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In this article, we will try to answer the questions of what is a child theme in WordPress , when and why should you create a child theme? We hope that after reading this article, you will have a clear understanding of what a child theme is and whether you should use it.

A WordPress parent theme is meant to be used as a parent theme template where all functionality resides. For this reason, parent themes are also known as a theme framework. This framework is actually a code library used to facilitate theme development. This made it possible to have a centralized location where all functions are located.

 

 

What is a child theme in WordPress?

A child theme is a WordPress theme that inherits its functionality from another theme, the parent theme. Child themes are generally used when you want to customize an existing WordPress theme without losing the ability to upgrade or update that theme. In the old days of WordPress, there were major problems with the way themes were developed and maintained. There was no good way to upgrade and update WordPress themes without losing all theme customizations made up until that point. This forced the WordPress community to correct the above problem by introducing the concept of parent and child themes.

The problem that existed before the introduction of this concept, as we have already mentioned, was that any eventual update of the theme would lead to the loss of all the adjustments that had been made on the theme until then. On the other hand, if the observed errors in the code were not corrected, the sites became easy prey for hacking and abuse.

The existence of a parent theme allows new updates to be pushed out, but which will not affect the child theme or any settings on it. If there is a need to fix a bug or bug, it’s become very easy to push out a new update without modifying anything on the child theme.

Relationship between parent and child topics

The child theme inherits all the functionality of the parent theme without any changes to the parent theme. This allowed users to change the style of the parent theme and add or modify features without losing the ability to update the parent theme.

In theory, any WordPress theme can have a child theme, but not all themes are good themes for a parent theme. In many cases, however, programming knowledge is required to determine whether a theme is suitable for a child theme or whether everything will work as it should?

 

When to use a child theme?

The decision to use a child theme mainly depends on your needs. A child theme is recommended if you are constantly adding new features to your site or frequently changing the theme ‘s style.css . In these cases, we strongly recommend using a child theme. Child themes solve this problem by allowing you to add your own customizations to them. This way when you update the parent theme, all your changes will remain intact.

The inconvenience you may have is that using a child theme does require some code knowledge. This is a necessary prerequisite if you want everything to work as it should and for all the potential of the child theme to be used.

Installing a child theme is no different from installing a regular WordPress theme , which we wrote about here . What should be emphasized is that you do not need to activate the parent theme to use the child theme.

It’s important to keep in mind that while you can always create a child theme, sometimes you won’t actually need one. Always consider the number and size of changes you intend to make to the site. If they are numerous, then a child theme is the right solution for you. Otherwise, there is no need for it.

 

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Made by Nebojša Radovanović – SEO Expert @Digitizer