In the following video, I’m going to show you how to set up your new menu, and once we’ve covered the basics, I’ll show you how to use the new design controls to style your menu!

Thesis 1.6 has arrived, and it’s packed with new design controls that are so fun and easy to use, you’ll be addicted in no time! Stop wondering what all the fuss is about—it’s time to get Thesis!

Resource : http://diythemes.com/thesis/dropdown-navigation/

Occasionally, you may need to un-hook (or remove) one or more of these elements, and you’ll need to know which hook to target in order to get your desired result. The following list details these default elements and their associated hooks¹:

Thesis nav menu
This is the page-based navigation menu that contains your “home” link.

• thesis_nav_menu function
• thesis_hook_before_header hook

Header
By default, the header contains your site title and tagline, and it appears directly beneath your nav menu.

• thesis_default_header function
• thesis_hook_header hook

Post tags
This is a simple list of the tags associated with a particular post. You can control its visibility in the Thesis Options panel, and you can change its location by moving it to a different hook.

• thesis_post_tags function
• thesis_hook_after_post hook

Comments link
This is the “{ 2 comments }” text that appears after each post on index and archive pages.

• thesis_comments_link     function
• thesis_hook_after_post     hook

Post navigation
Links to the preceding and succeeding posts that appear only on single post pages.

• thesis_prev_next_posts     function
• thesis_hook_after_content     hook

Previous/next post navigation
Paged-based post navigation that appears only on index and archive pages

• thesis_post_navigation     function
• thesis_hook_after_content     hook

Subscribe to Comments plugin compatibility
If you’re using the Subscribe to Comments plugin, Thesis will detect this and add the appropriate code to your comment form.

• show_subscription_checkbox     function
• thesis_hook_comment_form     hook

Archive page information box
On archive pages, the informational block that appears above the list of posts is hooked into place.

• thesis_default_archive_info     function
• thesis_hook_archive_info     hook

Thesis attribution
The DIYthemes attribution link is hooked into place by default.

• thesis_attribution     function
• thesis_hook_footer     hook

Footer scripts
Thesis uses a hook to insert the footer scripts that you can define in your Thesis Options panel.

• thesis_footer_scripts     function
• thesis_hook_after_html     hook

404 page title
Because your 404 page’s title and content are hooked into place, your 404 page is completely customizable!

• thesis_404_title     function
• thesis_hook_404_title     hook

404 page content
You can add any HTML you want to your 404 page’s content area.

• thesis_404_content     function
• thesis_hook_404_content     hook

source : http://diythemes.com/thesis/rtfm/default-hook-usage/

The beauty here, however, is that you don’t have to be a programmer or coder of any sort to understand and utilize the Thesis hook system. If you can cut and paste, then you shouldn’t have any trouble making basic, effective (and best of all, futureproof!) customizations to your theme.

By leveraging hooks, you can isolate all of your custom HTML changes to a single file—custom_functions.php. Without question, this is the most powerful and efficient way to run your site with the Thesis WordPress framework.

Using the Thesis Hook System

More than likely, your preferred use of hooks will be to insert your own custom bits of HTML into specific locations around the theme. Conveniently, you can accomplish this from within your custom_functions.php file, and the entire process consists of just two steps:

1. construct a simple function to house your custom HTML
2. tell Thesis where to place your custom code by specifying the appropriate hook

Sounds easy enough, right? To illustrate the specifics, we’re going to look at a few examples, but before we get into that, you need to know the two basic commands that will allow you to work with both Thesis and WordPress hooks.

Hook Commands

Hooks run whatever functions you tell them to run, so ultimately, working with them is a pretty straightforward process. You can add a function to any hook by using the add_action() command, which takes the following form:

add_action('hook_name', 'your_custom_function');

Hooks can run any number of functions, and in many cases, you may want to run two or more functions in a single hook location. In order to run a second (or third, or fourth, etc.) function at a particular hook, all you need to do is add a second add_action() call:

add_action('unique_hook_location', 'your_custom_function_1');
add_action('unique_hook_location', 'your_custom_function_2');

By default, Thesis uses a few of its available hooks, and occasionally, you may want to un-hook default functions, move them around, or replace them with your own functions. In this case, you’ll need to use the remove_action() command:

remove_action('hook_name', 'function_you_want_to_remove');

Now that you know the two commands for working with hooks, you can dive into some examples and learn the specifics of hook interaction.

Example 1: Make Your Header Display Above Your Nav Menu

The goal of our first example is simple: we’d like to rearrange the top of our site so that the header appears above the nav menu. By default, Thesis uses hooks to position both the nav menu and the header, as seen in launch.php:

add_action('thesis_hook_before_header', 'thesis_nav_menu');
add_action('thesis_hook_header', 'thesis_default_header');

Our goal is to have our header display above our nav menu, but right now, the opposite is true because the nav menu is hooked into place just above the header (using thesis_hook_before_header). In order to solve this problem, all we have to do is move the nav menu to a hook that exists immediately beneath the header… But which hook will we use for that?

