Title: Child theme example Last modified: August 21, 2016 --- # Child theme example * [sgstrategist](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sgstrategist/) * (@sgstrategist) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/) * Does someone want to share the code they have used to successfully make a child theme? I’ve read several threads on this but none of the solutions offered have worked for me. * It would be very helpful if I could just look at the actual code that someone has used successfully in their child them since .css files are squirrely on this one. Thanks! * I’m using expound 1.9 and all I want to do is change the ration of the primary and secondary content areas. The primary is too wide and the secondary not wide enough. * Much appreciated! Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 17 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/page/2/?output_format=md) * [batharoy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/batharoy/) * (@batharoy) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521331) * You can do that with css, just install a custom css plugin. These are the default values. * ``` #primary { width: 740px } #secondary { width: 260px; } ``` * But to answer your question you can copy/paste the example on the [codex page](http://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes). Just change any accurance of twentyfourteen to expound. * Thread Starter [sgstrategist](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sgstrategist/) * (@sgstrategist) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521333) * Thanks for the response. I tried several of those plug-ins and they were ineffective. * Thread Starter [sgstrategist](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sgstrategist/) * (@sgstrategist) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521334) * I have made several successful child themes before so it’s hard to know what is going wrong. The codex was the first place I looked. * Thread Starter [sgstrategist](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sgstrategist/) * (@sgstrategist) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521336) * I have made several successful child themes before so it’s hard to know what is going wrong. The codex was the first place I looked. * The zip folder is expound1.8zip and the folder inside is expound. I have since updated to 1.9. Maybe that is part of the issue? * I also think the multiple .css files are confusing me too * [Andrew Nevins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/anevins/) * (@anevins) * WCLDN 2018 Contributor | Volunteer support * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521341) * What’s in your Child Theme style.css file? * What message are you getting when you can’t create your Child Theme? * Thread Starter [sgstrategist](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sgstrategist/) * (@sgstrategist) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521369) * It says installed correctly but then when I preview/activate there is a only an ugly, basic version of the website. As if there is no CSS at all. The style. css file is actually outside the main CSS folder. It contains minimal code with an a line to import another CSS file. The expound.css is in the CSS folder and I think is the one I want to update. * Because the child theme is installing but stripping away almost all the css I think I am failing to properly import the rest of the CSS. I’ve never worked with a theme so complicated that I had to do more than /themename/style.css ( I don’t have the exact import code in front of me). * Thanks so much to everyone helping me try to get to the bottom of this. The custom css plug-in adapted the size of the secondary but was not able to adjust the primary. As a result my new coln sizes were too big when combined. * [batharoy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/batharoy/) * (@batharoy) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521383) * Just installed Expound to try this out, heres an image of the theme directory. [http://s23.postimg.org/an0rdhkhn/Untitled.png](http://s23.postimg.org/an0rdhkhn/Untitled.png) * This is the code I used in the expound-child style.css * ``` /* Theme Name: Expound Child Template: expound */ @import url("../expound/style.css"); /* =Theme customization starts here -------------------------------------------------------------- */ ``` * All the default styles appear on my local server. * Thread Starter [sgstrategist](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sgstrategist/) * (@sgstrategist) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521394) * Thank you so much for going to the effort to help me out with this. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but when I upload a child theme with that code, it tells me the theme installed correctly but then all of the formatting is removed from the website, like a bad version of wikipedia. * I then tracked down all the .css files inside and outside the css folder and included them: /* Theme Name: Expound Child Template: expound */ * [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(“../expound/style. css”); [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(“../expound/ rtl.css”); [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(“../expound/ css/expound.css”); [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(“../ expound/css/buddypress.css)”; [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(“../expoud/css/editor-style.css”); [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(“../expound/css/reset.css”); /* =Theme customization starts here ————————————————————–*/ * [This](http://sharongutowski.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/expoundchildthemeissues.jpg) is what it looks like both with the code you supplied and the one I have listed above. * I think I am going to install this on a subdomain and let it stew over night. I’ve had really weird issues fix themselves if I leave it alone for a little while. * Thanks again for the assistance. I’ll check back after work tomorrow! * [wiresplus](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wiresplus/) * (@wiresplus) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521434) * I did the same, then found that if I took away the ../ at the start of the link, so it reads [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(‘expound/ style.css’) with only single quotation marks, it works for me. * Try that? and try ctrl-F5 to force the browser to go find the stylesheet again. * [Andrew Nevins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/anevins/) * (@anevins) * WCLDN 2018 Contributor | Volunteer support * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521452) * > I did the same, then found that if I took away the ../ at the start of the > link, so it reads [@import](https://wordpress.org/support/users/import/) url(‘ > expound/style.css’) with only single quotation marks, it works for me. * Isn’t it supposed to be up one level (`../`), presuming you created your Child Theme in the “themes” directory at that level? * [wiresplus](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wiresplus/) * (@wiresplus) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521523) * Well, you’d think so, but expound won’t take it and it says “this theme is broken, you need to install expound first” * So yes, normally you would want it up a level, but for an as yet unknown reason expound wants it without. The child CSS reads: * ``` /* Theme Name: Expound Child Template: expound */ @import url('expound/style.css'); /* =Theme customization starts here -------------------------------------------------------------- */ ``` * (it works for me on WP3.8) * [wiresplus](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wiresplus/) * (@wiresplus) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521524) * And yes, I have made a child theme folder in wp-content/themes. * [Andrew Nevins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/anevins/) * (@anevins) * WCLDN 2018 Contributor | Volunteer support * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521525) * Let’s see your site * [wiresplus](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wiresplus/) * (@wiresplus) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521526) * Oh, I was only testing. sandbox.wiresplus.co.nz. It’s empty as yet, but the theme _is_ working. * [Andrew Nevins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/anevins/) * (@anevins) * WCLDN 2018 Contributor | Volunteer support * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/#post-4521527) * What’s the name of your Child Theme folder? Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 17 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Child theme example’ is closed to new replies. * ![](https://i0.wp.com/themes.svn.wordpress.org/expound/2.0.1/screenshot.png) * Expound * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/expound/) * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/expound/active/) * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/expound/unresolved/) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/expound/reviews/) * 17 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [wiresplus](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wiresplus/) * Last activity: [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-theme-example/page/2/#post-4521529) * Status: not resolved