I'm trying to create a child theme so I can delete the top menu on my site (Theme 2011). The codex file on that looks to be quite easy, but the first direction is: "Create A Directory"... I don't know and can't seem to find how to do that. Can anybody help? Please???
About Child Themes (29 posts)
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tarotmeister
Posted 8 months ago # -
Rev. Voodoo
Posted 8 months ago #use ftp, or a file manager. From either, you should be able to create a directory on your server. Your host may have a file manager you can sign on to. If not google for how to use ftp. I use filezilla, it's free and works fine.
-OR-
Make a new folder on your desktop. That is a directory.
I usually make the folder, make the style.css file inside it, zip that, and install it as a theme.
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Posted 8 months ago #Thanks - Do I do that on my dashboard? I no longer use an ftp client. My site is created live on GoDaddy as I go along. I have Filezilla installed but don't know how to use it in this way.
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Posted 8 months ago #Oh, godaddy has a file manager. It's what I use.
You can creat files and directories from within their manager
You would logon to godaddy, get to your hosting, head to the file manager and navigate to
wp-content->themes
in the themes folder create your child theme directory
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Posted 8 months ago #OK - I have created the child theme in GoDaddy file manager. How do I put my website into that theme? By the way - thanks very much for the help; you're a lifesaver!
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Posted 8 months ago #Put your website in the theme??
Sorry... I'm confused by your wording....
Once you have the theme, if it's created properly, and in the right location, from your WP admin dashboard you should be able to go to appearance -> themes and find and activate your theme
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Posted 8 months ago #I created the theme by calling GoDaddy and talking to a tech. He walked me through creating the chld theme itself and then told me that he couldn't go any further than that. I still have GoDaddy's ftp client active because I don't know how to save it to where I can use it and I'm afraid I'll lose it if I leave there. So... how do I save it in the right place? Thanks again!
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once you created the directory on server it will be saved as you are working directly on server.
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Posted 8 months ago #@govpatel is exactly correct
Whether you create files yourself, and upload through ftp
create files and upload through godaddy's file manager
or create the folders and files directly on the file manager
The files are saved, they physically exist on your server
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Posted 8 months ago #So... As I understand it, when I go to Dashboard-> Appearance-> Themes, my child theme should be there... It isn't; so what did I do wrong? Please have patience--I just haven't ever done this before.
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Digital Raindrops
Posted 8 months ago #Esmi has a Twenty Eleven child theme for download.
I have a twenty eleven child theme for the dark theme option.
These are both starter child themes that you can upload from WordPress admin!
But to practice it might be better to work on a local install, test and then deploy to the server by zipping or with FTP transfer.
Activating a child theme and making a code mistake can cause login problems on a live test or production server, working local is easy to change and test things first.
HTH
David
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Posted 8 months ago #@tarotmeister
The minimum you should have to do for a child theme to show up is:
1: navigate to the themes folder in the wp-content folder on your godaddy file manager
2: inside that folder, twentyeleven and twentyten I believe should already be there. You would make a new folder/directory in the themes folder, alongside the other themes named whatever you want
3: inside your new folder you would make a new file named style.css with the very basic header elements, and possibly the @import rule if needed
If you have done those steps, you should have a theme to activate from within the WP dashboard
as @Digital Raindrops said you could upload one of their basic child themes to get started. And also, activating a broken theme could cause problems, as could messing with a live theme. However now that you are familiar with godaddy's file manager, fixing the problem is as simple as deleting the broken theme.
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Posted 8 months ago #I went to check out both of these child themes. This stuff is so far over my head I can't reach it even on tiptoes. All I want to do is delete the top menu on my site (and disable the comments after that). I'd even settle for single line spacing if I can't do that. Isn't there an easier way to do that?
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Posted 8 months ago #Ok, you say top menu, 2011 only has one a main menu so we might not be talking about the same theme like this one 'check here'.
Posts a link to your website with the theme activated so we can help you sort out the menu.
Regards
David
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Posted 8 months ago #Thanks David. Here's the link: http://tarotmeister.com/
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Posted 8 months ago #First thing is do you want a menu that you can manage with no code?
If you do then:
- Go to Admin > Appearance > Menus
- Add a new menu and add only the items you want to the menu
- Drag the ones you want indented to the right
- Save the new menu
- You will see a new box Theme Locations
- Set the theme location to your new menu and save
- View your theme
Child Theme
If you then really want the menu gone let us know, as it is the Twenty Eleven theme you will use a child theme, I have to pop out for an hour, I will detail how to do this when I get back.Download one of the child themes, install it, activate it and set the background and other settings if required.
