Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

LinkedIn Learning

WordPress: Building Child Themes

via LinkedIn Learning

Overview

Learn how to customize your WordPress site with child themes.

Learning how to create a child theme is the first step to becoming a WordPress developer. Child themes are a great entry point, as they’re built on top of an existing theme with a properly coded foundation. The skills you use during development are the same ones you leverage for writing brand-new themes and plugins. Learn how to use child themes to create your own custom, stylish new WordPress sites—without the advanced knowledge of a web developer. Instructor Patrick Rauland explains how to get started picking a parent theme, updating the CSS, creating a new template for your child theme, and updating its functionality. By the end of this practical, project-based course, you should have a functioning child theme and the skills to quickly customize your next WordPress site.

Syllabus

Introduction
  • Level up to WordPress developer
  • What you need to know
  • Using the exercise files
1. Building on a Solid Foundation
  • Set up a local development environment
  • Set up a code editor
  • Use real content
2. Creating a Child Theme
  • What is a child theme?
  • Picking a parent theme
  • Creating and activating a child theme
  • Including stylesheets
  • Best practices for including stylesheets
3. Child Themes and CSS
  • Employing the laziness principle
  • Designing in the browser
  • Modify existing styles
  • Add new styles
  • Challenge: Add flair
  • Solution: Add flair
4. Working with Function Files
  • Understanding functions.php
  • Finding functions in the parent theme
  • Modify a pluggable function
  • Hooks, filters, and action
  • Filter a function
  • Hooking functions
  • Challenge: Change posted by
  • Solution: Change posted by
5. Working with Template Files
  • Template hierarchy in WordPress
  • Changing an existing template
  • Add new template files
  • Managing backward compatibility
  • Challenge: Custom 404 page
  • Solution: Custom 404 page
6. Add New Functionality
  • Finding existing functionality
  • Add a menu
  • Change menu output with properties
  • Style new menu with CSS
  • Challenge: Conditional widgetized area
  • Solution: Conditional widgetized area
7. Wrapping Up
  • Shiny new web fonts
  • Adding a screenshot
  • Migrating files to your live site
Conclusion
  • Next steps

Taught by

Patrick Rauland

Reviews

Start your review of WordPress: Building Child Themes

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.