Best Framework for Custom Theme?

  • filete

    (@filete)


    14 years, 9 months ago

    So, I am new to custom themes and I need to design a website for this client.
    They have sent all the layout with .pdf, so I decided to mockup on Photoshop and have coded with HTML / CSS.

    Now I have just a few days to deliver this project, and I am trying to break the HTML to a Blank WordPress theme, but I think this is going to take much more time.

    What´s the best approach on this situation?
    Is there a framework for WordPress that can speed up the process?
    Of course I want to take time to learn create custom themes from scratch, but now I just can´t , and I still get confuse how a custom theme works consider the backend side if client needs to change content (Pictures, video, etc).

    Of course, break the HTML / CSS and get the WordPress layout look the same its easy , but that´s just almost as create a static website.
    How do you add CMS in fact to the website together with the layout?

    Thanks for all the help!

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • peredur

    (@peredur)

    14 years, 9 months ago

    You could look at these:

    But it’s not so hard to start from scratch. Once you’ve created your html mockups for all the different types of page you’re going to want (Pages, Category Lists, Single Posts, Archive Lists etc etc depending on what you need), you just need need to create your theme folder with the necessary files in it, into which you can paste your html.

    You could start off with everything in index.php and use conditional tags to sort out which output to use in what circumstances, and you need to use calls to wp functions like the_content() and so on in place of your hard-coded html, within the loop (<?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>).

    It’s in the loop that you are using the CMS functionality of WP at its most potent.

    Then you’ll probably want to start extracting stuff from index.php into their own files. For example, your header stuff (up to you to decide where the header stops and the content begins) can be cut and pasted into a header.php file and replaced in index.php with a call to get_header().

    You can do something similar with the footer and the sidebar.

    Then you might want to look at the code you have left in your index.php file and see what could go out into files on their own, like page.php for Pages and single.php for single Posts, and so on until you think the structure is OK.

    You can even extract your loop code into a loop.php file or even into loop-*.php files. It depends on the site structure really and not a little on personal preference.

    Some people swear by starter themes. Some people create their own starter themes to reflect the kind of work they usually do. Some people use child themes of starter themes, or of likely looking full themes, to take advantage of all the heavy lifting that’s already been done.

    I do recommend that you read the Codex entries on Theme Development and on child themes.

    So many choices, eh? Happy coding.

    HTH

    PAE

    Thread Starter filete

    (@filete)

    14 years, 9 months ago

    Indeed!
    Thanks so much for all the information!
    The problem is that I am really short in time, and this looks an intense task when you are new to custom themes!

    Much appreciate your help!

    esmi

    (@esmi)

    14 years, 9 months ago

    Have a look at the Thematic framework.
    http://themeshaper.com/thematic/guide/

    peredur

    (@peredur)

    14 years, 9 months ago

    If you’re really, really short of time you’ll probably have to make some compromises with your design and use one of the many WP themes out there that looks close enough.

    Then you can customise it to make it your own (preferably in a child theme).

    Once that’s up and running you can perhaps return to your original designs and start doing your own theme and then when it’s ready, just install it and you’ll have it just as you want.

    That’s how I’d be pitching it, anyway.

    Cheers

    PAE

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

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