by George Plumley | Publisher: Virtual Training Company, Inc. | Release Date: June 2011 | ISBN: 1936334976

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems so it's important for web designers to offer WordPress services. This VTC course will help you understand how the software works and, in particular, how themes are made. WordPress themes control both the look and many of the functions of a website, so you need to know how to work with theme files. Author George Plumley will demonstrate how to implement your designs in a theme or convert an existing site into a theme. Customizing theme functionality for each client is also important and you'll learn to create page templates. You will also learn how to use plugins to provide clients with key functionality, such as forms, social media, photo management, and even ecommerce. Click on the movie links below to get started today!

1. Introduction
   • Course Overview 00:03:12
   • Course Requirements & Assumptions 00:03:41
   • Why Choose WordPress 00:02:53
   • Self-Hosted WP vs. WordPress.com 00:01:56
2. Installing WordPress
   • Basic Installation 00:07:15
   • Securing a WP Installation 00:03:51
   • Basic WP Settings 00:04:54
3. A Quick WP Primer
   • Administration Interface Overview 00:06:24
   • Customizing WP Admin Screens 00:05:45
   • Adding Posts & Pages 00:06:04
   • Visual/HTML Editor 00:05:50
   • Adding Images & Video 00:06:32
   • Media Library 00:04:54
   • Menus 00:06:02
   • Widgets 00:05:01
   • Plugins 00:06:16
   • Appearance & Themes 00:06:04
4. Organizing the Client Site
   • Posts Versus Pages 00:06:17
   • Categories & Tags 00:05:39
   • User Roles & Management 00:05:34
   • Importing Existing Blog Material 00:03:11
   • Home Page Setup 00:05:10
5. How WP Themes Work - Basics
   • How WP Uses Themes 00:03:05
   • What is in a Theme 00:03:30
   • Template Hierarchy 00:04:27
   • Layout Template Files 00:06:08
   • Stylesheets 00:05:01
   • Single & Page Templates 00:06:36
   • Category & Archive Templates 00:05:29
   • Loop Templates 00:05:08
   • Functions.php 00:03:10
   • Other Basic Templates 00:04:32
   • WP-Generated CSS Classes 00:05:08
   • Child Themes 00:06:07
   • Theme Frameworks 00:06:40
   • Example Theme Framework 00:06:40
6. Creating Custom Themes
   • Theme Strategies 00:06:40
   • Modifying Existing Themes pt. 1 00:03:46
   • Modifying Existing Themes pt. 2 00:04:34
   • Modifying Existing Themes pt. 3 00:04:16
   • Modifying Existing Themes pt. 4 00:06:21
   • Modifying Existing Themes pt. 5 00:06:50
   • Converting an Existing Site pt. 1 00:06:02
   • Converting an Existing Site pt. 2 00:05:45
7. Solutions Using Widgets & Plugins
   • How to Choose Plugins 00:05:07
   • Plugins for Developers 00:06:09
   • Plugins for Design & Layout 00:05:30
   • Simple Content with Text Widgets 00:06:06
   • Photo Galleries 00:06:19
   • Forms 00:06:32
   • Workflow & Collaboration 00:03:00
   • Related Content 00:03:36
   • Social Media 00:04:25
   • Memberships & Role Management 00:05:25
   • Paid Membership Management 00:06:41
   • Events Management 00:05:15
   • E-commerce 00:04:13
   • Video & Audio 00:06:02
   • Mobile 00:05:05
   • Ad Management 00:05:52
   • Embedded Fonts 00:05:58
8. Housekeeping Plugins
   • SEO Strategies with WordPress 00:05:13
   • SEO Plugins 00:05:35
   • Statistics 00:06:00
   • Security 00:06:03
   • Backup 00:07:01
   • Link Checking 00:05:16
   • Caching 00:05:36
9. How WP Themes Work - Advanced
   • PHP Basics pt. 1 00:04:12
   • PHP Basics pt. 2 00:04:56
   • Common PHP Errors 00:05:21
   • The Loop 00:04:58
   • Creating Your Own Loops 00:05:38
   • Template Tags 00:05:45
   • Conditional Tags 00:05:34
   • Functions.php 00:04:35
   • Creating a Plugin 00:05:25
   • Hooks 00:05:16
   • Custom Page Templates 00:04:13
   • Post Formats 00:06:12
   • Custom Post Templates 00:06:20
   • Custom Fields 00:07:13
   • Featured Images 00:05:39
   • Shortcodes 00:06:29
   • Custom Taxonomies 00:05:36
   • Custom Post Types 00:07:17
10. Some Common Customizations
    • Adding Menus 00:06:26
    • Adding Widget Areas 00:05:45
    • Display Thumbnails with Posts 00:04:01
    • Header Images by Page 00:04:05
    • Custom Links Page 00:05:45
    • Theme Options Page pt. 1 00:07:04
    • Theme Options Page pt. 2 00:06:53
    • Theme Options Page pt. 3 00:04:35
    • Product or Course Listings 00:06:27
11. Final Thoughts
    • WP Resources Online 00:04:26
    • Hiring Extra Help 00:03:48
    • Wrap Up 00:02:58
12. Credits
    • About the Author 00:01:02