Mastering WordPress Code Editing

As a WordPress user, you may have come across a situation where you need to edit the code of your website. Maybe you want to make some design changes, add custom functionality, or fix a bug. Whatever the reason may be, knowing how to edit WordPress code is an essential skill for any website owner or developer.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about editing WordPress code. We’ll start by looking at the different ways you can edit the code of your website and the tools you can use. Then, we’ll delve into the specific types of code you can edit, including HTML, PHP, and CSS. Finally, we’ll discuss some best practices and tips to help you avoid common pitfalls and make the most of your code edits.

Introduction to WordPress Code Editing

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows you to create and manage a website without having to write code from scratch. However, there may be times when you need to make changes to the underlying code of your website to achieve a specific goal. For example, you may want to add a custom CSS class to a particular element, modify a template file to change the layout of your site, or add a custom function to your theme’s functions.php file.

There are several ways you can edit the code of your WordPress website, and the method you choose will depend on your needs and comfort level with code. Some options include:

• Using the WordPress editor: WordPress includes a built-in editor that allows you to make changes to your theme’s PHP and CSS files directly from the WordPress dashboard.
• Using FTP: You can use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client to connect to your website’s server and edit the code files directly.
• Using a code editor: A code editor is a specialized tool that allows you to edit code files, typically with features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and error checking.
• Using a page builder plugin: Some WordPress plugins, such as Elementor and WPBakery, allow you to design and customize your website using a drag-and-drop interface, without having to write any code.

Editing WordPress for Individual Posts or Pages

If you are using the Block Editor (Gutenberg):

The Block Editor, also known as Gutenberg, is the default editor in WordPress 5.0 and higher. It allows you to create posts and pages using “blocks” of content, rather than editing the HTML directly. However, you may still need to edit the HTML code of individual blocks or the entire post or page.

To edit the HTML of a block in the Block Editor:

1. Go to the post or page you want to edit and click the “Edit” button.
2. Click on the block you want to edit.
3. In the block settings panel on the right, click the “HTML” tab.
4. Make your changes to the HTML code.
5. Click the “Update” button to save your changes.

To edit the HTML of the entire post or page in the Block Editor:

1. Go to the post or page you want to edit and click the “Edit” button.
2. Click the “More Options” button (three dots) in the top right corner of the editor.
3. Select “Edit as HTML” from the dropdown menu.
4. Make your changes to the HTML code.
5. Click the “Update” button to save your changes.

It’s worth noting that the HTML tab in the block settings panel and the “Edit as HTML” option are only available if you have the “Custom HTML” block installed. This block is not installed by default in WordPress, but you can install it by going to Plugins > Add New and searching for “Custom HTML.”

Editing Your Theme’s HTML, PHP and CSS Code

In addition to editing the HTML of individual posts and pages, you may also need to make changes to your theme’s HTML and PHP code. This could involve modifying template files, adding custom functions, or making other changes to the code that powers your website’s design and functionality.

There are a few different ways you can edit your theme’s code:

• Using the WordPress editor: You can access and edit your theme’s code files directly from the WordPress dashboard by going to Appearance > Theme Editor. From here, you can select the file you want to edit from the list on the right, make your changes, and click the “Update File” button to save your changes.
• Using FTP: You can use an FTP client to connect to your website’s server and edit the code files directly. This requires a bit more technical knowledge and is not recommended for beginners.
• Using a code editor: A code editor is a specialized tool that allows you to edit code files, typically with features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and error checking. You can use a code editor to connect to your website’s server via FTP and edit the code files directly, or you can download the code files to your computer and edit them locally.

It’s important to be careful when editing your theme’s code, as even a small mistake can break your website. Before making any changes, it’s a good idea to create a child theme and make your code edits there. A child theme is a separate theme that inherits the design and functionality of the parent theme, but allows you to make customizations without modifying the parent theme’s code directly. This way, if you make a mistake or want to switch back to the original theme, you can do so without losing your customizations.

To create a child theme, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Create a new folder in your WordPress installation’s “wp-content/themes” directory and name it something like “my-child-theme.”
2. Inside the new folder, create a file called “style.css” and add the following code at the top:

/*
Theme Name: My Child Theme
Description: A child theme of [parent theme name]
Author: Your Name
Version: 1.0
Template: [parent theme folder name]
*/

Replace “My Child Theme,” “A child theme of [parent theme name],” and “Your Name” with the appropriate values for your child theme. Replace “[parent theme folder name]” with the folder name of the parent theme.

3. Save the file and activate your child theme from the WordPress dashboard by going to Appearance > Themes.

Now, any changes you make to your theme’s code will be made in the child theme, rather than the parent theme. This allows you to safely experiment with different code modifications without affecting the original theme.

