5. Intro to WordPress Themes
TOPICS TO COVER
What WordPress themes are
Anatomy of a theme (parent and child)
6. Intro to WordPress Themes
TOPICS TO COVER
What WordPress themes are
Anatomy of a theme (parent and child)
Where to find themes
7. Intro to WordPress Themes
TOPICS TO COVER
What WordPress themes are
Anatomy of a theme (parent and child)
Where to find themes
What to look for in a theme
8. Intro to WordPress Themes
TOPICS TO COVER
What WordPress themes are
Anatomy of a theme (parent and child)
Where to find themes
What to look for in a theme
How to install, activate, and change themes
26. Intro to WordPress Themes
ANATOMY OF A THEME
• Child theme minimum requirements: style.css
• style.css must have a stylesheet header (“Template” required
and must match the directory name of the parent theme):
/*
Theme Name: Twenty Eleven Child
Theme URI: http://example.com/
Description: Child theme for the Twenty Eleven theme
Author: Your name here
Author URI: http://example.com/about/
Template: twentyeleven
Version: 0.1.0
*/
• Any additional files override those of the parent (except
functions.php)
42. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• If purchasing, does it come from a reputable source/
developer, and is there support available?
43. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• If purchasing, does it come from a reputable source/
developer, and is there support available?
• Does it contain “hooks”... wp_head() & wp_footer()? If not,
plugins and styling may cease to work.
44. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• If purchasing, does it come from a reputable source/
developer, and is there support available?
• Does it contain “hooks”... wp_head() & wp_footer()? If not,
plugins and styling may cease to work.
• Does the code used to build the site validate? Running each
page through the W3C Validator will tell you. Browsers may
have issues displaying the page depending on the severity.
45. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• If purchasing, does it come from a reputable source/
developer, and is there support available?
• Does it contain “hooks”... wp_head() & wp_footer()? If not,
plugins and styling may cease to work.
• Does the code used to build the site validate? Running each
page through the W3C Validator will tell you. Browsers may
have issues displaying the page depending on the severity.
• When changing templates, does the new template have the
same files as your current one. This may cause issues if they
differ.
47. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• Is the theme widgetized? This allows for addition of widgets
through the WordPress Admin.
48. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• Is the theme widgetized? This allows for addition of widgets
through the WordPress Admin.
• Does it work in all browsers? Premium themes should have
this information readily available.
49. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• Is the theme widgetized? This allows for addition of widgets
through the WordPress Admin.
• Does it work in all browsers? Premium themes should have
this information readily available.
• Does the theme have search functionality?
50. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• Is the theme widgetized? This allows for addition of widgets
through the WordPress Admin.
• Does it work in all browsers? Premium themes should have
this information readily available.
• Does the theme have search functionality?
• Does the theme have a functions.php file that adds theme
specific functionality such as custom post types, thumbnail
support, etc.?
51. Intro to WordPress Themes
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
• Is the theme widgetized? This allows for addition of widgets
through the WordPress Admin.
• Does it work in all browsers? Premium themes should have
this information readily available.
• Does the theme have search functionality?
• Does the theme have a functions.php file that adds theme
specific functionality such as custom post types, thumbnail
support, etc.?
• Does the theme have an admin options panel to allow for
easy update of theme options such as colors, backgrounds,
images, etc.?
53. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Directory where theme files are located:
54. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Directory where theme files are located:
55. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Directory where theme files are located:
/wp-content/themes/
56. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Directory where theme files are located:
/wp-content/themes/
57. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Directory where theme files are located:
/wp-content/themes/
• How to I get them there?
58. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Directory where theme files are located:
/wp-content/themes/
• How to I get them there?
59. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Directory where theme files are located:
/wp-content/themes/
• How to I get them there?
Upload via FTP or direct installation from Appearance >
Themes in WordPress admin
68. Intro to WordPress Themes
INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
• Popular FTP Clients:
1. Transmit (Mac)
2. Cyberduck (Mac & Windows)
3. FileZilla (All platforms)
4. WinSCP (Windows)
•Once files are in proper place the theme can be changed by
clicking “activate” under Appearance > Themes