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When do I use the following:

  • home.php
  • frontpage.php
  • Under Settings > Reading Settings
    • Front Page
    • Posts Page

I wish to clarify this as I find myself using "Placeholder Pages", empty pages just for the sake of a menu item and to display blog listings.

If I use a Static Front Page (Set under Settings > Reading Settings > Front Page) how do I access my posts page? Do I need to have a "Placeholder Page" titled blog and use page-blog.php?

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You don't ever directly use (as in, select as a Page template) either front-page.php or home.php. WordPress uses these template files automatically, according to the Template Hierarchy rules.

  • The front-page.php template file is used to display Site Front Page, whether you have set the site front page to display a static Page or the Blog Posts Index.
  • The home.php template file is used to display the Blog Posts Index, whether the blog posts index is set to display on the Site Front Page or an a separate static Page.
  • The front-page.php template file will override home.php on the Site Front Page.
  • The home.php template file will override page.php (or any page-{custom-template}.php selections) on *non-front page static Pages`.

If I use a Static Front Page (Set under Settings > Reading Settings > Front Page) how do I access my posts page? Do I need to have a "Placeholder Page" titled blog and use page-blog.php?

To display the Blog Posts Index on a non-front page static Page:

  • Create a new static Page, with any arbitrary title ("Blog", "News", or anything else you want), and leave the Page Content blank/empty

  • Under Dashboard -> Settings -> Reading, set "Posts Page" to the static Page you just created.

Really; that's it. If you want to customize the display of your static-page-as-blog-posts-index, simply modify the home.php template file. Creating a page-blog.php template file will have no effect.

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  • You said "You don't ever directly use (as in, select as a Page template)", do you mean if I want a static front page, I should create a page like "Home" with no content, create a custom template for it page-home.php then select that to be the home page?
    – Jiew Meng
    Jan 8, 2012 at 10:39
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    @jiewmeng see the Creating a Static Front Page Codex entry. The only time that creating your own custom page template for a static front page will work is if your Theme does not include a front-page.php template file. See also: Template Hierarchy.
    – Chip Bennett
    Jan 8, 2012 at 16:08
  • In other words, I should create a page-home.php and an empty page "Home" if I want to have my front page display my latest 3 posts & latest 3 portfolio (custom post type)? Just to confirm my understanding
    – Jiew Meng
    Jan 9, 2012 at 0:49
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    "I should create a page-home.php and an empty page "Home" if I want to have my front page display my latest 3 posts & latest 3 portfolio (custom post type)?" - actually, I would use front-page.php for that purpose. That way, you don't have to worry about selecting the custom page template; instead, you simply select the appropriate static Page via Dashboard -> Settings -> Reading, and you're done.
    – Chip Bennett
    Jan 9, 2012 at 5:01

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