Ok, this is not going to be a long description of how to skin wordpress but it will be a start.

I began by finding this page on the official WordPress website;

http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development

This site explained (in HIGH detail) how to develop your WordPress theme. But I’m not one to meticulously develop a skin which would take me more than a day. I’m not that kind of a person. So, I then found a second link on the WordPress page I previously provided. A place called “WordPress Index Builder“.

Now, before you begin stating me as a cheat, I didn’t. This site just helped me quickly gain the relevant code for my wordpress theme. I quickly clicked next until I saw the download button. Once I had my Index page I was ready to begin placing it into my design.

Previously I had launched the new design on my main site, and only recently I decided to build a blog (see previous post). I now needed to change the crappy design the Index Builder gave me into mine. So, what I did next was simply crop out ALL the html code which I didn’t want and then save the php code on it’s own.

For additional help, the index builder can create your a design based on your choice of layout (e.g three columns, two etc) so the best idea would be to choose the relevant “heirachy” and then copy and paste the code into the right areas.

Once your code is in place you then need to apply your CSS to the wordpress output to correspond to your design.
Anyway if I’ve lost you, don’t worry. It simply means your CSS won’t match WordPress’ CSS class’ and ID’s. So, the next task is to find out what css you need to write. The best way I found was to post a blog with such things as quotes, (Un)ordered Lists, images and practically everything you expect you’ll publish inside your post. Then publish it, read the output HTML code WordPress generates and then copy the html source into something like Dreamweaver and simply style it. Easy. When you have it like you want it, save the CSS and upload it with your Index.php file (the WordPress PHP code you pasted into your design earlier) and hey presto, you have a wordpress skin in less than a few hours.

To finish it off make sure you have the correct CSS theme information (example shown below, include it, commented out, at the top of your css file.) in order for your theme to work.

Now, I know this isn’t exactly “self-explanitory” but I am a firm believer in “self-teaching” so I hope you can teach yourself a little about how WordPress themes work by reading this.

CSS Comment’s

/*

Theme Name: Freshsites

Theme URI: http://www.freshsites.co.uk

Description: Mark Goddards Theme

Author: Mark Goddard

Author URI: http://www.freshsites.co.uk/

Version: 1.0

*/

Ok, so Matt suggested that I made my own blog. Reason? Because I find too much crap online to tell him about. So…..why not archive all the tripe I find on the internet for other people to see and share? No reason, I thought so.

Anyway, we start with this site itself. Currently I have drawn up more designs than toddler with unlimited crayons and Hadriens Wall but now, I have settled on a design which I hope will last for Months.

I began designing by hand, with detailed drawings (squares with words, and lots of doodles) and then porting that into Photoshop to come up with a very dark design.

After completing the website, as previously stated, Matt suggested a Blog for the site, and for me.

So, I embarked on a journey which would allow me to understand the pain at creating a Wordpress theme.

Actually it’s not that bad. Previously I have skinned PHPBB, Joops and some other CMS stuff. Now Wordpress, if taken the correct way, is very easy to skin

Now, I will explain more on how to do it in my next blog post but for tonight I bid you farewell, as I go to bed.

Ok, so this is more like a test post than an actual blog but calm down.

It’s only a Golb.