WordPress Development
Course Introduction
In this course students learn how to develop Web sites that take advantage of the power, versatility, and community of WordPress. Students start with the basics of WordPress navigation and interface, then they open the hood, learning the anatomy of WordPress themes and how to make their own. Students also explore child themes, functions, hooks, filters, plugins, widgets, custom post types, and more, all with one big goal in mind: learning the techniques and tools essential to developing excellent WordPress sites.
Course Prerequisites
HTML and CSS Essentials, Dreamweaver 1, Web Design 1, and JavaScript for Designers courses or equivalent experience.
Course Notes
A Student Guide is provided for this course. Evaluation is based solely on an Academy of Learning Career College final exam. Prior to taking the final exam, students must successfully complete all the components of the online course material. Participants who receive 75% or higher on their exam will receive a certificate.
Course Breakdown
- Lesson 1:
What is a CMS?; About This Course; An Introduction to Web CMSs; Principles of Content Management Systems; Hosted vs. Downloaded Solutions; Major CMSs and Their Features; Case Study; WordPress: More Than “Just a Blog”; Open Source License; WordPress Popularity
- Lesson 2:
WordPress: A Closer Look; Getting Started with WordPress; Features of WordPress; Themes and Plugins: Moving to WordPress.org; A Walk Through the Settings; PHP Resources
- Lesson 3:
The Anatomy of a WordPress Theme; Why Develop your Own Theme?; Directory Structure; Important Files for Themes; Theme Hierarchy; Header and Footer; The Loop; Post Templates; Auxiliary Templates
- Lesson 4:
Child Themes and Theme Frameworks; What is a Child Theme?; Making a Child Theme; Theme Frameworks; Building your Own Theme Framework
- Lesson 5:
Hooks and Custom Post Types; Hooks; Actions: Changing the Login Screen Logo; Filters; Custom Post Types; Creating the Template Files; Recommendations
- Lesson 6:
Widgets and Resources; WordPress Widgets; Creating a Widget; Continued Learning; Themes and Plugins; SEO Plugins