Looking to expand your WordPress skills and delve into web development or web design? Learn more about how to navigate templates and themes, and take steps towards career growth in these fields.
Key Insights
- WordPress themes often allow for different layout options, known as templates.
- If a WordPress theme has multiple layouts, these can be found under 'Page Attributes' in the 'Document' section.
- Most modern themes come with a full-width template and some also include sidebars.
- Switching between templates can change the layout of a page, for example from having a sidebar to being full-width.
- Creating your own themes and templates can enhance your WordPress skills.
- Web development and web design courses can provide further career opportunities in these fields.
WordPress Template Hierarchy
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Page Templates
Specialized layouts for landing pages, full-width, sidebar, etc.
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Custom Post Type Templates
single-{type}.php for portfolio items, products, events.
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Block Templates (FSE)
Full Site Editing — design entire pages with blocks, no PHP.
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Template Parts
Header, footer, sidebar — shared across multiple templates.
Templates & Themes
When you have pages, one of the things your theme may allow you to do is to choose from different layouts. These are called templates, and they come as part of your theme.
You might be wondering, "How do I know what different choices I have?" Follow along in my video, and I'll show you.
So I’m on a page right now. I’m going to go to the gear icon in the top bar, and under Document I’m going to down to Page Attributes.
If you have no choices, templates won’t show up. But this theme has more than one different layout. If I click here, you’ll see I have two.
Most themes nowadays come with at least a full-width template. However, some will also come with sidebars as well. If I wanted this to be full-width—most of our sites are trending that way because most people are looking at it on their phones or tablets—I can actually choose a different template. This is going to give me a different layout for this page.
And I can update that. Let’s go back here. There’s my photo book. You’ll notice I’ve got a sidebar from that main default layout. However, if I go to my photo book page now, you’ll notice that there is no sidebar anymore.
If I go back home, there’s the sidebar again.
That’s how you change from one layout to another, by using templates inside of your theme.
Go Beyond WordPress
Take WordPress to the next level by creating your own themes and templates. We offer the best web development classes in NYC and web design courses. Scheduling is flexible, so start your career growth today!
