Teamtreehouse - How to Build a WordPress Theme

The WordPress content management system powers a significant percentage of popular web sites on the web. It can be used to create anything from simple blogs and brochure web sites, complex web sites like social networking sites or e-commerce web sites. In this project we will learn how to build a custom portfolio website starting from an HTML prototype. You will need to know basic HTML and CSS and some PHP is recommended. You should also know the content in the How to Build a WordPress Blog project.

Content Strategy with WordPress

Content is at the core of any web site. Whether photos on a photography site, text on a blog or example projects on a portfolio site, we always want to build around our content. In this video we will cover how to audit and gather content, identify post types and custom fields, and setup the admin area for adding and editing content.

WordPress Theme Templates

With WordPress theme templates, you can control how different parts of your site look. That can mean controlling templates for generic pages or identifying custom templates needed for development. In this stage I'll explain how WordPress templates work, which ones we need, and what we need to do to get our project theme installed and ready for development.

WordPress Theme Functions

WordPress theme functions, tags, and variables are special PHP code used to build dynamic sites with WordPress. Many of these functions are used in conjunction with the WordPress loop, which displays the majority of a site's content. In this series we'll get started with the fundamentals of WordPress theme development by looking at the actual code used to build themes.

Preparing to Code WordPress Templates

In order to build a WordPress theme you must learn how to properly link to CSS, JavaScript and image files from within our theme templates. In this stage we will give an overview of an HTML template, add some basic title tags and then go over how to link to our assets. By the end, we will be ready to start doing the heavy coding of our main theme templates.

Converting Static HTML into WordPress Templates

For project files please refer to the first video: Coding the Header and Footer Templates The process of converting a static HTML, CSS and JS site into a working WordPress theme is the primary domain of a WordPress theme developer. The process involves setting up include files, linking up assets, and then making static content dynamic with the help of WordPress tags and functions.

Extending WordPress Template Functionality

WordPress templates can go far beyond just displaying page and post content. We will look at how to add custom content to custom locations on your site, create widgetable areas, and even add a jQuery slideshow to the homepage. By the end of the series you should have experience extending template functionality beyond the basic loop.

WordPress and Forms

Forms are essential for allowing for user interaction on your site. From contact and comment forms to more custom forms that collect user submitted data, it’s important that a WordPress developer knows how to create and manage forms on a site. In this series we will talk about WordPress’s default form capabilities and then explore options for creating and adding your own custom forms.

Launching a WordPress Site

Once the development process for a site is complete, the final step is to launch it live online. Knowing how to launch a WordPress site or migrate a WordPress site from one place to another is an essential skill for a WordPress developer. In this series we will go over the process for successfully moving a site onto a live server and preparing it for the public. By the end of this stage, you should be able to successfully launch your WordPress site from your local server to one online.

What you'll learn

* WordPress Template Hierarchy
* WordPress Template Tags and Functions
* Converting from HTML to WordPress
* Creating Widget Areas
* Developing Locally and Migrating Live

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