How to create and use WordPress child themes
A WordPress child theme is a theme that inherits the functionality of another theme, called the parent theme. Child themes allow you to modify, or add to the functionality of that parent theme. A child theme is a safest and easiest way to modify an existing theme, whether you want to make a few tiny changes or extensive changes. Instead of modifying the theme files directly, you can create a child theme and override within.
Why use a Child Theme?
Here are a few reasons:
If you modify an existing theme and it is updated, your changes will be lost. With a child theme, you can update the parent theme (which might be important for security or functionality) and still keep your changes.
It can speed up development time.
It’s a great way to get started if you are just learning WordPress theme development.
How to Create a Child Theme
Child Theme directory structure create a directory in your themes directory to hold the child theme. The theme directory is wp-content/themes. You should name the directory without any space as part of the name, and it is common practice to use the name of the parent theme folder with “-child” appended to it. For example, if you are making a child of the twenty fourteen themes, your folder name would be twenty fourteen-child.
Overriding Parent Theme Template Files
To override the template files in the parent theme, open the original template file and save a copy to the child theme folder with the same file name and folder structure. The file structure has to match with the parent theme.
FOR EXAMPLE:
let’s say you want to edit the loop.php file in the parent theme and it is stored in the “includes” folder
open the loop.php file and save a copy in the “includes” folder of the child theme
edit and save the loop.php in the child theme
FOR ANOTHER EXAMPLE:
let’s say you want to edit the page.php
open the page.php file and save a copy in the child theme
edit and save the page.php in the child theme
HERE ARE SOME OF THE TEMPLATE FILES THAT YOU CAN OVERRIDE:
header.php
footer.php
index.php
single.php
page.php
sidebar.php
includes/loop.php
includes/slider.php
Child Theme functions.php (optional)
If you need add additional PHP functions, create a functions.php in the child theme folder. It will load in addition to the parent theme functions.php file.
<?php
/* custom PHP functions below this line */
?>
Activating The Child Theme
Finally, activate the child theme at Appearance > Themes.
