How to Safely Modify WordPress Theme (and Other) Source Code (Part 1 of 2)
If you’re looking for actual technical info and specs, this isn’t the article to read, since it will soon become painfully clear that I — the guy who got a college degree on this very thing and who actually spent a number of years getting paid designing and programming some pretty complex software — know practically diddly-squat about most of what passes for computer programming nowadays.
But, forgive me for saying so myself, I’m better than halfway decent at finding the information I need to get anything done. For modifying and configuring existing computer programs — like the “scripts” upon which WordPress is built and operates — that’s more than two-thirds the battle if you just need to make a few aesthetic modifications (or even functional mods, for that matter… but we’re not going there).
The remaining third is having what I call the “testicular fortitude” to try and make changes, a chutzpah built upon knowing how to backtrack when (not if) you muck things up.
In this post, you’ll learn how to easily do the latter, specifically around making design “tweaks” to a WordPress theme design. But what you’ll learn and be exposed to here will likely also be of use when futzing around with programming source code and configurations just about everywhere else.
Because the task is really more procedural and practical than it is technical.
And why should you know this, boys and girls? Because, unless you’re willing to spend the money on someone like me to support you, serious “online publishing” today still means needing to get your hands dirty with raw computer source and configuration codes (and then some) to get things the way you want them (and sometimes, even just to get some things working).
That’s just the way it is. For now. But really, I don’t think it’s going to be that hard.
Well, getting things working right or exactly the way you want them to be may be difficult (way past the scope of this article… heck, past the scope of this site!). But at least I can show you the basics of how to “get things back to the way they were” before you started futzing around and likely breaking things as you tweak and experiment.
It all revolves around making backups.
Always backup and make a copy of the source code/configuration file of the current working state, before you start making any kind of change,
That’s it. When you screw up the source and things don’t look the way you thought they would, simply restore the last “state.”
Very easy. And best illustrated through an actual working example, yes? Then please proceed to part 2 for one.
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