Title: General Coding Question
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# General Coding Question

 *  [santana61](https://wordpress.org/support/users/santana61/)
 * (@santana61)
 * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/general-coding-question/)
 * I am mediating between disagreeing developers. One says:
    – Taking an existing
   WordPress theme and modifying it is okay
 * The other says:
    – You’re much better off creating a new custom theme. That way,
   future Worpress upgrades won’t break it.
 * Can anyone weigh in on this issue?
 * Thanks!

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

 *  [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/)
 * (@esmi)
 * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/general-coding-question/#post-2499360)
 * Third option: create a [child theme](http://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes).
 *  [fonglh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fonglh/)
 * (@fonglh)
 * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/general-coding-question/#post-2499410)
 * > You’re much better off creating a new custom theme. That way, future Worpress
   > upgrades won’t break it.
 * This is incorrect. Changes in WordPress core can still make a custom theme incompatible.
   What it will protect you from is automatic upgrades which may wipe out your custom
   changes.
 * Which is why esmi’s suggestion of a child theme is the best. You get upgrades
   from the parent theme without losing your own custom changes.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘General Coding Question’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [Coding](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/coding/)
 * [Themes](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/themes/)
 * [upgrades](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/upgrades/)

 * In: [Everything else WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/miscellaneous/)
 * 2 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [fonglh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fonglh/)
 * Last activity: [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/general-coding-question/#post-2499410)
 * Status: not resolved

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