Learning WordPress - Selecting and Installing a Theme Learning

Today, focusing on one core component - thethematic.. A theme, simply put, is a template for the look and feel of your website. The beautiful thing about using WordPress is that you can change the look and feel of your website at any time by switching themes, while your content - text, images, etc. - remains intact.

It's worth mentioning that the theme you just installed may not look exactly the same as the showcase images or sample pages. These examples only show possible designs, and sometimes, to achieve this effect, you may also need to install some specific plugins.

WordPress offers thousands of free themes for you to pick and choose from. In addition to these free options, there are many premium themes that offer more features and design options. But remember, even free themes many times have options that offer paid upgrades.

Simply put, WordPress makes designing your website as easy as changing your clothes, and the content is like your unchanging figure, always.

Theme type

You may be curious, what types of WordPress themes are available? In short, there are four main types: block themes, classic themes, hybrid themes, and universal themes.

• block theme: This is a new trend in WordPress that allows you to design pages by dragging and dropping blocks, perfect for users who want to customize every detail.
• Classic Themes: This is the traditional way we are familiar with, designing a website with preset layouts and options that are easy to use.
• Mixed Themes: As the name suggests, this theme combines the features of the block theme and the classic theme to offer more flexibility.
• General Themes: This type of theme is designed to be very flexible and adaptable to a variety of uses and design needs.

It's especially important to understand block themes and classic themes because they are two of the most commonly used today. And, as WordPress grows, block themes are becoming more and more popular and are likely to become mainstream in the future.

block theme

Let's talk about block themes, an amazing tool that gives you the freedom to edit various parts of your website (such as navigation menus, headers, content areas and footers). With the Block Theme, you can tweak almost everything directly in the site editor, making it easier than ever to customize your website.

Want to know how the block theme works? First, go to "Appearance" and click on the "Themes" button to activate the theme. In the menu, you will find an option called "Editor".

Clicking on "Editor" will take you to the site editor, where you can either design new pages or remodel existing ones. You can also adjust the overall style of the site with a single click, or personalize only a certain block. This editor also lets you manage templates, whether you're adding a new one or modifying an existing one, it's a breeze. Don't forget that you can also adjust various patterns in the templates, including those special header and footer templates.

If you're not familiar with the technical terms "style" and "template", don't worry, there are more resources below to help you get started. In addition, the block theme has a cool feature - you can preview the effect before you actually decide to use it. Just hover over the theme and a "Live Preview" button will appear. Once you click on it, you'll be able to access the site editor, not just to see what the site looks like, but to actually experience the editing process.

For example, want to change the style and adjust the fonts. Then I can freely browse through pages, templates and more. If you're happy with what you see, you can even activate and save your theme and all changes directly. This way, you'll be able to customize your website exactly the way you want in the easiest and most intuitive way possible.

Classic Themes

Let's talk about the Classic Theme, a theme approach that can be considered old school! Unlike block themes that use a block editor to manage the layout of the entire site, classic themes rely on the old methods of customizers, menus, and widgets to tweak the site's settings. Because they've been around for so long, you have a much more varied selection to choose from.

Want to see what the classic theme is all about? Let's give it a try. Go to "Appearance" and click on "Themes", where you can access the customizer through the settings in the sidebar.

Once you open the customizer, you can change all the theme settings here. And at the same time, remember that the Block theme gives you more freedom and flexibility to design and personalize your website. Simply put, if you like to tweak your website in the traditional way through menus and widgets, then the Classic theme is perfect for you. But if you want more room for customization, block themes may be a better choice.

Mixed Themes

Hybrid themes, which are like upgraded versions of classic themes, borrow some of the advanced features of block themes, such as template editors. Take a hybrid theme like Eksell, for example, which retains the traditional way of using the customizer to make site tweaks, but adds the new fun of creating custom templates.

Let's try it out and see how it works! First, go to the "Pages" tab, open the page you want to edit, and then look at the settings bar on the right. Click on "Templates" and here you can assign the page to a different template or get creative and create a new custom template.

If you want to keep the convenient operation of the classic theme, but also want to try the flexible design of the block theme, the hybrid theme is the perfect choice for you.

General Themes

Last but not least, let's take a look at the Universal Theme. The real magic of this theme lies in its ability to morph: it can be used as a block theme or configured as a classic theme. Take for example the "Emulsion" universal theme that I installed, and you'll see that it can be used either as a customizer or as an editor.

Simply put, if you're on the fence about whether to go with the advanced design of a block theme or the familiar operation of a classic theme, a universal theme gives you the best of both worlds, with the freedom to switch between them and enjoy the most flexible website building experience.

Search and add new topics

To give your website a new theme, the steps to get started are simple. First, go to Appearance and click on Themes. Next, click the "Add New" button at the top of the page. Here, you can browse the most popular themes, see new options that have been added recently, and even have a dedicated block theme area to choose from. Tap on any theme to see more details and a preview so you can get a better idea of what it looks like and what it can do.

How do you know which theme is good? A good way is to go directly to WordPress.org. Mouse over "Downloads & Extensions" at the top of the page and click on "Themes". Here you can search and find a wide variety of themes. When you find one that interests you, click on "More Info" and you will find all the details about that theme. On the right side of the page, you'll see all the necessary information, such as version update history, how many sites are using it, and user ratings, which will help you make an informed choice.

Simply put, finding the perfect WordPress theme is like shopping in a store: browse around a bit, then delve into the one you're interested in, and finally check out the feedback from other users to see if it's really a good fit for your site.

Install and activate the theme

Want to load your website with a new theme? Follow these steps and get it done easily:

1. Start InstallationFirst, go to the "Appearance" menu, click "Themes", and then click "Add New Theme".
2. Select and install: Browse and find the theme you like, then click the "Install" button. Once the installation is complete, remember to click "Activate" to enable this new theme.

If you have the zip file for the theme, the installation process is simple:

1. Upload a topic: On the "Add New Theme" page, click the "Upload Theme" button at the top.
2. Select File: Select or drag and drop your zip file onto the page and click Install and Activate.

It's that simple! Whether you're picking a theme directly from WordPress or uploading your own theme files, these steps will help you easily change your website's new outfit.

Update your theme

Updating your WordPress theme is important, but don't worry, the process is simple. When an update is available, you'll see a notification in the top menu bar and dashboard of your website. To update, simply follow these steps:

1. Check for updates: Click the link in the notification to go to the update page. Scroll down to find your list of topics, here it will show which topics have available updates.
2. Backup Sites: Before updating, remember to back up your website. Doing so will prevent any issues that may arise during the update process.
3. Selecting the update method::
   • Updating individual topics: If you only want to update one theme, select "Update Now" next to that theme.
   • One click to update all: If there are multiple themes that need to be updated, you can also choose to update them all at once.
4. Using child themes: To prevent updates from affecting your customization of your site, consider using a child theme. A child theme allows you to enjoy all the features of the main theme while retaining your personalized settings.
5. automatic update: If you don't want to update manually every time, you can choose to turn on automatic updates. This way, the theme will automatically keep the latest version.

With these steps, you can ensure that your WordPress theme is always up-to-date while protecting your website from issues that may occur during the update process.

reach a verdict

I'm sure you'll be able to find the perfect theme for your needs. For more learning materials and website building tips, come to Photon WordPress self-service website building and learning!