Title: Easy WordPress…. Last modified: August 30, 2016 --- # Easy WordPress…. * Resolved [maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) * (@maurice2015) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/) * Hi, * In the past I made some HTML websites. This works great and is very easy. * I am now trying to figure out how WordPress works. Well, their so called “famous 5 minute installation” took me only 3 hours…. And after this, I was stuck. I read many sites and seen many YT video’s but I just don’t get it. * Through C-Panel I made a database and installed WordPress on my domain. So this part should work… * 1) How do I edit a downloaded word press template? Simply by using PHP Designer? How does this work, I have no screen that shows me what it looks like (like I have in Kompozer). 2) How do I upload my edited wordpress template? Simply drag and drop using FTP, does not work. 3) What is all this talk about “localhost”? Do I need is, how does it work? * Please help me, after many hours I hope someone can help me with this “oh so easy to use WordPress”. * Thanks! Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total) * [David_G](https://wordpress.org/support/users/questas_admin/) * (@questas_admin) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6636982) * WordPress is pretty easy, but reading the documentation will help. [https://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page](https://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page) * Thread Starter [maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) * (@maurice2015) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6636988) * Again, these “easy” statement. Is everyone (including WordPress) trying make me feel like a complete idiot? Can someone please HELP me, instead of just dumping a link. Believe me, I read it all. I did not help. WordPress is NOT easy of if you do not have an IT back ground. * [stephencottontail](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stephencottontail/) * (@stephencottontail) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6636994) * > 1) How do I edit a downloaded word press template? Simply by using PHP Designer? > How does this work, I have no screen that shows me what it looks like (like > I have in Kompozer). * Do you know PHP? If not, it’s worth looking up a few tutorials online. WP templates are mostly HTML with a bit of PHP sprinkled it, so they’re pretty easy to edit, _if_ you already know PHP. * > 2) How do I upload my edited wordpress template? Simply drag and drop using > FTP, does not work. * What theme are you using? Which file(s) did you edit? Where did you try to upload your edited templates? WordPress expects themes to be in their own folders, contained in the `wp-content/themes` folder. Check out [Template Hierarchy](https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/basics/template-hierarchy/) to see which PHP files WordPress uses to generate your site. * > 3) What is all this talk about “localhost”? Do I need is, how does it work? * “localhost” is a fancy way of saying “the computer you’re currently using”. You probably don’t need to know too much about it, but in which context was the word used? * Thread Starter [maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) * (@maurice2015) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637006) * Thank you, stephencottontail! * Because all I really know is basic HTML, I am used to the following: 1) Download a fancy free website template. 2) Edit it with a simple editor. 3) Upload the entire site in the “public html” folder of my domain. 4) And presto, it works! * After reading your comment, I get the feeling WordPress doesn’t work this way. Because all I want to do is upload a fancy downloaded template (not even edited yet). Cannot seem to get this to work… * The “localhost” was mentioned in some tutorials about uploading a locally made website to your domain. After 30 sec they started talking about uploading databases and editing all kinds of settings, and I was lost again. * [David_G](https://wordpress.org/support/users/questas_admin/) * (@questas_admin) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637012) * WordPress is database driven. What this means is that all your settings, pages, posts etc is stored in the database unlike with an html site where you have everything in 1 file or more files. Local host is where you set up a WP site on your computer( offline). I suggest just playing around with your WP site to see how it works. Pretty much everything works from your dashboard, If you want a new theme, go to themes, click on ADD THEME and you will have literally thousands of themes to choose from. Plugins add functionality to your site. There is a difference between Pages and Posts although they use the same editor. Pages are single pages where as Posts are more like a forum with categories etc. You can find lots of youtube videos covering just about everything in the use and building of a WP site. * Thread Starter [maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) * (@maurice2015) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637028) * Thanks questas_admin. * It is becoming a bit clearer. However, I still don’t know HOW the website works offline. Do I need to make a database locally? How? * If I click on index.html, it opens in my web browser and I see what I did. If I click on index.php, nothing happens, except that it opens in PHP editor. It does not work in my web browser. I think this is where the “localhost” thing comes in handy… * How do I run WordPress locally so I can play around with it? And after that, I still have no idea how to upload the site. * [David_G](https://wordpress.org/support/users/questas_admin/) * (@questas_admin) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637034) * localhost is a topic in and of itself. Read the documentation and follow it step by step. I personally haven’t done it. * [bemdesign](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bemdesign/) * (@bemdesign) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637039) * There really isn’t an “offline” WordPress – WordPress requires a server, PHP, and MySQL (or similar database). * Now you can install these components on your local machine to do more “local” development. Take a look at XAMP/MAMP for pre-built solutions for this. But you’re still using it on a “server” – it’s just a server running locally on your machine. * At the heart of it, WordPress is a server-based application which uses PHP (a server side scripting language) to interpret web requests, query a database to collect the requested information, and then present it as an HTML representation that we see as a web page. The content is inserted into the database via PHP scripts from the WordPress dashboard (i.e. forms on the backend). All the content, except uploaded files and media, resides in the database. * Now back to your question about running locally: I suggest taking a look at XAMP/ MAMP (or even ServerPress). This will provide your local machine all the components needed – an Apache web server, MySQL, and PHP – to run WordPress “locally”. For information on how to use XAMP/MAMP – I’ve heard good things about this screencast: [https://css-tricks.com/video-screencasts/86-mamp/](https://css-tricks.com/video-screencasts/86-mamp/) * [stephencottontail](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stephencottontail/) * (@stephencottontail) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637040) * You don’t really “run” WP offline in the same way you do with a static HTML, because you need to have the PHP interpreter running. Most people use something like [WAMP](http://www.wampserver.com/en/) or [MAMP](https://www.mamp.info/en/) to set up a basic “server” on their home computer. From there, you can download WP and copy it to the appropriate folder, run the installer, and you have a functioning WP install on your computer. * Thread Starter [maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) * (@maurice2015) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637056) * Ok, thanks. * But, is WP already the editor? Or do you edit using another program? * And if so, what are these templates I see online? Do I upload them somehow and then select them? * [Digico Paris](https://wordpress.org/support/users/digico-paris/) * (@digico-paris) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637062) * Hi maurice, * Yes WP is always the “editor”, if you want to call it like that. There is no publisher for WordPress since blog invention. * WP runs any standard GPL webserver (not intended for your computer). And yes, you can choose free template and customize. * Some are free, some are on freemium base. * All will require basic web server knowledge (free). * [bemdesign](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bemdesign/) * (@bemdesign) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637071) * For content, WordPress provides the editor. For “presentation” (i.e. how the content is presented) – this is a bit more complex but it’s generally provided by a theme which is composed of PHP files and a CSS stylesheet. * Thread Starter [maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) * (@maurice2015) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637076) * AHA! And let me guess, I can upload any theme or widget to WordPress. And any editing is done in the admin part of Word press…. * Thread Starter [maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) * (@maurice2015) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637084) * I just made the ugliest website ever. But, I made it! Thanks for the push in the right direction, guys * [David_G](https://wordpress.org/support/users/questas_admin/) * (@questas_admin) * [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637102) * [@maurice2015](https://wordpress.org/support/users/maurice2015/) Just fyi, you don’t want to edit core files or theme files as your customizations will be lost when you update. When the time comes that you want to start customizing your site it is recommended that you use a CHILD-THEME for custom code edits. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total) The topic ‘Easy WordPress….’ is closed to new replies. * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 15 replies * 5 participants * Last reply from: [David_G](https://wordpress.org/support/users/questas_admin/) * Last activity: [10 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-wordpress/#post-6637102) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics