Intro to WordPress Theming

Intro to WordPress Theming
Andy McIlwain (www.andymci.com)
Techalicious +TorontoWordPress Group
Crafting Custom CSS | @andymci | #PCTO152015-04-06 1

Hi! I’m Andy McIlwain.
Developer at:
Brainrider
Marketers Without Borders
Events&
Instructor/Mentor at:
Camp Tech
Ladies Learning Code
Organizer with:
Toronto WordPress Meetups
WordCamp Toronto
Find me online:
@andymci on Twitter
linkedin.com/in/andymci
instagram.com/andy.mcilwa
in

Prerequisites.
Let’s get some fundamentals out of the way first.
April 4, 2015 WordPress Theming | @andymci | #WPTO 3

How do websites work?
1. User asks for site.
You punch a URL into your
browser’s address bar.
3. Code sent to the browser.
The server does its thing
sends the website code back
the user’s browser.
2. Computer looks for the
site.
It connects to the server
through the magic of the
internet.
4. Browser displays the site.
User’s browser puts the
returned code (HTML, CSS,
and JavaScript) together to
display the website.Crafting Custom CSS | @andymci | #PCTO152015-04-06 4

Here’s a visualization…
2015-04-06 Crafting Custom CSS | @andymci | #PCTO15 5
User ServerBrowser
Enters Website URL Connects to Server
Returns Website CodeDisplays Website

So what’s loading in
the browser, anyway?
Let’s take a closer look…

The Structure of a Website
Server: Generates site code.
HTML: The webpage
structure and content.
CSS: Rules that control the
“look and feel” of the
JavaScript: Adds interaction,
effects, and additional
functionality.
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript
2015-04-06 7

It’s like building a house!
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript
Foundation
Framing, Flooring,
Drywall
Fixtures,
Carpeting, Paint
Electrical,
Plumbing, HVAC

We choose what to build on.
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript
Foundation
Framing, Flooring,
Drywall
Fixtures,
Carpeting, Paint
Electrical,
Plumbing, HVAC

Then we set up the structure.
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript
Foundation
Framing, Flooring,
Drywall
Fixtures,
Carpeting, Paint
Electrical,
Plumbing, HVAC

Set up controls and interaction.
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript
Foundation
Framing, Flooring,
Drywall
Fixtures,
Carpeting, Paint
Electrical,
Plumbing, HVAC

Then we make everything pretty.
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript
Foundation
Framing, Flooring,
Drywall
Fixtures,
Carpeting, Paint
Electrical,
Plumbing, HVAC

What about
WordPress?

How does WordPress work?
1. Server-side software.
You install WordPress on the
server where the site will
3. Method to manage
content.
WordPress back-end (wp-
is where we can safely
content in the database.
2. Generates webpages.
WordPress pulls content
from a database, adds
HTML/CSS/JS.
4. Extend with themes,
plugins.
Themes control look, feel,
and functionality. Plugins
control functionality.

WordPress on your Server
Database: Where content
and site options are stored.
WordPress: Core software,
connects to the database.
Theme: Controls the
appearance of your website.
one theme can be active at a
time.
Plugins: Adds additional
functionality to your site.
Database
WordPress
Theme Plugins

Here’s a visualization…
User ServerBrowser
Enters Website URL Connects to Server
Returns Site CodeDisplays Website Runs WordPress

How do we install WordPress?
One-Click Install.
The fastest method.
most shared hosting
Managed hosts.
Managed WordPress hosts,
WP Engine or Flywheel, have
WordPress pre-installed.
Manual installation.
Technical, best suited for
more advanced users.
(Creating DB, uploading
WordPress files via FTP,
editing wp-config.php.)

WordPress Lingo 101
Posts
Can be categorized and
Associated with a date, time,
author. Suitable for articles,
posts, blogs.
Categories & Tags
(Taxonomies)
Categories have a hierarchy.
do not.
Pages
Can have a hierarchy. Can
be assigned templates (if
supported by a theme).
Suitable for content that
changes infrequently.
Page Templates
Unique to a theme.
Designates different page
layouts or functionality.

More Lingo!
Permalinks
Unique URL for every piece
content on your site (posts,
pages, archives, etc…)
Themes
Handle the appearance of
site, plus some functionality.
Plugins
Extend the functionality of a
site. Can be simple (contact
forms) or complex (e-
commerce).
The Codex
The go-to resource. Find it
@
codex.wordpress.org

Let’s Talk Themes
The best things in life are (often) free.

wordpress.org/themes/
• Browse and search for themes
that meet specific criteria.
• Read reviews, see what people
are saying about the themes.
• Check for a direct “Theme
Homepage” link.Theme author
sites usually have better
previews, documentation.

