Sunday Funday:Plugins, Widgets,

Customizing Themes, Publishing

Today's Plan● Plugins● Widgets● Themes and extension - "child themes"● Review

Goals● You will understand what widgets are and how to use them● You will know the 'definition' of a plugin● You'll have the basics of child themes down, and might

have one of your own!● If we have time, we have a review game to solidify

concepts, or we can workshop

Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress. 

Exercise: PluginsComplete/Answer the following:

● Toggle the activation of the Hello Dolly plugin. What does it do?

● Delete the Hello Dolly plugin. What are the two components of deletion you're warned about?

● Go to Featured plugins and install and activate the Theme Check plugin.

Gold Star! [Extra Credit]● Add the Hello Dolly plugin back. You miss it.● How can you find the lines that Hello Dolly

choses lyrics from?● Search and add the WP PHP widget to your

site. Activate. [You'll have more to play with in the Widgets exercise!]

Widgets are a form of plugin that can add functionality to different areas of your site, without needing to code.

Exercise: WidgetsComplete/Answer the following:

● Use a widget in your site's theme● How can you remove a widget but keep its settings?● Can you use a widget more than once?

Gold Star! [Extra Credit]● If you installed the PHP widget, play with

running "Hello World" PHP code in a widget area

● Does the PHP widget support HTML?● Change themes - did widget support change?

Widgets.

Lessons LearnedCan you ...

● Define what plugins (and widgets) do?

Are you ...● Able to install and activate plugins?

Are you ...● Able to customize your site with widgets?

Customizing Themes, Publishing, &

Review

Customizing with Child Themes

● A Child Theme is a theme based on another theme (the parent)

● It uses all components of the parent theme unless you specify otherwise

● http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy ^ This is very useful

Two Steps to a Child Theme

A folder and a style.css file

Child Theme Review

If file exists, use it. If not...

Go get it from the parent

CHILD

PARENT

Exercise: Child Themes

 Make a Child Theme. 

Gold Star! [Extra Credit]● PLAY

(start customizing the theme!)

Exercise: Leveraging Your Child ThemeComplete/Answer the following:

● Create a 404 template. ○ Start by copying the code from the parent as an

example into your text editor○ Edit it○ Save as 404.php in your child theme○ Go to a page that does not exist to test

Gold Star! [Extra Credit]● Customize the archive or loop templates,

such as making the title a different HTML tag ... get creative! 

● Can you figure out what "The Loop" is? (see archive.php & content.php in twentyeleven) Ask a TA to see how you did

Publishing Your Site in 3 Steps

1.Setup your base (WordPress)

2. Install your theme and plugins

3.Transfer your data

Publishing: 3 Steps

1.Setup your base (WordPress)Host can take care of this (usually)

2. Install your theme and pluginsFTP!

3.Transfer your dataWordPress Export/Import

REVIEW TIME!

Jeopardy!

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