Advanced WordPress web development: Themes and plugins

Advanced WordPress web development: Themes and plugins

Want to learn how WordPress web development works? Here, we'll break down what you need to know to create high-quality themes, plugins, and full-fledged WordPress sites so you can get the most from your development efforts. I'll also tell you where you can find help with web development.

WordPress is the world's most favored website creation platform. Launched in 2003, it now boasts a whopping market share of 43%.

This is to say, if you're thinking about learning WordPress web development, you're in good company.

But, deciding to use WordPress is only the first step. Whether you're an aspiring web developer or want to partner with web development professionals, to get the most out of WordPress, it's important to know how it works.

In this in-depth guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to know to get started with WordPress web development, including the fundamentals of developing professional-grade themes and plugins. We'll look at how to do it yourself, and where to get help if you need an experienced WordPress web development agency to do the work for you.

WordPress web development: The basics

WordPress web development 1

A major reason for WordPress' success is that it has a low barrier to entry combined with near-infinite growth potential. This makes it the ideal platform for people who want to build scalable, functional, and user-friendly websites.

But first, it's important to know how WordPress web development works.

Setting up your development workflow

In WordPress, web development magic happens in three distinct environments: local development, staging, and production.

Local development

First things first, you need to build a working version of your WordPress website. Tools like Local, XAMPP, MAMP, etc., enable you to create a simulated server environment where you can write code, test plugins, and experiment freely without risking a live site.

Staging

Think of the staging environment as a trial ground to test everything you built locally in an environment that closely mirrors production. It is an exact replica of your live website, except that it isn’t accessible to the public.

Here, you can test and make sure that server settings, plugins, themes, and custom functionality are compatible. Once you confirm that everything behaves as expected, use tools like Git or WP Migrate DB Pro to push your updates from staging to production.

Production

"Production" is another name for your live website. Visitors can interact with your live site: view content, browse and purchase products, and more. So it's vital to back it up using a plugin like UpdraftPlus or Jetpack Backup before deploying changes.

Then, once all the changes are live, test and validate that critical functions like navigation, forms, and checkout processes work as expected.

Understanding core WordPress concepts

If you want to successfully build a WordPress website, it's important to know how WordPress organizes its files and functions and master important WordPress-related concepts.

1. WordPress file structure

Understanding how WordPress's directories organize code is vital because it tells you where to make changes, troubleshoot errors, or code custom solutions. The 3 main directories are:

  • wp-admin: Aka the WordPress admin dashboard. This contains the scripts, styles, and files needed to manage core tasks like creating posts, managing plugins, or editing settings.
  • wp-content: The folder that houses installed themes and plugins, uploads (media files like images, PDFs, videos, etc.), and other user-specific content.
  • wp-includes: This folder houses core WordPress functionality —think: files for APIs, classes, template tags, and built-in functions — and should never be modified.

2. Themes and plugins

Themes dictate your site's layout, design, and appearance, including how pages, posts, and archives appear to visitors. Plugins add new features to your site without touching its theme. Both are needed to build robust, user-friendly WordPress sites.

3. Content types

WordPress structures content using "post types". There are two default post types: posts and pages, but you can create custom post types as needed.

  • Posts are used for time-based content. Think: blog posts or news updates).
  • Pages are used for static content. Think: About, Contact, or FAQ pages.

4. Basic WordPress functions

WordPress' built-in functions — predefined code snippets that perform specific tasks — allow you to add features or retrieve data without writing complex code from scratch.

Some examples of built-in functions and their uses:

  • get_header(), get_footer(), get_sidebar(): Loads reusable parts of your theme.
  • the_content(): Displays the content of a post or page.
  • wp_enqueue_script() and wp_enqueue_style(): Properly adds scripts and styles to avoid conflicts.
  • add_action() and add_filter(): Hooks into WordPress processes to modify functionality.

