The theme framework you’ve built will be used as a parent theme in the sites you develop. This means that in each case you’ll need to create a child theme to create a unique site with its own design and with extra or different functions compared to the framework.
The obvious way to go about this is to dive in and start creating template files in your child theme to override those in the framework, but thanks to the action and filter hooks you’ve added to your framework, this might not always be the best approach.
In this article, I’ll outline some of the techniques you can use in your child themes to make best use of your framework and improvise your workflow.
The topics I’ll cover are as follows:
Creating starter child themes
Amending code via the framework’s filter hooks
Adding code via the framework’s action hooks
Creating template files in your child theme
When to use a plugin instead
Creating Starter Child Themes framework
The main purpose of developing your theme framework is to adopt the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle, and that applies to your child themes, too.
It can make you more efficient if you create one or more ‘starter’ child themes for use with your framework, which contain the core code you need to get started on new projects.
When deciding how to go about doing this, consider the way you work and the sites you build:
Do you create a lot of sites for clients in the same sector with similar needs?
Do you want to offer low cost template based sites to smaller clients?
Are there specific template files you tend to create for most of your new projects?
Is there functionality you need to include on some sites but not others? (For example, I use two starter child themes, one with comment functionality and one without.)
Is there styling you tend to use for most projects, or can you use object oriented styling or a CSS preprocessor for most projects?
Are there libraries or resources you use for most new projects, or for a significant proportion of them?
Do you have two or three main categories you can place projects under, with each category involving similar development work?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then developing one or more starter child themes may save you time. You can create a set of child themes with the basic code that you repeat across all projects using them, and then you don’t need to rewrite that code (or create those files) for each new project.
Note on caveat: If you’re adding some code to every single new project, you may want to add it to your framework instead of to child themes, maybe by using a hook so you can override it if a different need arises in the future.
Even if you answered no to the questions above, it’s worth creating a very basic starter theme with an empty stylesheet and functions file, and adding the instructions WordPress needs to access your framework’s parent theme .
You might also want to create a starter functions.php file with the functions you most frequently use in your child themes. You can then choose to remove any of these and/or add to them for specific projects.
Amending Code via Filter Hooks
As well as adding styling to your child theme, you’ll most likely want to make changes to the code output by the framework. The most lightweight way of doing this is via filter hooks, so it’s worth exploring those first to identify if you can use any of them.
Creating a function which you then attach to a filter hook is much more efficient than creating a whole new template file for the new code; however, if you find yourself doing this repeatedly with the same filter hook, you might want to consider changing that filter hook to an action hook and writing a new function for each project which you activate via that action hook.
To be more efficient, you might want to create a set of relevant functions which you place in the functions file of different start themes or even create a plugin with your function which you activate when needed. I’ll cover plugins in more detail later in this series.
Adding Code via Action Hooks
Your theme framework will also have action hooks which you can use to insert content in various places in your sites.
If you’ve been working on the code files for the framework bundled with this tutorial series, you’ll have seven action hooks to work with:
before the header
inside the header
before the content
after the content
in the sidebar
in the footer
after the footer.
To do this, create a functions.php file in your child theme and .
There is plenty of other content you could add using your action hooks, such as sharing buttons above or below the content, extra content in the footer, a search box in the header and much more.
You might just want to add some content on specific page types, such as single blog posts, in which case the most obvious place to start would be by creating a newsingle.php template. But you can still use your action hooks with the addition of a conditional tag.
Creating New Template Files
On occasion you won’t be able to do what you want using the filter or action hooks in your framework, in which case you’ll need to create new template files in your child themes.
These might be the same template files as are stored in your framework, in which case the files in the child theme will override them. Or they might be new template files, for example for a new category, taxonomy or post type.
