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Things To Consider When You Mod Your WordPress Theme

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 02:24 AM PDT

The mod bug bit my ass over the whole of last week and what you are looking at is the result of that side effect. Admittedly, I think I have lost my touch. I have never faced such frustrating moments for a long time since I first learned to mod Wordpress Themes. This present look took me longer that I had expected. In the process, I crashed the whole blog more than a few times and from that, I learned quite a few new things and a few invaluable Theme modding lessons.

Never Assume What Works Offline Will Work Online

I always do my modifications offline using xampp. Though you can do everything in a “live” environment, you should be aware that when you put the Theme online, some things will turn out differently.

When working offline, the ‘localhost’ or the artificial web host that you created in your computer where you are ‘hosting’ your local blog, is a clean and uncomplicated one. Our actual web host has tons of things going on their servers so there will be a good chance that somethings will not work when you put your modded Theme online.

Always Work With Plugins Installed

One very basic factor that I did not consider when modding this Theme was the amount of plugins that I have been using. If you are modding your own Theme, always do so with whatever plugins that you have been using. Then of course, do also remember that even plugins will behave differently offline, as some of them works in relation with your actual web server.

Always Have A Backup Copy Of The Original Theme

Never delete anything blindly without backing up. When you decide to mod your Theme, download the original copy that you have been using from your server and keep it handy. In case you break the codes too badly and it is beyond repair, you can always copy and paste back the codes from the original.

There will be times when we get carried away and start changing too many things in one go. When things go wrong, we do not or cannot remember where we made the last change. Even if we remember where, we will not remember the original codes. You do not need to crack your head. Just copy and paste back the original file.

Have A Secret Blog

When are happy with everything, it is best that you have a blog that no one knows so you can check your modded Theme online. When checking,

Check The Theme With All major Browsers.

The biggest culprit and the most stubborn being Internet Explorer. Like a naughty child who needs a good spanking on the butt, IE will play havoc on all your hard work. When every other browsers listens and works with specifications, Internet Explorer plays the black sheep in the family. Like a spoiled brat, he demands you write your codes according to THEIR standard or else they refuse to read what is an industry compliant code.

Everyone should just stop using Internet Explorer until it start playing according to regulations. Use Firefox.

Have Your FTP Client Ready

Your are bound to wreck up something and you will not be able to access your blog from the front end. You won’t be able to see your Dashboard. You have to go into your server and access your raw files there so you can make changes. So you better check if your FTP client is working and you can log in to your server.

A good recommendation that I have started to love a lot is the FireFTP add-on for the Firefox browser. Better and faster than Filezilla and it is browser based, so you can do everything within your browser.

Remember Those Plugins

When things are not right after you re-load your modded Theme, don’t panic just yet. Remember your plugins. It is the most common cause of many WordPress conflicts.

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