Learning WordPress - Using Page Templates

A template is like a bunch of Legos put together to end up with a web page design. You can think of a template as a complete page layout that includes areas such as a header, sidebar, and footer. Learn how to use, modify and add templates to give your articles and pages a unique style.

Learn to differentiate between pages and templates, understand how to modify existing templates, master the method of adding new templates, and ultimately learn how to assign custom templates to specific pages or articles.

define

Templates determine how your pages are presented to visitors, and they generally consist of a header, content area, and footer. Here's the kicker: templates are not used directly for posting content. Whether it's an article or a page, your content is presented through "post content blocks". Simply put, a template is like a design blueprint that can be used on one or more pages and posts to give them a consistent look.

Access Templates

The steps for accessing and using WordPress templates are listed below:

1. Go to the Appearance menu: First, find the "Appearance" menu in the backend of WordPress.
2. Click on the editor: Under the "Appearance" menu, click "Editor" to enter the site editor interface.
3. Adjusting the style of the website: In the site editor, you can adjust the style of your entire website, including colors, fonts, etc.
4. Edit Page: Select and edit the page you want to modify, you can add, delete or adjust the content.
5. Change the template: In the editor, you can choose from different templates to change the layout and structure of a page or article.
6. Manage layout patterns: The site editor allows you to manage and apply different layout patterns, such as adding an index template to display a list of articles, or using a 404 template to handle page not found situations.
7. Customized templates: As needed, you can customize the selected template, such as adjusting the template's layout, colors, or adding specific elements.
8. Explore the built-in templates: Utilize the built-in templates provided by WordPress, such as blank templates, to create unique page or post layouts.

By following these steps, you can easily access and use the various WordPress templates to build and customize your website.

Add new template

The steps to add a new template are organized as follows:

1. Click Add Template: In the WordPress site editor, find and click the "+" sign next to the template to add a new template.
2. Select the template type: In the pop-up window, select the type of template you need. You can choose to customize the template for a specific page, customize the template for all posts or a specific category of posts, or create a brand new custom template.
3. Naming and creating templates: Give your new template a name (e.g., choose to create a custom template), and then the system will ask you if you want to start with an off-the-shelf pattern or start from scratch.
4. Select the start method: If you want to use an existing mode as a starting point, select the mode you want to use. If you want to start from scratch, just click "Skip".

Follow the steps and you'll be able to add and customize new templates for different needs, whether it's for a single page, a category of posts, or to create a new template that's completely customizable.

Edit Template

going to startcompilerFor templates, first select the one you want to change and then click the edit icon on the side of the page, or find and click the edit icon on the right side of the template page. Once the template is open, you can start tweaking the header and footer sections as you wish.

Dynamic and static parts of the template

When editing a template, you need to remember to separate the dynamic part from the static part. Dynamic sections are sections of content that change for each page or post that uses the template. As you can see in this example, the content in the page or post will be displayed in the location where the post content block has been added to the template. Static sections are reusable parts of the template that will remain unchanged, such as headers and footers. Therefore, we will not be adding any content to the template.

Templates & Pages

1. Open the sample page for editing::
   • Find and open the page you want to edit.
   • You can easily view all the contents of a page by opening the List View.
2. Edit page content::
   • In the Publish Content block, all the content you have added is displayed. This content can be viewed and edited in the Settings column on the right.
3. Editing headers and footers::
   • When trying to edit the header or footer, you will be prompted to "Edit your template to edit this block".
   • Click the "Edit Template" button at the bottom of the right-hand settings bar to enter the template editing mode.
   • In template editing mode, you can update the header and footer.
     • Note: The post content block is only for displaying content, you cannot add new content directly here.
4. Replacing footer templates::
   • If you need to change the footer, click on the three dots on the footer, select a new footer template and save it.
5. Return to page to continue editing::
   • After updating the template, click the "Back" button to return to your page so you can continue editing the rest of the content.
6. Manage all templates::
   • If you return to the Templates section of the site view, you will see an option to manage all templates.
   • Here you can rename, delete custom templates you have created, or reset built-in templates that have been modified to their original settings.

The above steps allow for more flexibility in switching between editing page content and templates, ensuring that editing work is done in the proper context.

Header and footer template section

To set up the header and footer in the template, follow these steps:

1. Edit headers and footers: Locate the header or footer section directly in the template and click the "Edit" button to modify it.
2. Adjust the title template: For example, put the site title and tagline together and then adjust the spacing between them.
3. Access the Mode option: Find and select "Mode" in the View sidebar of the site.
4. Scroll to view and edit the template section: Scroll down and you can view and edit the header, footer or other regular template sections.
5. Add a new template section: Click on the plus icon and select "Create Template Section" to decide whether to add to the general area, header or footer.
6. Name the template section: Give your template section an easy-to-remember name.
7. Manage the template section: Click on the three dots below the template section to rename, copy or delete it.
8. Modify freely: Once any template section is selected, it can be freely modified without interference.

reach a verdict

Do you now have a better understanding of how WordPress templates work. Let's briefly summarize: templates showcase your content primarily through beautifully designed headers and footers. Whether it's a single page or multiple pages, you can use templates to enhance their appearance. To dive into more WordPress actions and techniques, visit our online learning platform.