What makes for a good theme?
Clean Layout
Easier to add your own flare
images and custom CSS.
Available Reviews, Examples
See how the theme is being
“in the wild”. Look for
from existing users.
Well Documented
Includes inline
documentation (comments
in code).

My favourite theme: Make
• Drag-and-drop builder for
quickly building complex page
layouts without code.
• Can target unique IDs and
classes to add custom CSS.
• Opportunities for advanced
development with hooks and
filters.
• Pro version offers even more!
https://wordpress.org/themes/make/

Customizing Themes
with CSS
Dipping our toes into the waters of theme development.

Remember this stack?
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript
Controlled by the theme.
Database
WordPress
Theme Plugins

Let’s drill into the CSS.
Server
HTML
CSS JavaScript

CSS
CSS stands for Cascading Style
Sheets.They control the “look and
and feel” of web pages. If we were
building a house, CSS would be in
charge of laying the carpet and
painting the walls.
Key points to remember:
• CSS sets appearance rules for
HTML
• Targets elements, classes, and IDs
• Rules wrapped in “curly brackets”
{ like this }
body {
background: white;
font-family: Arial, sans-
serif;
}
#head {
background: black;
color: white;
}
#content p {
font-size: 14px;
margin: 10px 0;
}

How HTML & CSS Work Together
When your browser loads a page, it looks at
the elements on the page and checks if there
are CSS rules for those elements. Key points:
• HTML uses id and class
• CSS uses # and .
• When we see id, we target with #
• When we see class, we target with .
HTML CSS
<div id=“header”>
</div>
#header {}
<div class=“post”>
</div>
.post {}

Connecting HTML & CSS
HTML CSS
<body>
<div id=“header”>
</div>
<div id=“content”>
</div>
</div>
<div id=“footer”>
</div>
</body>
body {}
#header {}
#content {}
.post {}
#footer {}

Getting More Specific
HTML CSS
<h2>Post Title</h2>
<p>Paragraph of content.</p>
</div>
.post {}
<h2>Post Title</h2>
</div>
.post h2 {}
<h2>Post Title</h2>
</div>
.post p {}

What Rules Can We Use?
Some Example Rules What It Does
background-image: url(…) Defines background image.
float: left; Positioning relative to subsequent elements.
background-color: #fff; Defines background color.
font-family: Arial, sans-serif; Defines the font to use.
font-size: 24px; Defines the size of the font.
font-weight: bold; Defines the weight of the font.
color: red; Defines the colour of the font.
width: 400px; Defines the width of the targeted element.
height: 400px; Defines the height of the targeted element.
Find more rules at tympanus.net/codrops/css_reference/

Inspecting Other’s Work
• Your browser comes
equipped with
DeveloperTools
• You can inspect page
code
• You can play with code
that only affects your
browser
Here’s how you do it in Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari.

How can we apply custom CSS?
Plugins
Jetpack’s Custom CSS
Simple Custom CSS
Theme Options
Some themes include
support for applying custom
CSS.

Baby Steps to Theme Building:
1. Inspect your theme.
2. Find IDs and classes.
3. Apply custom CSS.

Starter Themes
vs. Theme Frameworks
(Kicking customization up a notch.)

What’s the difference?
Starter Themes
• Download the code and
modify it to create a new
theme from scratch.
• Future updates to the
starter theme will not
affect older themes you
created with the starter
theme.
Theme Frameworks
• A parent theme that you do
not edit directly. Your
theme will be a child of the
framework theme.
• Future updates to the
framework (parent theme)
are inherited by your
theme (the child theme).

e.g. Underscores vs. Genesis
http://underscores.me/ http://my.studiopress.com/themes/genesis/
Starter Theme
Framework

What’s a child theme?
Child themes build on top of other themes.
They inherit and override code from the
parent theme.
From the Codex:
• If you modify a theme directly and it is
updated, then your modifications may be
lost. By using a child theme you will
ensure that your modifications are
preserved.
• Using a child theme can speed up
development time.
• Using a child theme is a great way to to
learn aboutWordPress theme
development.
FYI: Genesis themes are all child
themes of the Genesis theme
framework.

Next Steps to Theme Building:
- Choose starter theme or
framework.
- Modify starter theme, or
- Create framework child theme.