Adding Custom CSS to Your Site

In addition to editing the HTML and PHP code of your theme, you may also want to add custom CSS to your website to make design changes or override existing styles. There are a few different ways you can do this:

• Using the WordPress customizer: The WordPress customizer allows you to make various design and customization changes to your website, including adding custom CSS. To access the customizer, go to Appearance > Customize. From here, you can click the “Additional CSS” tab and enter your custom CSS.
• Using a plugin: There are several WordPress plugins that allow you to add custom CSS to your website, such as Simple Custom CSS and Jetpack. These plugins usually have a user-friendly interface that allows you to enter your custom CSS without having to touch any code.
• Adding CSS directly to your theme’s style.css file: If you are using a child theme (as recommended in the previous section), you can add custom CSS directly to your child theme’s style.css file. This is a good option if you have a lot of custom CSS that you want to use consistently across your website.

It’s important to note that any custom CSS you add to your website will be specific to your theme and will not carry over if you switch to a different theme. This is why it’s a good idea to use a child theme and add your custom CSS to the child theme’s style.css file, as mentioned in the previous section. This way, your custom CSS will be preserved even if you switch to a different theme.

Editing Pages with Page Builders

Page builders are WordPress plugins that allow you to design and customize your website using a drag-and-drop interface, without having to write any code. Some popular page builders include Elementor, WPBakery, and Divi.

To edit a page with a page builder, you’ll typically need to do the following:

1. Install and activate the page builder plugin.
2. Go to the post or page you want to edit and click the “Edit with [page builder]” button.
3. Use the page builder’s interface to add and customize the various elements of your page, such as text blocks, images, buttons, and more.
4. Save your changes and publish the page.

Page builders can be a convenient option if you want to make design changes to your website without having to write any code. However, it’s important to note that some page builders can add a lot of extra code to your website, which can slow it down and make it more difficult to maintain. It’s a good idea to use page builders sparingly and only for the specific features or pages that truly require them.

Best Practices and Tips for WordPress Code Editing

Here are a few best practices and tips to help you make the most of your WordPress code edits:

• Back up your website before making any code changes: It’s always a good idea to make a backup of your website before making any code changes. This way, if something goes wrong or you make a mistake, you can restore your website from the backup. There are several WordPress plugins that can help you create backups, such as UpdraftPlus and BackupBuddy.
• Use a staging site to test code changes: A staging site is a copy of your live website that you can use to test code changes and other updates before pushing them to the live site. This can be a helpful way to ensure that your code edits are working as intended before making them live for everyone to see. Many hosting providers offer staging environments as a built-in feature, or you can use a plugin like WP Staging to create a staging site on your own server.
• Use a code editor or development environment: A code editor or development environment is a specialized tool that can make it easier to write and debug code. Some popular options include Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and PHPStorm.
• Follow WordPress coding standards: WordPress has a set of coding standards that are recommended for all themes and plugins. Following these standards can help make your code more maintainable and easier for other developers to understand. You can find the WordPress coding standards here: https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/best-practices/coding-standards/
• Use comments and documentation: Adding comments and documentation to your code can help you and others understand what the code is doing and why. This can be especially helpful if you are working on a team or if you need to revisit your code at a later date. To add a comment to your code, use the // or /* */ syntax. For example:

// This is a single-line comment

/*
This is a
multi-line comment
*/

You can also use documentation to provide more detailed explanations of your code. There are several documentation standards and tools that are commonly used in WordPress, such as PHPDoc and WordPress Codex.

• Use version control: If you are working on a larger project or collaborating with others, it’s a good idea to use version control to keep track of your code changes. Version control allows you to create “snapshots” of your code at different points in time, so you can easily track changes and roll back to previous versions if necessary. Some popular version control systems for WordPress include Git and Subversion (SVN).
• Keep your WordPress installation and plugins up to date: It’s important to keep your WordPress installation and plugins up to date to ensure that your website is secure and performing optimally. Updating WordPress and plugins can also help fix bugs and introduce new features. You can update WordPress and plugins from the WordPress dashboard by going to Dashboard > Updates.
• Follow best practices for website performance and security: There are a number of best practices you can follow to ensure that your website is performing well and secure. These include optimizing images, using caching plugins, and using a security plugin. You can find more tips and resources on website performance and security here: https://developer.wordpress.org/best-practices/

Conclusion for WordPress Code Editing

To summarize, WordPress is a content management system that allows users to create and manage websites without having to write code from scratch. However, there may be times when you need to make changes to the underlying code of your website in order to achieve a specific goal. There are several ways to edit the code of your WordPress website, including using the built-in WordPress editor, a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client, a code editor, or a page builder plugin.

To edit the HTML of a specific block or the entire post or page in the WordPress Block Editor, you can use the HTML tab in the block settings panel or the “Edit as HTML” option. To edit your theme’s HTML and PHP code, you can use the WordPress editor or a code editor to modify template files, add custom functions, or make other changes to your theme. You can also add custom CSS to your site to change the design and layout of your website.

It’s important to follow best practices and tips when editing WordPress code, such as making a backup of your website before making any changes, using child themes to avoid losing your customizations when updating your theme, and testing your changes thoroughly before publishing them.