Themes create the public (front-end) interface for a WordPress site.
44
votes
27answers
6k views
Software for WordPress Theme and Plugin Development? [closed]
What software do you use for your WordPress related needs?
Please state your OS.
On windows XP I use:
filezilla (FTP)
notepad++ (for reading of PHP / CSS files)
firebug (a firefox extension to ...
32
votes
3answers
8k views
What is the preferred way to add custom javascript files to the site?
I've already added my scripts, but I wanted to know the preferred way.
I just put a <script> tag directly in the header.php of my template.
Is there a preferred method of inserting external or ...
32
votes
3answers
30k views
Menu items description? Custom Walker for wp_nav_menu()
Normal Wordpress Menu looks like:
Home | Blog | About us | Contact
But I've seen many pages with descriptions under these links:
Home Page | Our Blogs | About us
| ...
32
votes
6answers
4k views
framework for plugin/theme options panel? [closed]
I found that the longest part of a plugin or theme development is creating the options panel, at least in my case.
So i like to know what's your take on that.
Do you use a ready made framework or ...
26
votes
8answers
4k views
What process do you use for WordPress development?
I'm interested in how other people develop themes and plugins for WordPress. To me, the in-browser editor in the admin panel just doesn't cut it. Currently, I'm just using an IDE with a PHP plugin ...
17
votes
3answers
879 views
Where to put my code: plugin or functions.php?
Is there an easy to understand scheme to decide what kind of code belongs to a plugin or the theme’s functions.php?
There are many cases and many debates about that topic, mostly because there are ...
15
votes
9answers
10k views
How to detect mobile devices and present them a specific theme?
I would like to create a new modified version of my theme (check my profile if needed) to present to visitors if I detect that they are visiting the site from a hand-held device, like iPhone, Android, ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
How To extend WP_Customize_Control
I'm looking for a way to add a new kind of control to the customize live preview panel. I have seen how to add new sections to the panel using
add_action( 'customize_register'...
The control I want ...
13
votes
4answers
25k views
How do I get the theme URL in PHP?
I need to get the URL of my theme directory to reference an image in the theme's image/headers directory. How is this done in PHP?
13
votes
6answers
292 views
What questions do you ask when asked to give an estimate on theme development?
I just recieved an email that asked the following question:
"How much will cost to code a WordPress theme?"
I cannot answer this question without know the answer to a plethora of other questions. I ...
12
votes
4answers
564 views
Why have <?php and ?> on every line
I've seen this convention pretty much everywhere, and, at times, it comes close to driving me nuts:
<?php //The loop ?>
<?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>
<?php ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
How to show a custom meta box on the “Quick Edit” screen?
I've used add_meta_box() to add a custom meta box to the WordPress edit window on both pages and posts.
How can I make this meta box also show on the "Quick Edit" screen?
Ideally, I'd like it to ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
How important is it to enqueue a theme's stylesheet?
I have trawled the net looking for an answer to this, but for some reason all I can find are actual examples, but without that particular explanation, which is clear say in the case of scripts. Can ...
10
votes
7answers
756 views
Where can I learn to create my own theme?
I want to learn to create a theme for Wordpress
Where can i find information and resources on how to do it?
10
votes
2answers
772 views
pass object/JSON to wp_localize_script
I've got a working piece of javascript that contains an object literal.
But I need to localize it, and I'm ytrying to figure out how to rewrite it so that I can get wp_localize_script() to accet it, ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
get_template_part vs action hooks in themes
It seems to me both of these afford the opportunity for the end user to modify a theme without actually editing the themes files (via child themes).
My question is, is one method preferred over the ...
10
votes
3answers
307 views
Wordpress API Menu/Submenu Order
I'm developing a child-theme using Wordpress 3.4.2 and the development version of the Options Framework by David Price. This is my first theme and I'm relatively new to this, so I've had a look into ...
9
votes
2answers
262 views
Does the functions.php file ever get called during an AJAX call? Debug AJAX
Trying to figure out an issue a fellow programmer is having. I was wondering if the functions.php file get called at all when you do admin side AJAX? I know that when you do an AJAX call a part of ...
9
votes
1answer
2k views
How can I add a URL field to the attachments window?
For example...
add_action('init', 'reg_tax');
function reg_tax() {
register_taxonomy_for_object_type('category', 'attachment');
}
Adds a "Category" input field to the media manager and ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
How Do I Protect My Premium WordPress App Theme from Copying?
They say WordPress is GPL, and therefore all plugins and themes made with it are supposed to be GPL. Fine, but if I spent three months coding an extremely complex app theme with the intent on selling ...
8
votes
2answers
4k views
How to Link External jQuery/Javascript files with WordPress
So I'm using Starkers to base my next WP theme on and I've run into a small issue, I was including my own version of jQuery in the header.php file but when inspecting my site using Firebug I noticed ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Autoloading & Namespaces in WordPress Plugins & Themes: Can it Work?
Has anyone used autoloading and/or PHP namespaces within a plugin or theme?
Thoughts on using them? Any harm? Pitfalls?
Note: namespaces are PHP 5.3+ only. Assume, for this question, that you know ...
8
votes
3answers
5k views
What's the difference between home.php and index.php?
If I create a home.php file, it seems that WP will use that instead of index.php, so index.php is never used?
What are the differences between these two template files (located in the theme folder)?
...
8
votes
4answers
608 views
after_setup_theme always runs
I am setting up a child theme for some of my faculty members, and as a part of the theme, I would like a handful of plugins to be activated at the time that the theme is activated. So, naturally, I ...
8
votes
1answer
505 views
Worthwhile to restrict direct access of theme files?