Building Your Own
Theme From Scratch
(It’s not as hard as it sounds!)

Wireframing: Paper to Pixels
1. Block it out.
Start with a simple layout of
blocks.
3. Add details & variations.
Once you’ve locked in on an
approach, start modifying
different purposes.
2. Give each block a job.
Header, footer, sidebar,
post. Start simple, gradually
build up.
4. Make it digital.
Use an app to share, collect
feedback, make
modifications.
2015-04-06 41

For example…
We start by blocking it out.

Then we give
each block a job.
The basics: Header, Content, Footer.
Header
Footer
Content

Then we modify.
Here’s a home page.
Logo
Footer
Welcome
Message
Intro Video
Upcoming Events
Navigation

Then we modify.
Here’s a list of events.
Logo
Footer
Event
Navigation
Event
Event
Promos

Then we modify.
Here’s a single event.
Logo
Footer
Event
Navigation
Promos

Note the blocks that don’t change.
Logo
Footer
Event
Navigation
Promos
Logo
Footer
Event
Navigation
Event
Event
Promos
Logo
Footer
Welcome
Message
Intro Video
Upcoming Events
Navigation
We’ll be coming back to these in a bit…!

Create an HTML & CSS Mockup
Turn layouts into HTML files.
You can do all of this on
computer, no PHP required.
Style everything in style.css
This is your chance to nail
much of the design as you
Add placeholders.
Use placeholders for
images, text, and additional
markup.
Link files together.
You can create a semblance
of “user flow” linking from
HTML file to HTML file. (e.g.
homepage to post,
homepage to page).2015-04-06 48

Need a primer on good design?
2015-04-06 49
http://learndesignprinciples.com
http://goodui.org
Oldie but a goodie:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-
principles-of-effective-web-design/

Get the following:
FTP app to move files.
I recommend Filezilla.
App for editing images.
Photoshop CC or GIMP
(free).
Editor app to work with
code.
I recommend Sublime Text.
A running WordPress site.
What good is a theme if you
don’t have a site to test it
on?
2015-04-06 50

How do we begin theming?
Start with the basics.
Minimum requirements:
index.php and style.css
Add template tags to
index.php
In WordPress, template tags
just PHP functions. Here’s a
listing of template tags.
Add theme info to style.css
This header information is
checked for theme details.
Install in WordPress!
Put your theme files in a
folder under /wp-
content/themes/.
2015-04-06 51

Tags You Should Know
<?php wp_head(); ?> / <?php wp_footer(); ?>
Sets “hooks” for WordPress core, plugins, and themes to inject
additional code into the header or footer of the site.
(Here’s some more info about hooks and filters in WordPress.)
<?php bloginfo(‘###’); ?>
Retrieves all sorts of information about your site. Link
e.g. Site title, theme directory, admin email.

The WordPress Loop
“Loops” through the database, finds content, displays it according to
the tags you’ve defined in the loop.
<?php if ( have_posts() ) : while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>
// Post Content Here //
<?php endwhile; else : ?>
<p><?php _e( 'Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.' ); ?></p>
<?php endif; ?>
2015-04-06 53

Let’s build a theme!
- Wireframes are our guide.
- We’ll build a prototype in HTML.
- Then transform it into a theme.
2015-04-06 54
(Cue live demo alt-tab!)

Next Steps
Where do we go from here…?

Ideas for next steps:
Build your first theme.
Create a theme and submit
the WordPress Theme
Contribute to a theme.
The beauty of open source
you can make improvements
things other people have
Build a simple site for a
friend.
This is how many people get
started w/ professional
work.
Review others’ work.
Crack open what others
have built and learn from
their work.
2015-04-06 56

Theme Development Resources
ThemeShaperTutorial
Theme Development (Codex)
WordPressTemplateTags
WordPress Code Reference
WordPress Coding Standards
WordPressTheme Review Guide
WordPress Answers
VIP Best Practices
Developer Plugin
GenerateWP
WP Gear
Skeleton Boilerplate
XAMPP
Balsamiq

Useful CSS Tools & Resources
CSS Reference
MDN CSS Reference
CoDrops CSS Reference
Inspiration
CSS Tricks
CSS Zen Garden
CSS Mania
Courses
Codecademy CSS Course
CodeSchool CSS
Treehouse CSS Basics
Useful Tools
CodePen
Skeleton

Thank You! Questions?
Slides will be posted online:
www.slideshare.net/andymci
Find me online:
www.andymci.com | @andymci | linkedin.com/in/andymci

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