A child theme, is a special type of WordPress theme that inherits the features and functionalities of another theme, which we can call the main theme. A child theme is most often provided with the main version of the theme by its creator.
Why use a child theme in WordPress?
But why is such a solution used? First of all, so that we do not lose the changes we have made during the theme update. While most of the basic settings of the main theme are remembered and do not disappear with the newer version, it may turn out that we need to perform more advanced work in the code. And here comes the problem. Such authorial changes can be removed during the update. Using a child theme prevents this.
A child theme also allows for safe work on personalizing various elements. The main theme is not violated, and if we decide that we want to go back to the basics – just remove the given child theme and install a clean one again.
We can consider the main theme as the basis for the appearance of our website, while a child theme will allow us to expand it. Here we can safely add functionalities, upload our own code fragments and much more.
How to create a child theme
The instructions for creating a child theme are generally available, but they may be too complicated for beginners. A good solution is to check the documentation of the chosen theme and the creators’ website. There will most likely be ready-made child theme files for download there. Optionally, we can use a plugin for creating child themes, but this is not a solution recommended by us. These plugins work with different themes in different ways and may not work properly. If the theme does not have a ready-made child theme, and we do not feel like experts ourselves, it is better to commission its creation to specialists.
Having a child theme significantly improves work on the website, and in the future guarantees its safe development. If we have WordPress without a chlid theme installed and active, let’s consider implementing it. The sooner we do it, the fewer changes await us in the future.
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