If you are creating template files in your child themes, it makes things easier if you use the template files in your framework as a starting point. The steps I follow are:
Identify the template file you need to create with reference to the WordPress template hierarchy
Create a blank file with the appropriate name in your child theme
Identify the file in your framework which is closest to the new file (again with reference to the template hierarchy)
Copy the contents of that into your new file
Make amendments to the new file as required.
Doing this saves you the work of duplicating any code which will be common between your new file and the existing files in your framework, such as the calls to include files.
When to Use a Plugin Instead
Another option you have when creating sites based on your framework is to use plugins in conjunction with your child themes. A plugin won’t replace a child theme completely, but it can be useful in the following circumstances:
The functionality you want to add isn’t theme-dependent (i.e. you want to keep it if the site ever changes theme in future). This might include registering custom post types or taxonomies, for example.
You want to use this functionality on a number of the sites you create, but not enough for it to go into a starter child theme or the framework itself.
I’ll cover developing plugins for your framework in the next part of this series.
Summary
Your theme framework is just the starting point of a library of code and files you’ll create to support the sites you develop. Each site you create will need to run on a child theme, which will have your framework theme as its parent.
As we’ve seen, your child themes will add their own styling and functionality, and they can do this by hooking into the action and filter hooks in your framework, or via the creation of new template files. It’s always a good idea to adopt the solution which needs the least code, as that makes your site faster and your life easier!
from :http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/creating-child-themes-for-your-wordpress-theme-framework–cms-21933
This Demo Content Brought to you by Momizat Team
this is tags and keywords : wordpress themes momizat Tutorial wordpress templates
For many new users of the WordPress platform, defining the difference between these two can be a little bit difficult at first. Thankfully, understanding how they are different is not as hard as it may seem so let’s break it down.
Back in November, I touched on the differences between posts and pages in WordPress. To continue that line of thought, this article will continue that series of learning WordPress basics by touching on the differences between Categories and Tags.
Categories Vs. Tags
For many new users of the WordPress platform, defining the difference between these two can be a little bit difficult at first. Thankfully, understanding how they are different is not as hard as it may seem so let’s break it down.
Categories are meant to be used for a broad topic area and help define what your blog is about whereas Tags are used to zero in on something specific within that category.
Here are some examples of how this works:
- WordPress Themes = Category (a broad topic of discussion)
- Best Magazine Themes For WordPress, Top Themes For SEO, Common Mistakes in WordPress Themes = Tags (something more specific but that relates to the Category at hand)
- Blogging = Category
- Make Money Blogging, Blogging for Money, Work from Home Blogging = Tags
Pretty simple to understand when you think about it, but understanding what they are and using them the right way is a little bit different.
How To Use Categories and Tags Correctly
It’s pretty easy to come up with a vast variety of Categories and Tags for your site and blog posts, but just because you can think of 50 for each doesn’t mean you should use them all. Why not? Well, there are a few reasons.
Categories and Tags have two main purposes: (1) helping with SEO, and (2) helping your users easily find the content on your site.
SEO is important for every site, and Tags and Categories play a part in that. As mentioned earlier, Categories are used to define what your site is about, and most blogs tend to narrow in a single niche (WordPress Tips, Marketing, and SEO are some examples of this.) If you have 50 Categories, it would be harder to define your niche to Google and other search engines; therefore, less is more in this case.
Tags are another great way to boost SEO as they are usually keywords that someone might enter into a Search Engine in order to help them find your post. However, targeting a massive about of keywords by using a ton of tags isn’t going to do you much good. On the other hand, it probably won’t hurt, but it can lead to potential hazards.
Using Tags that sort of relate to your post instead of ones that directly relate to it can bring in the wrong crowd and increase your bounce rate — a major bummer. And if your goal is landing on the first page of a search engine like Google, then not doing keyword research to help you find low competition keywords could make that goal harder to reach.
The other side of the Category/Tag coin is your viewers. If you have around 5-8 main Categories on your site, then finding content that relates to their topic of interest is going to be much easier and thus boost your users’ experience on your site.
