recommended)
• Optimize existing images (if migrating from another theme)
• Use modern hosting (PHP 8+ recommended)

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📌 Roadmap (Optional Ideas)

• Code block enhancements (copy button, syntax highlighting)
• Advanced TOC features (collapsible sections)
• Content utilities (callouts, notes, warnings)
• Further Core Web Vitals improvements

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📄 License

GPL v2 or later
Based on Daisy Blog, heavily modified and optimized.

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💬 About

Zeitfresser is designed for developers, privacy enthusiasts, and technical writers who want a fast, clean, and distraction-free blogging experience.

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