I've run across the following snippet in themes from time to time:
if ( ! defined('ABSPATH')) exit('restricted access');
It's at the beginning of some (all?) PHP files in a theme and it's supposed ...
7
votes
3answers
413 views
CSS classes for theme
Does anybody know predefined (suggested by WP) CSS classes which should I use in my theme?
I have seen somewhere in Internet a list of all CSS classes, which are used in WP theme, but can't find it.
...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
How do I add version control to my workflow?
I develop themes, lots of them. I am given a PSD, code up the HTML/CSS, slap the code into Wordpress, and make corrections as they get QC'd. Once live, clients can edit blog posts like normal or ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
When to use is_home() vs is_front_page()?
I've found that is_front_page appears to return true when I'm viewing the home page and have a single sticky post assigned there.
It also returns true when I've assigned a page as the static front ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the constant WP_USE_THEMES for?
Regarding the WP_USE_THEMES constant, the Codex states:
If you are using The Loop inside your
own design (and your own design is not
a template), set WP_USE_THEMES to
false.
But what is ...
7
votes
2answers
122 views
how can I add an icon/image for a child theme?
I have set up a child theme of the twentyten theme. In the themes section that under the appearance, I can only see the child theme's title, author name, and a grey box above it. How can I add an ...
7
votes
1answer
910 views
Using classes instead of global functions in functions.php
In many themes I've seen (including TwentyEleven) and in the examples I've found online, when building the functions.php file for a theme all functionality is declared in a global scope. To clarify, ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
Theme Activate Hook
I would like to write a function to email me the URL of the website when my theme is activated.
What is the hook initiated when the theme is activated?
6
votes
3answers
402 views
Child Theme vs Duplicate Theme Renamed
Okay, I quite often see people talk about child themes and the reasons for using them instead of modifying the existing theme, but they all seem to center around the idea that if the parent theme is ...
6
votes
3answers
411 views
How to override pluggable function in theme?
All the documentation I've encountered discusses overriding pluggable function via your plugin.
What if you're doing theme development instead?
My functions.php requires another file that overrides ...
6
votes
2answers
556 views
Add Caret to Menu Items with Sub-Menus in WordPress Theme
I'm working on a custom theme using wp_nav_menu(). What I want to do is add a caret to menu items that have sub-menus. For example, If my menu looks like this:
Menu Item 1
Menu Item 2
Menu Item ...
6
votes
1answer
621 views
What is the advantage of using wp_mail?
What is the advantage of using wp_mail() over mail(). Codex says they're similar, but they seem to be very similar.
6
votes
1answer
106 views
Is there any sort of theme dependency management?
I'm developing a Wordpress theme with a few other individuals and am running into a problem where I add a plugin and then I have tell the other developers about the plugin I installed and the settings ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Solutions for generating dynamic javascript / CSS
Let's say you need to generate javascript or CSS code that depends on the current context.
For example you have a form on the homepage that fires an ajax request on submit, and a different form on ...
6
votes
2answers
145 views
Add default Backgrounds
Is there code or a plugin that would make it possible to add default backgrounds, like you can with default headers in Twenty ten. Seems like the same frame work for backgrounds and headers.
6
votes
1answer
538 views
Mini-Site Strategy
I'm working on a project to allow a number of mini-sites within a WordPress multisite installation. Here's how it's supposed to function:
The client has a large number of individual locations, each ...
5
votes
6answers
1k views
What Wordpress E-Commerce theme should I use to get started?
I've done created a LOT of Wordpress themes and plugins, but I haven't done much with the Wordpress E-Commerce plugin. If someone asked me what theme they should start playing with to learn about ...
5
votes
2answers
238 views
What are the ADVANTAGES of ORIGINAL wordpress template structure?
Precondition: coming from a Custom PHP applications(using symfony, zend and so on) world, for me it feels unnatural to have template separated in a way that is done in original wordpress theme. e.g ...
5
votes
3answers
331 views
How to: Update live sites theme from version control repo via plugin or library? [closed]
Maybe someone knows how i could update my live sites theme from a version control*) project repository.
Point is that it's really time consuming if you got your theme hosted with version control (as ...
5
votes
1answer
694 views
Why when I submit a form in wordpress it loads a 404 page though URL is correct
I am just creating a simple contact form, but I notice that it seems to post to an invalid page. The url in the browser is correct but the title of the page is "Page not found"
on the top of the page
...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
Generating CSS Files Dynamically Using PHP Scripts?
As part of my efforts to speed up my themes for my clients I am delivering my CSS via a dynamic PHP file. At the end of the called for example my_theme_css.php:
This allows me to add Expiry headers ...
5
votes
2answers
6k views
wp_nav_menu(), how to change <li> class?
I'm building a menu for my website. The static is looking like this:
<nav>
<ul id="menu">
<li class="item_1"><a href="#">Item 1</a></li>
<li ...
5
votes
2answers
813 views
Change admin bar to default:off
While I quite like the admin bar I actually want it to be OFF by default instead of ON ( I don't want to disable it altogether because I want users to be able to turn it on if they want - but but I ...
5
votes
5answers
898 views
Where to store PHP files created by plugin / themes
There are cases in which a plugin or theme needs to create a php file somewhere that can later include it. For example a captcha plugin, or some kind of a templating system like twig/smarty (In my ...
5
votes
7answers
3k views
Why is wp_head() creating a top margin at the top of my theme header?
I am creating a custom theme, and elements behave as they should but when I place the <?php wp_head() ?> tag I get a top margin, at the top of my theme header.
When I remove the <?php ...
5
votes
2answers
588 views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Option Tree over the Customization API?
I'm relatively new to WordPress theme development, and I had to create a theme with options available. I did a Google search to see what are the possibilities, and I read articles about such, and read ...
