CHILD THEMES
LINK TO PRESENTATION�http://tinyurl.com/pyfvq2d
September 25 & 26, 2015�Ajay Coletta - Assistant Professor�Graphics, Multimedia & Web�New England Institute of Technology�East Greenwich, RI
Are you CHILD-ish?
LINK TO PRESENTATION�http://tinyurl.com/pyfvq2d
If you have a self-hosted website (www.mysite.com) with WordPress running, you installed some themes, made some changes using the “customizer” but would like to make more customized changes, then you are in the right place, welcome!
before we begin...�“What is a Theme”
�https://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Themes����
Fundamentally, the WordPress Theme system is a way to "skin" your weblog. Yet, it is more than just a "skin." Skinning your site implies that only the design is changed. WordPress Themes can provide much more control over the look and presentation of the material on your website. ��A WordPress Theme is a collection of files that work together to produce a graphical interface with an underlying unifying design for a weblog. These files are called template files. A Theme modifies the way the site is displayed, without modifying the underlying software.
what are�“CHILD THEMES”
https://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes�
A child theme is a theme that inherits the functionality and styling of another theme, called the parent theme. Child themes are the recommended way of modifying an existing theme.
What is a WordPress theme?��Fundamentally, the WordPress Theme system is a way to "skin" your weblog. Yet, it is more than just a "skin." Skinning your site implies that only the design is changed. WordPress Themes can provide much more control over the look and presentation of the material on your website. �https://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Themes
understanding the “child”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s09SIxyO4ho��Video from You Tube�Morten Rand-Hendriksen�Lynda.com
Morten explains how child themes are like “models” - they can be transformed using the original parts to be made into something that appears different.
�Instead of building a theme from scratch, you take something that is already constructed well, and make your customizations; your child theme.
should I make children?
Questions to Ask Yourself:��1) Do I like working with WordPress Themes and making changes?
2) Is understanding some basic CSS (Cascading Styles) interesting to you?
3) Do you want to save your changes without losing them?
4) Would you like to share your theme modifications with others?
5) Do you want to speed up your development time?����If you said yes to any one these questions, �then you should build Child Themes.
let’s begin, from the end
TwentyTwelve-child��HERE IT IS: let’s download my Child of Twenty Twelve, �install into WordPress, examine the files and how it works.
install
INSTALL THE CHILD THEME:�Upload, install and activate the zip file (of the Child of Twenty Twelve) the way you would any other WordPress theme.��WARNING - A child theme will ONLY work if it’s Parent Theme �(in this case Twenty Twelve) is already installed.
let’s begin, from the end
TwentyTwelve-child��here it is, let’s download my Child of Twenty Twelve, install and examine.
Credits & Info: Now that it is activated, let’s look at the credits and info...and of course explain the screenshot.png file.
the files of�the child
A Child theme is made up of a minimum of 2 files:�functions.php & style.css��https://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes
the editor
Use your built in Editor to make changes to the theme’s styles. These changes will be OVERRIDING some elements of the parent theme, but non-destructive editing.���https://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes
what can I change?
Most of the design elements can be changed in the style.css page:��1) You can find CSS snippets that you can add...�2) Modify current styles (of the parent) to make your own changes��LET ME TAKE YOU THROUGH SOME EXAMPLES���https://css-tricks.com/snippets/css/��Let’s try adding a Drop Cap to some of our text��
child�themes
You can now download child themes from the WordPress Theme Directory (free)�https://codex.wordpress.org
hey�nineteen
�I perform with Hey Nineteen, �a Tribute to Steely Dan and created a child theme from Fresh Lite for our website: www.hey19band.com
Graphics, Multimedia & Web Design - Student Portfolio��All of our students in our Associate & Bachelor’s programs create their portfolios using WordPress with Child Themes:
Ryan Rodrigues http://www.mammaldesigns.com
John Michael Diosa http://www.jmdiosa.com
Vinny Guarnieri http://www.vinspiration.design
Eric Jussaume http://www.ejstudios.net
Kasey Sparadeo http://www.kaseysmind.com
Jessica Lundquist http://www.jessicalundquist.com
Gabe Lantigua http://www.gabriellantigua.com
Links & Credits�https://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes�www.youtube.com/watch?v=s09SIxyO4ho�www.hey19band.com
�*Images from Google, WordPress.org, YouTube, www.hey19band.com