Generally, most Thesis hooks exist in pairs, as seen in the hook reference list. For instance, there are two hooks surrounding the header:

• thesis_hook_before_header
• thesis_hook_after_header

Since our goal is to move the nav menu beneath the header, all we have to do is unhook the nav menu from above the header, and then simply reposition it with a new hook, like so:

remove_action('thesis_hook_before_header', 'thesis_nav_menu');
add_action('thesis_hook_after_header', 'thesis_nav_menu');

Example 2: Add a Popular Posts Widget to Your Sidebar

In our second example, let’s assume that we’d like to place a popular posts widget at the top of Sidebar 2. Example 1 was simple because we didn’t actually have to create any content—we just moved the nav menu to a different hook. However, in this case, we actually need to figure out a way to create a sidebar widget containing a list of our most recent popular posts, and then we have to hook that widget into place atop Sidebar 2.

Fortunately, Thesis comes equipped with a handy function (thesis_widget_recent_posts) that can generate a recent posts widget from any category, so we’re going to be making use of this to generate our popular post list. Here’s what the function looks like:

thesis_widget_recent_posts('category slug', 'widget title', 'number of posts to show');

In the above snippet, category slug, widget title, and number of posts to show are all optional parameters, but we’ll need to specify at least a category slug and widget title in order to make this function show only items from our “Popular” category. Here’s how we do that:

thesis_widget_recent_posts('popular', 'Popular Posts');

In a perfect world, we’d be able to hook the above function into place, and our work would be done. Unfortunately, the add_action and remove_action commands do not allow us to specify parameters for the functions we call, and without parameters, the above function is useless.

Clearly, we’re going to need a workaround, and in this case, the solution happens to be quite simple. All we need to do is wrap the function call above inside a new, parameter-less container function, and then we can hook this new function into place. Check it out:

function custom_popular_posts() {
    thesis_widget_recent_posts('popular', 'Popular Posts');
}

Because our new function does not contain any parameters, we can hook it into place wherever we want. In this case, our goal is to add a popular posts widget to the top of Sidebar 2, so we’ll need to use the thesis_hook_before_sidebar_2 hook to get this new widget to appear in the correct location. Here’s the actual reference that we’re going to use:

add_action('thesis_hook_before_sidebar_2', 'custom_popular_posts');

Putting it all together, here’s the chunk of code that you need to add to your custom_functions.php file to have your popular posts list appear in Sidebar 2:

function custom_popular_posts() {
    thesis_widget_recent_posts('popular', 'Popular Posts');
}

add_action('thesis_hook_before_sidebar_2', 'custom_popular_posts');

source : http://diythemes.com/thesis/rtfm/customizing-with-hooks/

As impressive as the list is, though, they don’t allow you much in the way of modifying your theme. This is where Thesis hooks come into play. This reference should come in handy as you modify your theme.

Thesis Hooks

thesis_hook_before_html
Just after the opening body tag, before anything else.

thesis_hook_after_html
Just before the closing body tag, after everything else.

thesis_hook_before_header
Just before the block which usually contains the site name & tagline.

thesis_hook_after_header
Just after the block which usually contains the site name & tagline.

thesis_hook_header
Determines the content of div#header.

thesis_hook_before_title
Within div#header, before the site title.

thesis_hook_after_title
Within div#header, after the site tagline.

thesis_hook_first_nav_item
Within the nav menu, just after <ul>.

thesis_hook_last_nav_item
Within the nav menu, just before </ul>.

thesis_hook_before_content_box
Within div#page, just before div#content_box. Depending on your settings, the feature box may be added to this hook.

thesis_hook_after_content_box
Within div#page, just after div#content_box.

thesis_hook_before_content
Within div#content, before posts begin.

thesis_hook_after_content
Within div#content, after all posts.

thesis_hook_feature_box
Within div#feature_box; the feature box must be enabled in the Thesis Options for this hook to have any effect.

thesis_hook_before_post_box
Within div#content, just before the div for each post. If more than one post is shown on a page, this hook fires before each of them. The position of the post is passed as a parameter if needed in actions added to this hook (targeting only the first or third posts, for example).

thesis_hook_after_post_box
Within div#content, just after the closing div for each post. If more than one post is shown on a page, this hook fires after each of them. The position of the post is passed as a parameter if needed in actions added to this hook (targeting only the first or third posts, for example).

thesis_hook_before_teasers_box
……………..

thesis_hook_after_teasers_box
……………..

thesis_hook_before_post
Within div.format_text, before post content. If more than one post is shown on a page, this hook fires before each of them. The position of the post is passed as a parameter if needed in actions added to this hook (targeting only the first or third posts, for example).

thesis_hook_after_post
Within div.format_text, after post content. If more than one post is shown on a page, this hook fires before each of them. The position of the post is passed as a parameter if needed in actions added to this hook (targeting only the first or third posts, for example).

