Learn WordPress Theme Making Resources

WordPress is a popular platform for building websites, and one of the reasons for its popularity is its ease of use. With a multitude of free and premium themes available for download, it’s easy to get started with WordPress. However, if you want to take your website to the next level, you’ll need to learn how to code for WordPress. Luckily, there are many resources available to help you learn how to code for WordPress, from books and tutorials to starter themes and cheat sheets.

Books

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to coding for WordPress, there are several books that can help you get started. “How to be a Rockstar WordPress Designer” is a great book for beginners, as it walks you through three WordPress themes to show you how to develop solid portfolio, blog, and general WordPress sites. The Photoshop, HTML, CSS and WordPress PHP files are all included so you’ll have lots of reference material. “Digging Into WordPress” provides practical knowledge and tips to transform from a WordPress beginner to a coding master. The book teaches you the basics of installation, set-up, theme anatomy, theme/plugin development, comment for creation, site security and how to keep up a healthy blog. “Building WordPress Themes From Scratch” takes you through the process of coding for WordPress. As you go through the tutorials, you will learn how to code a WordPress theme starting from an HTML/CSS template, how to create custom post types, developing theme options and widgets, as well as how to build plugins and more.

Tutorials

If you prefer a more hands-on approach to learning how to code for WordPress, there are many tutorials available online. “Developing Your First WordPress Theme” by WP Tuts+ is a three-part tutorial series that teaches you the basics about WordPress, development, and design. By the time you finish the series, you will have created your very own complete WordPress theme. “WordPress Theme Development Training Wheels” by WP Tuts+ is designed for beginners and takes you through the process of transforming an HTML template into a functioning WordPress theme. “How to Build a Responsive WordPress Theme with Bootstrap” by Treehouse takes advantage of Bootstrap and guides you through creating a responsive WordPress theme. “How to Create a WordPress Theme 2nd Edition” by ThemeShaper shows you how to build a WordPress theme from start to finish, and even explains why certain methods are preferred over others. “Creating a Child Theme for WordPress” by WP Tuts+ walks you through how to create a child theme for WordPress.

Starter Themes for Reference

If you want to learn how to code for WordPress, it’s helpful to have some starter themes for reference. The default Twenty Twelve WordPress theme is a great starter theme to learn from, with its bare bones design, basic structure, and limited features. The Underscores WordPress theme by Automattic is another strong starter theme. Unlike Twenty Twelve, there is no style/design included – there’s only HTML5 templates. This theme is meant to be edited and expanded on to develop your own theme and improve your coding skills.

Other Helpful Resources

In addition to books, tutorials, and starter themes, there are many other resources available to help you learn how to code for WordPress. The WordPress Cheat Sheet sums up a bunch of useful WordPress functions, while the Theme Anatomy Cheat Sheet is a simple diagram of what makes up a theme. The Template Hierarchy Cheat Sheet visually lays out the WordPress Template Hierarchy, which displays the template files within your theme and the order in which they’re loaded. And of course, you can always refer to the WordPress Codex for anything you can’t find elsewhere.

Conclusion

Learning how to code for WordPress can seem daunting at first, but with the right resources, it’s easy to get started. Whether you prefer books, tutorials, starter themes, or cheat sheets, there are many resources available to help you learn how to code for WordPress. So go ahead and get started – you’ll be coding in no time!

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