Key details

WordPress training course for existing users, teaching how to create WordPress themes and templates that look and operate just how you want.

While there are plenty of WordPress themes available, it’s unlikely you’ll find one that has the exact look and functionality you want. If you’re serious about your website, you’ll want it to be unique too – you don’t want your clients to stumble across another site that looks just like yours. To get your site looking and working just how you require, you’ll need to create your own WordPress theme and templates.

WordPress theme and template development training guides you, step-by-step, through the process of creating a brand new custom theme (overall website design), comprising the templates you require (for each different page type).

The topics covered include:

• Setting up a development environment.
• How WordPress themes work.
• Template files and template hierarchy.
• Creating your own WordPress theme.
• Designing for WordPress.
• Managing user access.
• Maintaining a WordPress Site

This course is ideal for novice and experienced website developers, designers and site administrators.

WordPress theme and template development training is arranged on-request, i.e. one-to-one training or a ‘closed course’ for your group. Your training can be tailored to take into account any existing knowledge you have, and the work you’re going to be doing.

In-class or online

This course is available in-class at eight centres or live online.

Expert trainer

WordPress courses are hosted by Andrew Moreton, a long-established consultant and trainer with expert knowledge of web development using WordPress.

How will I learn?

Our WordPress theme and template development training is hands-on and practical.

There is plenty of time to ask questions, and you can take away all the files you create.

Training guide and certificate

Course delegates receive:

• A comprehensive training guide for WordPress theme and template development, to refer to throughout the course, and to use as a refresher afterwards.
• An e-certificate confirming successful completion of a WordPress theme and template development training course. Click here to see an example of the certificate you receive.

After course support

Following WordPress theme and template development training, delegates are entitled to 30 days’ email support from their WordPress trainer to help with any post-course issues. For further details, see Support.

Prerequisites

To gain the most benefit from this course, delegates should have:

• A good working knowledge of WordPress, i.e. be familiar with the techniques taught in our Introduction to WordPress course.
• Practical experience of HTML and CSS, i.e. be familiar with the techniques taught in our HTML and CSS – design and code a website course.

WordPress version

Training can be based on any version of WordPress to suit you.

General information

Course times

Standard course times are 9.30am–4.30pm.

As we’d be hosting this as a ‘closed course’ for you/your group, there’s usually flexibility to change these times to suit you, e.g. start or end 30 minutes earlier or later.

Payment

Payment for WordPress training can be made by:

• Bank transfer. Please call 01527 834783 for our bank details.
• Card. All major credit and debit cards accepted. Payment can be made securely online or over the phone. Card payments are processed by Stripe. Armada doesn’t record or store your card details.

Purchase orders

We accept purchase orders from UK-registered companies and public sector organisations.

Accommodation

See Accommodation local to our training centres.

Cancellations and postponements

If an on-request WordPress theme and template development course booking is cancelled giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a cancellation fee is payable. View cancellation terms.

If an on-request WordPress theme and template development course booking is postponed giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a postponement fee is payable. View postponement terms.

Terms and conditions

Expert trainer

WordPress theme and template development training courses are hosted by:

• Andrew Moreton
• Dan Foster

Andrew Moreton

Andrew is a highly-experienced instructor with expert knowledge of InDesign and Photoshop.

He’s also a practicing web developer with expert knowledge of Dreamweaver, WordPress and HTML5 and CSS3 coding.

Andrew has 25+ years’ experience in graphic design, electronic publishing and website design and development, and he’s been hosting courses in these topics for 20+ years.

Dan Foster

Dan has been designing and building digital experiences for over 15 years, working with clients including HSBC, Boots and Shell to create modern apps and websites for their customers.

A mentor to junior designers, Dan has been training people in user experience (UX/UI) design, website design and app prototyping since 2016, on platforms like WordPress, Adobe XD and Figma.

When he’s not training or designing, Dan loves to travel, eat, and learn new languages.

Course content

Setting up a development environment

• Installing XAMP or MAMP
• About myPHPadmin
• About mySQL
• Understanding PHP
• Installing a local copy of WordPress

How WordPress themes work

Template files and template hierarchy

• WordPress template tags
• The WordPress Loop
• Conditional tags
• Modifying pre-existing themes

Creating your own WordPress theme

Designing for WordPress

• Your theme folder
• Modularising your design
• Creating custom templates
• The functions.php file
• Adding widgets and menus
• About custom fields
• WordPress taxonomies
• Search forms

Managing user access

• About user roles
• Managing users comments
• Setting up Author pages

Maintaining a WordPress Site

• Backing up your WordPress Installation
• Using Maintenance mode
• Migrating from a local server to remote

Live online training

Online training lets you participate in a live WordPress course from your place of work or home.

We do everything possible to make your online training experience as close as possible to actually being in the classroom. You can:

• See and hear our trainer, and the other delegates participating in the course…
  
• Watch our trainer demonstrate techniques in WordPress.
• Interact by speaking, using chat, or raising your ‘virtual hand’ if you need assistance.
• Share your screen with our trainer, and allow them to take control to explain something.

Like our in-class courses, online WordPress theme and template development courses…

• Are presented by expert instructors.
• Give you plenty of opportunity to carry out assisted, practical exercises using WordPress.
• Offer 30 days’ email support from your trainer.

All you need is an Internet-connected computer with…

• WordPress installed.
• A webcam and audio capability. If your computer running WordPress doesn’t have these, you can use a second device, such as another computer or tablet. See Hardware recommendations for live online training for further details.

If there’s anything you’re not sure about we’ll do our best to help you. We won’t, however, be able to assist with your WordPress installation.

We provide everything else…

• Links to download the files, resources, etc. you’ll use in your course.
• A training guide. For most courses, you can choose from a printed copy that we post to you, or a PDF.

In the week before your course, we’ll send you an email containing everything you need to prepare for and participate in the training. Then, a couple of days before your course, we’ll give you a courtesy call to make sure you have everything in place and answer any questions you may have.

Please note that we are not able to record scheduled online courses for privacy reasons.

When you attend live online training, you’re participating in a real course, hosted by a real trainer, in real time