thesis_hook_before_teaser_box
……………

thesis_hook_after_teaser_box
……………

thesis_hook_before_teaser
……………

thesis_hook_after_teaser
……………

thesis_hook_before_headline
Within div.headline_area, before the title of the page. If more than one post is shown on a page, this hook fires for each one. The position of the post is passed as a parameter if needed in actions added to this hook (targeting only the first or third posts, for example).

thesis_hook_after_headline
Within div>headline_area, after the title of the page. If more than one post is shown on a page, this hook fires for each one.

thesis_hook_before_teaser_headline
………

thesis_hook_after_teaser_headline
………

thesis_hook_byline_item
Within p.headline_meta, just before the edit link (if enabled). This hook will only have a noticeable affect if there is a byline to display according to the settings in Thesis Options. If more than one post is shown on a page, this hook is fired for each one.

thesis_hook_before_comment_meta
Within dt.comment, before the comment’s meta information. If there is more than one comment on the page, this hook is fired for each one.

thesis_hook_after_comment_meta
Within dt.comment, after the comment’s meta information. If there is more than one comment on the page, this hook is fired for each one.

thesis_hook_after_comment
Within div.format_text, after the comment’s text. If there is more than one comment on the page, this hook is fired for each one.

thesis_hook_comment_field
Within form#commentform, just before the comment box textarea.

thesis_hook_comment_form
Within form#commentform, just before the paragraph containing the comment form’s submit button.

thesis_hook_archives_template
….

thesis_hook_custom_template
….

thesis_hook_faux_admin
Within div#content_box (and also div#column_wrap if a sidebars-first three-column layout is in use). Can be used with plugins such as Customize Your Community to customize things like the login form.

thesis_hook_archive_info
Above the first post only on archive views (e.g., category listings, date listings, search results).

thesis_hook_404_title
Within h1. Determines the title of 404 error pages (not the title which appears in the browser’s title bar).

thesis_hook_404_content
Within div.format_text. Determines the content of a 404 error page.

thesis_hook_before_sidebars
Just within div#sidebars, before either sidebar or the multimedia box begins.

thesis_hook_after_sidebars
Within div#sidebars, after both sidebars.

thesis_hook_multimedia_box
…..

thesis_hook_after_multimedia_box
Within div#sidebars, after the multimedia box.

thesis_hook_before_sidebar_1
Within div#sidebar_1 ul.sidebar_list, before sidebar 1’s first widget.

thesis_hook_after_sidebar_1
Within div#sidebar_1 ul.sidebar_list, after sidebar 1’s last widget.

thesis_hook_before_sidebar_2
Within div#sidebar_2 ul.sidebar_list, before sidebar 2’s first widget.

thesis_hook_after_sidebar_2
Within div#sidebar_2 ul.sidebar_list, after sidebar 2’s last widget.

thesis_hook_before_footer
Just before div#footer.

thesis_hook_after_footer
Just after div#footer.

thesis_hook_footer
Within div#footer.

Bonus WordPress Hooks

Just for fun, here are some WordPress hooks which you should be familiar with as well:

wp_head
Within head, useful for outputting meta tags, JavaScript, stylesheet information, and so on.

wp_footer
Within div#footer. This is what plugins will use to output to your footer. It is similar to the thesis_hook_footer hook and appears after it.

comment_form
Within form#commentform similar to the hook thesis_hook_comment_form, but appears after the submit button and has the comment ID number passed to it as a parameter.

source : http://diythemes.com/thesis/rtfm/hooks/


I think we can all agree that the “solution” above is terrible, but why? Ultimately, it’s a poor customization solution because it’s so unforgivably inefficient. Your changes are thrown in alongside core template code, rendering your entire theme a hacked-up, vulnerable mess.

If you’re concerned about running an efficient, well-oiled machine of a Website, then you have to do better than this. Specifically, you’ve got to have a framework that allows you to make HTML customizations that are:

• futureproof, or immune to upgrades
• standardized for easy inclusion and formatting
• easy to manage
• easy to understand

Designed with these principles in mind, the new Thesis hook system allows you to make intelligent, powerful, and efficient customizations that have never been possible before. The sky is the limit here, as evidenced by the completely-revamped Copyblogger design which now runs on Thesis!

To help you learn how to use hooks effectively, we’ve prepared a detailed, example-based tutorial for the User’s Guide:

• How to Customize Like a Pro with Theme Hooks

Also, we’ve added a couple of new reference pages for the Thesis hook system, including:

• Hook Reference List — a list of all available hooks in the Thesis theme
• Default Hook Usage — a list of elements that Thesis “hooks” into place by default

If you haven’t upgraded to Thesis 1.3 yet, you should really consider doing so in order to take advantage of the hook system. I’m using it here on DIYthemes to handle all the customizations you see, including the login bar at the top of the page and even a few of the sidebar widgets.

The bottom line is that no matter how big or how small the customization, using the hook system to implement it is the intelligent choice.

In other words, it’s what a ninja would do

source  :  http://diythemes.com/thesis/how-to-customize-your-site-intelligently-with-hooks/