Title: Template Default Question
Last modified: August 19, 2016

---

# Template Default Question

 *  [digne](https://wordpress.org/support/users/digne/)
 * (@digne)
 * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/template-default-question/)
 * I’ve been creating a theme from another theme. I’m designing it for a friend 
   but I have been testing it on another site before applying it to my friend’s 
   site. I’ve got almost everything done that I need done but I’m having trouble
   with some of the defaults.
 * My friend’s website: [http://www.elizabethhanbury.com/](http://www.elizabethhanbury.com/)
   defaults to a page rather than to her blog, the links in the sidebar have a “
   home” link that links back to [http://www.elizabethhanbury.com/](http://www.elizabethhanbury.com/).
   The page is editable in the pages section.
 * To redesign the index I added a home.php template to the theme. I have created
   a “home” page in the pages section, but the two do not link together. When ever
   I add the WordPress Loop to the home.php file it calls blog posts and adds them
   to the page. I’ve search all over my setting and her settings to see if there
   is something I’m missing but no. How do I get the content in the “home” page 
   to default into the home.php file?
 * I’m working on the theme here: [http://sheynawatkins.com/wordpress/](http://sheynawatkins.com/wordpress/)
 * I don’t have the WordPress Loop in the file at the moment but you see how my 
   link to my “home” page in the sidebar links to a whole other page.
 * I’m using: WordPress 2.3.3
    My friend is using: WordPress 2.7
 * 2.3.3 is what my web host had available. I’m going to update as soon as I figure
   out how. My web host didn’t have things set up the way WordPress expects you 
   to set things up.

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

 *  [@mercime](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mercime/)
 * (@mercime)
 * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/template-default-question/#post-1233102)
 * > defaults to a page rather than to her blog,
 * Check if the theme to that original site has a home.php OR if in its Admin > 
   Settings > Reading, “Front Page Displays” > A Static Page with a specific page
   for the home page. To get it back to blog form, just reset the Reading Panel 
   to “Front Page Displays” > Your latest posts.
 * > I added a home.php template to the theme. I have created a “home” page in the
   > pages section, but the two do not link together.
 * They won’t link together. You should check out codex re Template Hierarchy wherein:
   `
   If a visitor goes to your home page at http://example.com/, WordPress first determines
   whether it has a static front page. If a static front page has been set, then
   WordPress loads that page according to the page template hierarchy. If a static
   front page has not been set, then WordPress looks for a template file called 
   home.php and uses it to generate the requested page. If home.php is missing, 
   WordPress looks for a file called index.php in the active theme's directory, 
   and uses that template to generate the page.` Therefore if you want to create
   a special template page for a home page using Pages, do not name it home.php.
   If you want to set up and upload home.php, do not create a static front page 
   named Home. Use one or the other method.
 *  Thread Starter [digne](https://wordpress.org/support/users/digne/)
 * (@digne)
 * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/template-default-question/#post-1233127)
 * Well that stinks!
 * So I’ll probably have to leave everything in the home.php file. Which will make
   it harder for my friend to edit herself.
 * If I knew the file path to the pages files, could I do an include or require 
   in php? Probably not, WordPress would probably try to create duplicate pages 
   one using home.php and another using index.php.
 * So now I need to find out how to edit the php in the sidebar to including a link
   back to the “home” page now that it will no longer be in the “pages” section 
   WordPress won’t automatically generate one.
 * Can any one help me there?
 *  [@mercime](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mercime/)
 * (@mercime)
 * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/template-default-question/#post-1233212)
 * What I posted above was that you have to use one or the other method. So you 
   have option of either
    1) a home.php which will automatically be the home page
   OR 2) us a Page set as Home page in Setting > Reading > Front Page is … And that
   Page can either be: a. a regular Page or theme’s page.php OR b. Page template
   created (you can call from Page > Add New > Attributes box) named page-home.php
 *  Thread Starter [digne](https://wordpress.org/support/users/digne/)
 * (@digne)
 * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/template-default-question/#post-1233250)
 * I understand that. But I’m going to need a link back to my home page now that
   WordPress won’t automatically create one. My PHP reads as follows:
 *     ```
       <ul>
       <?php
   
       // for sidebar widgets
       if ( !function_exists( 'dynamic_sidebar' ) || !dynamic_sidebar( ) )
       {
   
           // search bar
           sp_sidebar_open( "searchbar", "<h2>Search</h2>" );
           include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/searchform.php');
           sp_sidebar_close( );
   
           // pages
           sp_sidebar_open( "pages", "<h2>Pages</h2>" );
               echo '<ul>';
               wp_list_pages("title_li=&sort_column=menu_order&class=");
               echo '</ul>';
           sp_sidebar_close( );
       } // sidebar widgets
   
       ?>
       </ul>
       ```
   
 * I’ve tried the following code to add a real home link in but it just causes all
   the image links of the page to flicker when the mouse is over them and doesn’t
   add the link I want.
 *     ```
       <ul>
       <?php
   
       // for sidebar widgets
       if ( !function_exists( 'dynamic_sidebar' ) || !dynamic_sidebar( ) )
       {
   
           // search bar
           sp_sidebar_open( "searchbar", "<h2>Search</h2>" );
           include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/searchform.php');
           sp_sidebar_close( );
   
           // pages
           sp_sidebar_open( "pages", "<h2>Pages</h2> <ul><a href=\"http://www.elizabethhanbury.com\">Home</a></ul>\n" );
               echo '<ul>';
               wp_list_pages("title_li=&sort_column=menu_order&class=");
               echo '</ul>';
           sp_sidebar_close( );
       } // sidebar widgets
   
       ?>
       </ul>
       ```
   
 * See:
    [http://sheynawatkins.com/wordpress/](http://sheynawatkins.com/wordpress/)

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

The topic ‘Template Default Question’ is closed to new replies.

 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [digne](https://wordpress.org/support/users/digne/)
 * Last activity: [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/template-default-question/#post-1233250)
 * Status: not resolved

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