Don't "Just paste this code in your functions.php"

“Just paste this code in your functions.php”Rick Radko WordCamp Torontor3df.com November 5th, 2011

Does it change your theme?Non-Theme related changes  Like buttons, thickbox effects, fancy jQuery effects and addons  Custom taxonomies, custom post types, at least partially.  These changes should be theme independent.  Changes get lost in functions.php theme items.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 7

Then where?Child theme  All theme related changes.  Changes that should go away if theme changes.Personal “Site” plugin  All other additions/changes.  Changes that should stay even if theme changes.*“Site” from Otto: http://ottopress.com/2011/creating-a-site-specific-snippets-plugin© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 9

Child themesHow do they work?  Child themes inherit all the features of their parent theme.  Child themes override their parent theme by providing alternate code/files.  If it’s not present in child, WordPress looks in the parent theme.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 10

Minimal child themeWhat do you need for a minimal child theme?  A theme folder.  A file called style.css, with a specific header, and usually one line of code.  Not required for a child theme, but a functions.php will be needed to add php snippets.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 11

Creating a child themeLots of ways to create the theme content, here area few:  Text editor and ftp the files into place  Local development environment and ftp  Tomorrow’s workshops  Site hosting’s filemanager and editor  Common and simple© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 12

It’s done!We now have a child theme that:  Looks exactly the same as it’s parent.  Will maintain updates/changes to it’s:  style.css  functions.php  any other theme file that you want to add without fear of having them overwritten!© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 28

Site pluginsWhat do you need for a minimal plugin?  Only a single php file, of any name.  Plugin defining header in the file.  Not required for a plugin, but a folder keeps things neater, especially if you want to include css and js files.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 30

It’s done!We now have a complete plugin that:  Stores code without direct impact from updates.  Can be extended  Inject css and javascript files  Add options pages in admin  Is portable  Easily move from one site to another carrying all your favorite changes.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 40

Timing issues  Plugins load before themes.  For most snippets that are hooked to an action this is not an issue, as the action dictates when the code runs.  Occasionally there are issues with code that is not hooked to an action, so the code snippet in the plugin may run too early and not work.  Hook the code to an appropriate action with add_action(). codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Action_Reference© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 41

Extras – Theme thumbnailImage for theme thumbnail:  Create an image in png format.  About 300x225px.  Save as “screenshot.png” in the theme folder.  Will be loaded automatically.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 42

Extras – Split loadingSplit loading  admin/front/both  is_admin() /* Code needed by both admin and front here*/ if ( is_admin() ) { /* code for admin only here*/ } else { /* code for front only here*/ }© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 43

Key PointsMain theme functions.php is:  Not the best place to put code snippets.  Overwritten by automatic updates.  Not used if theme changes.Some snippets are not theme related.  Should have a place that is theme independent to store them.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 45

Key Points: Child ThemesChild themes for theme related changes  They are easy to create:  Can be really simple, only what you need.  Minimum is a folder and style.css.  Probably will need a functions.php.  Create once per theme.  Once it’s set-up, just paste in your snippets.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 46

Key Points: Personal PluginsPersonal plugin for all other additions/changes:  Also easy to create:  Can be really simple or quite complex  Minimum is a plugin php file  Folder helps keep things organized  Set-up once per site  copy across sites!  Once it’s set-up, just paste in your snippets.© 2011 Rick Radko, r3df.com 47

Don't "Just paste this code in your functions.php"

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Don’t "Just paste this code in your functions.php" Presentation Transcript