Can't create child themes. "Stylesheet is not readable."

Question

I'm working on a website for my mom and I'd like to create a child theme to customize the theme I've found for it. I made a new folder in /wp-content/themes/ and created a new file in it called style.css. I copied the code from another website and changed all the details to fit with my template and my new theme. Went back to WordPress and found it listed under Broken Themes because Stylesheet is not readable.

I checked for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation issues. I make sure the file and folder are in the right places. They are. I pair down the code until it's just the following.

/*
Theme Name: theme-child  
Template: theme  
*/

Still broken. Okay, fine. Maybe it's the parent theme. So I go and download a different theme, one I don't like as much. Go through the same process to create a child theme for the new theme. That one also shows up as broken because Stylesheet is not readable.

What am I doing wrong? I want to do the right thing and customize the child theme instead of the parent, but it's looking like that just isn't an option.

Answer 1

The template name needs to match exactly the directory name of the parent theme, and you need a functions.php file in the child theme folder.

IE:

/*
 Theme Name:   Twenty Fifteen Child
 Template:     twentyfifteen

*/

...or just use this plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/child-theme-configurator/

and look at the child theme it creates to learn how to do it.