Creating WordPress Child Themes And Why You Might Want To Do That

Majority of WordPress users will customize the themes that they use but they will not do so with the use of a child theme. This happens due to the fact that most people do not even know what the child theme is while not understanding that it is very easy to create one.

Why is the child theme a good idea?

When you make adjustments to the theme you use right now, the child theme can help you to avoid unwanted problems. The changes that you would test out would not affect the main code of the theme.

To put it as simple as possible, you get the opportunity to see how your site would look like based on changes that you make without letting the visitors see that you actually work on your site.

It should also be mentioned that you can use the child theme while live and the main theme remains unaffected. There are virtually no limits that can appear when referring to customizations.

In the event that you make a huge mistake, it is very easy to go back and the WordPress site is not affected. You modify the files without actually modifying them. It might seem weird but it is a huge advantage, especially for those that do not know that much about CSS, HTML and PHP.

How to create a child theme?

Let us say that we have a theme named THEME. The first thing that we have to do is use an FTP access program to create a brand new folder for the new theme. Just name it “THEME-Child”. Create a brand new style.css file inside that folder. Add the information below:

/*

Theme name: THEME Child

Theme url: http://themeurl

Description: Theme Child

Author: Author of the theme

Author URL: http://authorurl

Template: Theme

Version: appropriate version value

*/

@import url(“../THEME/style.ccc”;

/* =Theme customization can begin here

While many of the lines above are not important, the @import part is very important together with “Template”. The name should be used properly and you need to use the correct folder to identify the original CSS file. Remember that all is case sensitive.

Activate the child theme

As soon as the css file is created, it can be uploaded and activated. You activate the theme just as you would any other from the “Appearances > Themes” section of the Dashboard.

Zip the entire folder if you want to just upload it through the Install Themes section or if you used FTP to do everything on the server, the theme is already visible in your Themes section.

Modifying Theme CSS

Now that we have the new theme child activated, it will look just like the original as the CSS file is imported. If you want to modify the CSS of the site, the modifications can be added after the @import line that you saw above. Every single CSS reference made below that line will overwrite originals.

How about functions.PHP?

We all know how important this file is and it is possible to want to modify something in it so that you can include various custom functions you may desire. Just as before, we need to create a brand new “functions.php” file.

Put it in the child theme folder. You will instantly get this file loaded when the theme is activated. Remember that the PHP tag needs to be one that is both opened and closed:

// New PHP to be inserted right here

?>

Other template modifications

Theme structural changes might also be necessary. You need to do this carefully but it is possible and one of the main reasons why you want to use the Child Theme.

In this case you can simply replace the original PHP file with the new one. Your original file will be ignored and you use the new one. Make sure that you replicate your old folder first so that you can have a point to start in making modifications.

Copy and paste that file into the folder with the Child theme. Now you can open the file and perform any change you may desire.

It has to be added that everything you do on the child theme can be tested so that you launch a really good product at the end of the process. This even includes SEO work.

If you manually do your on-page optimization like all the SEO services in Belfast and other cities do, you can be sure that every single necessary element is suitable before the launch. This includes densities based on the new content that was added or the content that was removed. You never know when the Google robot will pass by your site so doing the work on the main theme is always risky.

A Tool To Help You Out

We understand the fact that it might be a little difficult to make changes and worry about all the FTP modifications, installs and zip archives. There is a plugin that you can use in order to make it easier for you. It was not updated in 2 years but it still does exactly what you should. You can get it HERE.