Make sure you have all the basic files in your theme folder
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 4:19 am
Don't leave your 404 error pages halfway
Instead of just having your 404 page say “404 – page not found,” why not give your visitors more options? Adding a category list, recent posts, popular posts, a search box, and (if you want to monetize your 404 page) an ad can give your 404 page some flavor compared to the boring, useless ones found on most WordPress themes.
If you're looking for inspiration for your 404 page, Smashing Magazine has a great showcase of 404 pages from around the web that's worth checking out.
8. .
When you're creating a WordPress theme, it's essential to make sure you can customize it as much as possible from the start. Starting with a combination of index.php, header.php, sidebar.php, and footer.php files may seem like a good idea for minimalists, but I'd suggest starting with all the basic files to give you more control over what is displayed, when, where, and how.
style.css
header.php
index.php
sidebar.php
foot.php
single.php
page.php
comments.php
404.php
functions.php
file.php
form.php
search.php
For more information about these canada number code list template files and what they do, see the template hierarchy page on WordPress.org.
9. Don't forget RSS integration
When you create your blog, one of the things that most people notice is the ability to subscribe to your blog via an RSS reader. So, instead of asking your theme users to add this information themselves, why not go to the trouble of adding an RSS subscription box just like you do with the search box? Add an RSS button, an email subscription option, and you can even add the subscriber count in text by adding this code snippet to your theme wherever you want it to be displayed (replace “feedburner-id” with your own FeedBurner ID – if you’re launching this theme, check out #11 on our list and make sure you have this option).
10. Add CSS styles to comments
If you're building a theme, you should always be prepared for threaded comments. It's a WordPress feature that many blogs use to create interaction in the comments section. So, preparing your stylesheet for threaded comments is a great idea. Chris has a great post on CSS codes for the default CSS classes that WordPress spits out in your comments section , giving your theme a styled comments section without needing to touch the comments.php file.
11. Do not launch a theme without an options panel
Some people may disagree with this, but I think it's part of the natural progression of WordPress theming. If your theme doesn't have some sort of WordPress options panel with the ability to edit, customize, and change elements of your theme without having to edit code, you're doing something wrong.
If you are unsure how to create your own options panel, the links below will show you how.
Creating Custom Options Panels with WordPress 2.9
How to Create a Better WordPress Options Panel
12. Make sure your themes work from the start
This goes hand in hand with number 5 on our list: you should always make sure your themes work out of the box. Some themes I've seen require 5-6 steps before the theme is viable on the site, including, but not limited to, plugin activation and theme editing/saving options panel. If the theme requires certain things, make sure there is a default backup item used.
For example, in the options panel of the theme you're building and/or using, make sure there is default information in each section, so that things are displayed regardless of whether the end user has updated them or not. The same goes for plugins - if you're using a WordPress pagination plugin in your theme, why not code it so that the theme will fall back to the previous/next links if the plugin isn't active?
13. Don't overuse custom fields
Yes, most magazine-style WordPress themes from a couple of years ago were built using custom fields throughout, but most people won’t actually want to fill out 3, 4, or 5 custom fields for every single post. So, make things easier for them. If you’re going to display a post image on your theme’s homepage, grab this handy piece of code and add it to your theme’s functions.php file and it will automatically display the first post image, no custom field required.
Instead of just having your 404 page say “404 – page not found,” why not give your visitors more options? Adding a category list, recent posts, popular posts, a search box, and (if you want to monetize your 404 page) an ad can give your 404 page some flavor compared to the boring, useless ones found on most WordPress themes.
If you're looking for inspiration for your 404 page, Smashing Magazine has a great showcase of 404 pages from around the web that's worth checking out.
8. .
When you're creating a WordPress theme, it's essential to make sure you can customize it as much as possible from the start. Starting with a combination of index.php, header.php, sidebar.php, and footer.php files may seem like a good idea for minimalists, but I'd suggest starting with all the basic files to give you more control over what is displayed, when, where, and how.
style.css
header.php
index.php
sidebar.php
foot.php
single.php
page.php
comments.php
404.php
functions.php
file.php
form.php
search.php
For more information about these canada number code list template files and what they do, see the template hierarchy page on WordPress.org.
9. Don't forget RSS integration
When you create your blog, one of the things that most people notice is the ability to subscribe to your blog via an RSS reader. So, instead of asking your theme users to add this information themselves, why not go to the trouble of adding an RSS subscription box just like you do with the search box? Add an RSS button, an email subscription option, and you can even add the subscriber count in text by adding this code snippet to your theme wherever you want it to be displayed (replace “feedburner-id” with your own FeedBurner ID – if you’re launching this theme, check out #11 on our list and make sure you have this option).
10. Add CSS styles to comments
If you're building a theme, you should always be prepared for threaded comments. It's a WordPress feature that many blogs use to create interaction in the comments section. So, preparing your stylesheet for threaded comments is a great idea. Chris has a great post on CSS codes for the default CSS classes that WordPress spits out in your comments section , giving your theme a styled comments section without needing to touch the comments.php file.
11. Do not launch a theme without an options panel
Some people may disagree with this, but I think it's part of the natural progression of WordPress theming. If your theme doesn't have some sort of WordPress options panel with the ability to edit, customize, and change elements of your theme without having to edit code, you're doing something wrong.
If you are unsure how to create your own options panel, the links below will show you how.
Creating Custom Options Panels with WordPress 2.9
How to Create a Better WordPress Options Panel
12. Make sure your themes work from the start
This goes hand in hand with number 5 on our list: you should always make sure your themes work out of the box. Some themes I've seen require 5-6 steps before the theme is viable on the site, including, but not limited to, plugin activation and theme editing/saving options panel. If the theme requires certain things, make sure there is a default backup item used.
For example, in the options panel of the theme you're building and/or using, make sure there is default information in each section, so that things are displayed regardless of whether the end user has updated them or not. The same goes for plugins - if you're using a WordPress pagination plugin in your theme, why not code it so that the theme will fall back to the previous/next links if the plugin isn't active?
13. Don't overuse custom fields
Yes, most magazine-style WordPress themes from a couple of years ago were built using custom fields throughout, but most people won’t actually want to fill out 3, 4, or 5 custom fields for every single post. So, make things easier for them. If you’re going to display a post image on your theme’s homepage, grab this handy piece of code and add it to your theme’s functions.php file and it will automatically display the first post image, no custom field required.