Wrapping It Up
In short, using Categories and Tags is important, but don’t go overboard with them. Selecting a few main Categories is usually best, so start with a few broad topics and go from there.
Tags are another area that shouldn’t be ignored, but they also have their place. Only use tags and keywords that directly relate to your content at hand, and try to target a few meaningful tags/keywords that can help concentrate your SEO efforts. Remember that Google is a lady with refined taste and she has no more forbearance for those who try to squeeze in where they don’t fit.
from : http://www.wpeka.com/wordpress-basics-categories-versus-tags.html
This Demo Content Brought to you by Momizat Team
this is tags and keywords : wordpress themes momizat Tutorial wordpress templates
Getting your readers to return to your blog is something that every website owner has to get to grips with at some point. At times it can be a constant battle to drive that returning traffic. Then there’s the problem of keeping your readers interested when they get to your site.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could improve your website’s traffic flow and frequently update your website, with very little work?
It sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?
Anything that takes little effort, has to have a catch – it’s the way the world works. And yet here I am, about to share a WordPress plugin with you, that may just do that very thing.
Today I’m introducing GetEvents, a plugin that claims to do all of the above. I have to say I’m always a sucker for jumping on anything that says it will improve my site’s level of returning traffic, so how about we give it the benefit of the doubt and see what it has to offer first.
GetEvents For WordPress
GetEvents is a platform that helps people to find events wherever they are in the world. Via the installation of a simple plugin, you can quickly and easily create a page on your website dedicated to events that are happening in a location of your choosing.
Users can browse events based on the parameters you choose in your settings. For example if you’re a tech blog, you can choose to display tech events. Restaurants and hotels can display events happening in their local area for tourists to discover.
You can also display your own events by adding it to your GetEvents login area. Your event will display alongside others in the area you select, helping to drive engagement and add variety to your listings.
Because GetEvents always has the latest content, it can provide great benefits for your website’s level of returning visitors. Your website will always have regular updates in the form of event listings, with content that people are looking for which ensures people will continue to come back to your website to check for updates and create a buzz around your site.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at GetEvents in more detail. I’ll walk you through creating an account, getting the plugin set up and creating your first GetEvents page for your WordPress website.
GetEvents Plugin Review
The GetEvents plugin is currently free to download and install. Head to the GetEvents plugin page which can be found in the WordPress.org plugin directory, and download the plugin to your hard drive.
From within your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins and Add New. Browse your hard drive for the GetEvents .zip file and click Upload. Finally activate the plugin.
To view the GetEvents settings area, select GetEvents from the left navigation area of your WordPress Dashboard. At this stage you’ll be asked to either create an account or login with your existing details.
Creating an account is simple. Type in your Website, Email, Name and Password, then click Create Account. Be sure to check your emails for your confirmation message and to successfully activate your installation.
Once you’ve logged in, you should see a screen similar to the one above. This is your GetEvents plugin dashboard and it’s where you can set up your first events page. As you can see there’s a piece of example text to show you the type of thing you could add to your page. Go ahead and change this to a location of your choosing.
For this review I’ve chosen to set my location as Event In London. Once you’ve chosen your location, click the Add Page To WordPress button. The plugin will now automatically create a draft page where your events listing will appear when published.
In the screenshot above you can see there are further fields you can now fill in. These include:
- Sub-Title – here you can explain a little further about the types of events you’ll be listing on the page for example.
- Add Keyword – this field is self-explanatory and allows you add the main keywords associated with the events you’d like to list. Example keywords could be; ‘London Events’, ‘Days Out London’ or ‘Tech Events London’’.
With the GetEvents plugin you can further customize the look of your events page. Clicking either Background, Header or Link will bring up a color picker tool. Here you can change the colors of the respective elements, enabling you to match your page to your website’s branding.
from :http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/creating-child-themes-for-your-wordpress-theme-framework–cms-21933
This Demo Content Brought to you by Momizat Team
Recent Comments