Change path of the page's template

Question

It's possible to create templates for pages with that:

<?php /* Template Name: Contact */ ?>

This templates are located on the theme folder, right? Is possible to change the default path where WP search for those templates? If I want to make a lot of templates, can I create a folder to put them?

Thanks

Answer 1

You can place the page templates wherever you want (also in a separate folder) as long as the files are within the current or parent theme's directory.

UPDATE: Follow this link to get a more detailed information about the Template File Folders: http://codex.wordpress.org/Page_Templates#File_Folders

Take also a closer look at the Page Templates and the default TwentyTwelve Theme: their Custom Page Templates are stored within the page-templates folder.

Answer 2

With WordPress 3.4 was a change that allowed you to place your custom page templates in a subdirectory of your choice. The subdirectory can be named anything you want, but it needs to be in your active theme's main folder.