Customize Thesis Like a Pro – Introduction to editing the PHP

I believe that one of the most compelling reasons for building your site with Thesis is the relative ease with which custom CSS and custom programming can be added to a Thesis site. An introductory level of CSS, HTML an PHP can get a website owner a very long way. This video tutorial series provides you with that introduction and a bit more.

Start from zero here.

I don’t assume you have any knowledge of CSS or PHP.  These videos are intended for intermediate WordPress users.  You have your site up and running, Thesis is installed on the site and thus you have the very basics completed.  Now we’ll move on from there, gradually adding to your knowledge of web design, WordPress, Thesis and the structures that make them possible.

Your custom_functions.php file

In this lesson we’ll prepare a Thesis theme based website to be customized.  We’ll walk through the basic Thesis custom php file structure.  We will learn these basics by making a custom header that changes depending on which page is displayed.

Part 1 – Introducing the custom_functions.php file – Watch the Video

• Find the file using FTP
• Open the file in a code editor
• PHP open & closing tags
• PHP single line comments
• PHP multi-line comments
• Where to add your custom functions

Part 2 – An Introduction to Thesis Hooks – Watch the Video

• What is a Thesis Hook?
• Where are the hooks located?
• How to use Thesis Hooks

Part 3 – Remove an Action from a Thesis Hook – Watch the Video

• WordPress Command Reference
• Anatomy of the remove_action function
• A practical example – Remove the Nav Menu

Part 4 – Add an Action to a Thesis Hook – Watch the Video

• Anatomy of the add_action function
• A practical example – Add the Nav Menu below the header

Part 5 – Add a Custom Image Banner in the Place of the Default Thesis Header

• If it is the Home Page use a custom banner
• Anatomy of the function
• If statement
• Conditional Tags
• Remove the default header
• Start and Stop PHP
• Add link
• Add Image
• Tell Thesis to use this function

Part 6 – Displaying Different Banners on Different Pages – Watch the Video

• If it is a Special Page use a special banner
• Elseif statement
• Conditional tag with multiple conditions
• Special banner definition
• If it is any other page use the typical banner
• Else statement
• The potential for consolidating the statements

Tagged as: Free Video Tutorials