Learn to build custom WP themes

Description

Learn how to upgrade your game. Like seriously upgrade your game.

Go from “I can put together a website” to “I can make you a bespoke theme.”

You will learn how to build a custom theme from scratch.

Being able to code a custom theme means the website is virtually unbreakable from the clients’ perspective. This is a huge feature because many WordPress amateurs, DIY-ers, beginners, and even many intermediate WP-ers struggle with limitations of page builders, extra load bloat, and upgrades wreaking havoc. Things become such a hassle if you’re not in control of everything.

With this course, you’ll be able to build what you want, and not build what you don’t want.

Things will be as lightweight as you want it to be.

Make your own styles and layouts.

You will be able to create your own code structure, meaning you will be able to make it do exactly what you want, and the structure is clear and straightforward.

Make your own unbreakable templated blocks

You can essentially code together your own page builder. It will be highly templated and content entry will be customized. This means your client will not be able to break it.

Make your own starter theme

With some work, you can even make your own base parent theme, and for every future client, you can make a quick child theme for them. Just think about how efficient this can be in the future.

Charge more, or less

With these new skills, you can charge more for each custom site. Seriously. OR, you can make a base theme for yourself, and customize the styles just enough to be able to provide more websites for your clients at a cheaper price. It’s up to you how you utilize this information.

Learn a whole bunch of new skills

This course provides all the in-depth insights and evergreen skills that allow you to develop fully custom themes and websites.

You will have to start learning PHP. Don’t worry, we won’t be learning the whole thing. Just enough to build what we need, and enough to understand what you’re seeing in the documentations, tutorials, or forums and apply it.

This course covers absolutely everything you will need to know to deliver the best custom WordPress website in your field or niche.

The course starts from the briefing process.

• Learn how to gauge scope, and use that to quote properly.
• Learn how to collaborate with designers, and what good practices help designers do a better job.
• Learn how to understand design intent, and plan templates for an efficient build.

You’ll upgrade your coding skills as well!

• Learn to make your own custom themes or plugins that load everything you need to start.
• Learn to make your own custom “bootstrap,” a lightweight (5-7kb) barebones approach to layouts.
• Learn to make your own custom backend with Gutenberg blocks that allow the client to freely edit content without breaking the site.
• Learn to make everything from custom post types to archives to shops

How lightweight? How efficient?

Some websites I’ve built were delivered with around only 35kb of css, 12kb of js. 95+% score on lighthouse (accessibility), and a .75s load without caching, and .4s load after caching. It’s lightweight and fast.

Note: This is a comprehensive frontend WordPress development course, the only backend development that I cover are UI elements, NOT custom backend functionality.

Materials

The only extra material you’ll have to purchase is ACF pro.
Oxygen Builder is mentioned shortly in a few lessons, but it’s not part of the learning process. Oxygen Builder can simplify some parts of the build, so it’s not a bad idea to grab a copy. No affiliate links (neither offer it).

Some questions pre-answered

– Do I absolutely need ACF pro?
Yes. Pro has a lot of features that are essential for our needs.

– Can I use something else, like pods, or metabox?
Yes, from what I hear they are very good plugins. BUT I do not cover them in the course.

– Can I use Oxygen Builder instead?
No. Not to follow along in the course. Oxygen Builder has a very different build. You can definitely apply a lot of ideas you learn here in the oxy code module (since they allow php) and oxy templates, and oxy makes it easy to connect things together, but I found myself coding everything and dropping them into code modules everywhere, and the lines blurred, so I ended up using less oxygen builder.

– How is this theme different from the other custom themes on WordPress.org?
The theme you’ll be building here will not pass the WP repo theme upload since it uses ACF pro. Those themes mostly provide a base style and making pages and layouts are a whole different ball game. The theme you’ll be making with me here covers every part of the site including templated sections used to make the page layouts.

– Do I need to know PHP to start?
No. Although it wouldn’t hurt, I explain things you need, and how it works, but that’s about it. (I think)- Do I need to know CSS to start? Yes. At least enough to understand what I’m talking about when I say things like “let’s absolute position this,” “let’s add a flexbox/grid here.”

– Do I need to know SCSS to start?
It would definitely help. You can learn SCSS from me directly with this awesome course. You can also opt in for the whole package if you need it.

– Do I need to know JS to start?
No. I don’t use much js in this course. And whatever I do mention, you can just copy paste in the spot I show you and that’s it.

– How long is the course?
It’s pretty long. You can check the curriculum below. Video-wise, you’re looking at about 30h of content. Better pace yourself and get some coffee.

– What other software do I need?
I go over everything you need to set up your workflow the way I have so it’s easy for you to follow along. Simply put, it’s basically MAMP and sublime text editor. (For the styling part, I use Atom and Scout, but that’s more so in the SCSS course, less here.) I do use Affinity Publisher to go through an InDesign document when analyzing the design proof, but it’s not essential to follow along in the course.

– What downloads are provided?
Well, there’s quite a bit. The finished theme is downloadable for you to play with, the optimized assets, the design pdf, the indesign packaged final artwork. Pretty much everything that was given to me to build the website will be there for you to learn with.

Full course curriculum

Chapter 01 – Intro to WordPress theme development

• Lesson 01 – Client focused custom themes
• Lesson 02 – Things to check during the brief – onboarding
• Lesson 03 – Quoting and speccing
• Lesson 04 – Collaboration with designer

Chapter 02 – Underscores

• Lesson 01 – Introduction to Underscores
• Lesson 02 – Anatomy of a WordPress theme

Chapter 03 – Advanced Custom Fields

• Lesson 01 – Introduction to ACF
• Lesson 02 – ACF Walkthrough

Chapter 04 – Project Planning

• Lesson 01 – Understanding the proof
• Lesson 02 – Planning the build

Chapter 05 – Project Structure

• Lesson 01 – Starting on localhost
• Lesson 02 – Setting up the plugins
• Lesson 03 – Setting up the theme
• Lesson 04 – Setting up the header
• Lesson 05 – Setting up the footer & widgets
• Lesson 06 – Setting up the blocks
• Lesson 07 – Setting up the pages
• Lesson 08 – Setting up the posts

Chapter 06 – Project Content

• Lesson 01 – Asset management
• Lesson 02 – Asset export
• Lesson 03 – Site population

Chapter 07 – Project Styling

• Lesson 01 – SCSS setup
• Lesson 02 – Header
• Lesson 03 – Footer
• Lesson 04 – Pages
• Lesson 05 – Blocks
• Lesson 06 – Animations
• Lesson 07 – Desktop Finalization
• Lesson 08 – Mobile Finalization

Chapter 08 – Conclusion

• Lesson 01 – Wrap up
• Lesson 02 – Downloads

Seriously level up your development. It’s.. almost inevitable.

heh.