5. Admin dashboard

The WordPress admin dashboard is the command center from where you can manage every aspect of your website. Its key sections include:

  • Posts and Pages: Add, edit, or delete content.
  • Media: Manage images, videos, and documents uploaded to your site.
  • Appearance: Customize your site’s look through themes, widgets, and menus.
  • Plugins: Install, activate, or deactivate plugins.
  • Settings: Configure options like permalinks, site title, and email notifications.

Creating custom themes for WordPress

Learning how to develop a theme is a hands-on way to learn how WordPress works beneath the surface.

Essential theme files explained

Themes are made up of a lot of files but here are the most important ones.

style.css

Mandatory for all WordPress themes, the style.css file serves 2 important purposes:

  • It contains the theme's metadata — a header with information about the theme, like the theme name, author, and version.
  • It contains the CSS rules — think: fonts, colors, spacing, and overall layout — that control your site's design elements.

The style.css file is important because WordPress uses it to register your theme. Without it, the theme won’t appear in the admin panel.

functions.php

Functions.php is the powerhouse of your theme. It acts like a plugin for your theme and allows you to add or modify WordPress features without editing WordPress core files. For instance, you can:

  • Add custom menus, widgets, or image sizes.
  • Enqueue styles and scripts.
  • Hook into WordPress actions and filters.

index.php

Probably the most basic WordPress template file, index.php, is the fallback for all templates. Required for every theme, it acts as the default template if no other template files match a request.

Typically, index.php includes:

  • A call to get your header.
  • The WordPress loop for displaying posts.
  • Basic content structure.
  • Navigation elements.
  • A call to get your footer.

header.php and footer.php

The header and footer files keep your theme DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) and are used to separate the common elements that appear on every page.

  • header.php: Contains the opening <html> tag, site metadata, navigation menu, and any code that appears at the top of every page.
  • footer.php: Closes the HTML and includes scripts added by plugins or themes for elements like copyright notices, footer widgets, or external script integrations (e.g., Google Analytics).

Template hierarchy files

WordPress uses a hierarchical system that divides your theme into logical portions to determine which template to load based on the type of content being requested.

These files enable developers to control the layout and behavior of different types of content such as posts, pages, categories, and more. So, for example, if a user visits a blog post on your site, WordPress looks for single-post.php. If that file doesn’t exist, it falls back to single.php, and if that’s missing, it uses index.php.

Speaking in specific terms, the most common template files are:

  • single.php: Used for individual posts.
  • page.php: Showcases static pages.
  • archive.php: Handles post archives like categories, tags, or custom taxonomies.
  • category.php: Template for specific categories.
  • 404.php: Showcases an error page when content isn’t found.

Tips for developing high-quality WordPress themes

Themes are the face of WordPress websites; they must be functional, customizable, and designed for optimal user experience (UX). These best practices will ensure you create themes that are reliable, secure, and future-proof.

  • Follow WordPress's coding guidelines to the T to make sure your code is clean, consistent, and easier to debug. Pro tip: Use tools like PHP_CodeSniffer with the WordPress ruleset to help maintain the quality of your code.
  • Adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to make sure your theme is accessible to everyone, including users with disabilities.
  • WordPress supports localization, so always make your theme translation-ready. You can do this by using functions like __() and _e() for text strings and include a .pot file in your theme.
  • Never modify parent themes directly. Modify the child theme to guarantee your changes aren’t overwritten when the parent theme is updated.
  • Optimize for speed by minifying CSS and JavaScript files, using responsive images with srcset, and implementing lazy loading for images.
  • Validate and sanitize data to safeguard your theme from security vulnerabilities like XSS or SQL injections.
  • Make sure your theme outputs clean, semantic HTML, and is properly optimized for SEO.

Developing powerful WordPress plugins

WordPress is well-known for its extensibility. It pairs well with plugins that extend its capabilities without users having to write code from scratch. Let's explore everything you need to know to start developing top-notch WordPress plugins.

An overview of WordPress plugins

In WordPress, plugins are modular pieces of code that enable you to add extra features to your website. Plugins hook into WordPress's core to modify how your site behaves without altering the core files.

To install a WordPress plugin, go to Plugins Add New in your site's admin panel. Once installed, plugins reside in the wp-content/plugins/ directory on your website.

