Building a WordPress Theme From Scratch: The Basics

by Joseph Erickson

Fully Tested on WordPress 3.8.1Get up and running fast by following these step-by-step techniques for building a WordPress theme.Have a design but don't know the first thing about getting that design into WordPress? Read the WordPress documentation and tutorials and still feel like no one is speaking your language?Building a WordPress Theme From Scratch was written for you. This is your guide book to WordPress themes and a step-by-step guide to getting your design into WordPress. Unlike other WordPress theme books, we don't start with a blank theme or an already convoluted mess that you have to work through. We start with nothing and slowly build, piece by fully explained piece, a full functioning WordPress theme.Each part is fully explained and illustrated in plain English and complete, tested code. After reading this book, you'll have the basics you need to get your HTML and CSS design into your very own WordPress theme. Topics covered files for your WordPress themeHow to create specialized looks for your different pages in WordPressAdding navigation that hooks directly into WordPress's Menu functionsWordPress standard naming conventions and how to use them to support your themeHow to add Widget Areas to your theme to maximize your client's use of your themeBasic comment display and handlingHooking into WordPress helper methods so that you can make sure your theme will work for international This book just covers the basicsIf you already know the basics, this book is not for you. It is the basic of the basic, but if you know nothing about WordPress or are confused and intimidated by other WordPress tutorials out there, this book was designed for you.If you need help getting started building your first WordPress theme or want to understand what's going on in an existing theme, this book will get you there.

71 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2013

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice introduction

I've been building websites for years, modifying existing Wordpress themes. I've never built one from scratch.

After reading this, I feel like I have a better understanding both of what I've been doing all along, and what I am about to do as I start my first theme from scratch.

After reading this book, I feel like some of the other reviews that knocked it for skimming some areas are a little bit off the mark. The book is a very basic intro to building a theme. The skimmed parts (I think particularly of the review that hit on the page-6 tmplate, if I'm recalling correctly) are only difficult if you are the most beginning of beginners. If that's the case, you're also going to perhaps struggle with some of the PHP sections.

Overall, I'm very glad to have this quick outline to hang some future more-specific learning about building themes from scratch.