HTH
David
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Posted 8 months ago #I do want it gone, but I don't want it to interfere with the sidebar menu. I've created a child theme and I also found the piece of code alchymyth told me (last week) to delete after I had a child theme. I have copied and saved it in case I'm not really working in the child theme and I cause a big error. I should be able to just paste it back in...right? Here's the code:
[Code moderated as per the Forum Rules. Please use the pastebin]
Can I safely remove it?
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Posted 8 months ago #Hi tarotmeister,
You have the child theme that is great, now we can do this in a couple of minutes.Just checked and your child theme is not activated, Admin > Appearance > Themes, find the child theme and activate, it will not affect the content, but you might have to reset the background.
With your file manager or ftp, download the file header.php from the twenty eleven theme folder, or just download the twenty eleven theme from WordPress extend, to your pc and extract header.php
Ok, so now we have the twenty eleven header.php file open in notepad or a free syntax text editor like notepad++
Now we are just going to add a little code to an existing line, find this line, about four from the bottom.
<?php wp_nav_menu( array( 'theme_location' => 'primary' ) ); ?>We are going to add an element to the wp_nav_menu array.
By default the fallback menu is list pages like on your website, we want to set this to blank so the list pages are not called.
Default value not seen:
'fallback_cb' => 'wp_page_menu'
New added value:
'fallback_cb' => ''So we add this and our line will now look like this:
<?php wp_nav_menu( array( 'theme_location' => 'primary','fallback_cb' => '' ) ); ?>Then save the header.php file, upload this single new file to the child theme's folder and NOT the twenty eleven folder (directory)
Then check the website!
Thats it, now when twenty eleven is updated your file is not over written, here is the change see line 118
Why not just delete that line?
Can I safely remove it?
If later we wanted a menu, by editing the line and not deleting it, we can just create a menu as in my post above, assign this to the primary location and it will appear 'like magic' without having to find and replace code.
All done? mark this as resolved!
HTH
David
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Posted 8 months ago #This looks pretty straight forward. Before I start, though, I want to check one thing with you. The code I downloaded has a lot of instructions mixed in with it. Is that okay? Or am I in the wrong place? Duh.....
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Posted 8 months ago #Hi,
Click on the 'here is the change' link in the post above, I have uploaded the changed file to pastebin so you can compare it, the file is header.php the line is 118, as in the post above.Forget any other code, follow these steps.
- Download header.php from twenty eleven
- Open the header.php file
- Find the line detailed above
- Make the change detailed above
- Save the header.php file
- Upload this to the child theme's folder
View the change, have a cup of tea and relax, or have a game of cards! lol
David ;)
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Posted 8 months ago #A family issue took me away and this is the first chance I have to come back. I just found out that the child theme I thought I had created actually didn't happen, and the GoDaddy tech I just talked to wouldn't help me do it again. I am reviewing what you told me about cteating a child theme and also lookin into changing hosts for one recommended by WordPress. I'll be back as soon as I have done SOMETHING about the child-theme issue. Again, thank you so much for your help and patience. Gary
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carlacuomo
Posted 8 months ago #Hi everyone
I am working with twenty ten theme which ue to be the default theme
and I have a question related to the topic
do I still need to create the child theme to avoid problem of overwritten files?
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Yes if you made customizing on your style.css or templates then you will need create child and make changes there.
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Posted 8 months ago #I have spent all day trying to create a child theme on GoDaddy's file manager. It would get created, but I couldn't get it to activate. (GoDaddy wouldn't help me with that.) All I managed to accomplish was to change some stuff on 2011 on my sites theme manager (or whatever it's called). Doesn't seem to have caused any problems, though, my site still comes up okay. I'm going to search around and see if I can find a theme in black or dark grey that doesn't have that overhead menu. Wish me luck! If that doesn't do it, I don't know what I'll do.
Gary -
Posted 8 months ago #@govpatel
ok then, just double check before going too far
thanks
xc -
Posted 8 months ago #@tarotmeister,
Why not just use one of the starter themes, the instructions are not that hard to follow, just take your time.If it gets you going I will even create the child theme for you, just email me david.cox@digitalraindrops.net
Doesn't seem to have caused any problems, though, my site still comes up okay.
The issue is not changing the parent theme, yes the changes will work.
Soon there will be an update of WordPress, and there is more than a likely chance that the Twenty Eleven theme will be updated.
WARNING: The upgrade process will affect all files and folders included in the main WordPress installation. This includes all the core files used to run WordPress, two plugins (Akismet and Hello Dolly) and one theme (Twenty Ten). If you have made any modifications to those files, your changes will be lost.
HTH
David
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Posted 8 months ago #@esmi, I had already linked to your download as well as mine in this topic!
Regards
David
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Oops! Sorry :-(
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