WordPress plugins are handy for a wide range of uses, including:

What you need to get started with plugin development

Developing WordPress plugins is pretty straightforward but it does require some background knowledge of WordPress core concepts, PHP, and a bit of JavaScript.

To start, check out the Plugin Handbook — WordPress' official plugin development guide that covers everything from the basics of plugin setup to coding standards, best practices, and advanced topics like security and internationalization.

The WordPress Code Reference, a searchable index of WordPress functions, classes, and hooks, is another great resource.

WordPress plugin best practices

  • Stick to WordPress' official coding standards to make sure your code is readable, easy to maintain, and consistent with the WordPress core. Pro tip: Similar to developing themes, you can use PHP CodeSniffer together with the WordPress Coding Standards ruleset to automatically check your code.
  • Use hooks and filters instead of modifying core files to keep plugin updates safe and prevent compatibility issues.
  • Keep the code lightweight and refrain from adding unnecessary features. If your plugin does require a heavy operation, make sure you optimize it for performance.
  • Validate and sanitize all user inputs to prevent cybersecurity breaches and attacks.

Simplifying theme and plugin development with professional tools and services

Understanding how WordPress works under the hood can be valuable but creating or modifying custom themes and plugins from scratch isn't always feasible or ideal.

Building and maintaining scalable, high-quality WordPress websites requires significant time, effort, resources, and deep expertise. For these reasons, many businesses and developers prefer to use professional-grade services.

Barn2 offers custom website design services that handle every aspect of WordPress development and deliver beautiful, high-performing, and scalable websites. It includes:

  • End-to-end website setup, including WordPress, configuring hosting, customizing a theme, and setting up necessary plugins.
  • Updating your own content or adding AI-generated content.
  • Optimizing your site for speed, SEO (using the AIOSEO plugin), and device responsiveness.
  • Integrating your site with Google Analytics so you can track visitors' behavior, monitor conversions, and keep tabs on its overall performance.
  • A made-to-measure brand style guide that lists fonts, colors, and elements to help you keep your website's design cohesive.

Custom WordPress web development packages

Barn2 Custom Web Design - WordPress web development

Each project takes approximately 30 days to complete. Custom site design packages start at just $699 and include:

  • A custom-built homepage that exactly matches your brand’s colors, fonts, and style.
  • Up to 15 additional pages, such as an "About" page to share your company’s story and values, a "Services" page detailing your offerings, etc.
  • Three rounds of revisions to refine the details and make sure the final version lines up with your expectations.
  • Up to three relevant premium plugins from Barn2's catalog.
  • Complimentary one-month maintenance trial to make sure your site remains secure, up-to-date, and performs well after it goes live.

Throughout the process, you’ll work with a dedicated project manager who ensures everything stays on track. They will provide updates, answer questions, and make sure that the entire process is as smooth as possible.

Once your site is live, we'll also train you (for free) to manage it: how to update content, add new pages, and use key features without needing an expert developer.

Ready to kickstart your WordPress web development journey?

Learning the nuts and bolts of developing WordPress takes a lot of time and effort. As we've seen, a lot goes into building robust, scalable, high-quality themes, plugins, and websites.

The knowledge shared in this guide provides a solid foundation to kickstart your web development journey. If you need additional help with WordPress, check out Barn2's custom website design service, starting at just $699. Here’s what’s included:

  • Complete website setup, everything from WordPress installation, hosting configuration, theme customization, and essential plugin setup.
  • Adding your own content or incorporating AI-generated content.
  • Enhancing your site's performance with speed optimization, SEO improvements (using the AIOSEO plugin), and ensuring responsiveness across screen sizes.
  • Connecting your site to Google Analytics to analyze users' behavior, track conversions, and evaluate your site's performance overall.
  • A bespoke brand style guide that outlines fonts, colors, and design elements to help you maintain a consistent website aesthetic.

Choose your custom WordPress web development package today! Alternatively, request a quote for a custom website or web development service tailored to your unique requirements.

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