WordPress Customizing

Themes & Plugins

  • Themes control the appearance of a WordPress site.
  • Plugins extend functionality beyond WordPress core features.
  • WordPress relies heavily on plugins for customization and scalability.
  • Multiple themes can be installed, but only one theme can be active at a time.
  • Theme and plugin auto-updates can be enabled or disabled.

WordPress Customizer

  • Allows real-time visual customization of site settings.
  • Common options include:
    • Site Identity (logo, title, tagline)
    • Colors & typography
    • Menus & widgets
    • Homepage settings

WordPress Editor (Block Editor / Gutenberg)

  • Default editor since WordPress 5.0.
  • Uses a block-based content creation approach.
  • Everything is a block: text, images, buttons, headings, etc.
  • Supports:
    • Block patterns
    • Reusable / Synced blocks
    • Block directory for third-party blocks

WordPress Terminology (Key Terms)

  • Back-end: Admin dashboard for managing the site.
  • Front-end: Public-facing part of the website.
  • CMS: Content Management System.
  • Theme: Controls site design and layout.
  • Plugin: Adds or modifies functionality.
  • Permalink: Permanent URL for posts/pages.
  • Widgets: Small content blocks in sidebars or footers.
  • Menu / Navigation: Structured links for site navigation.
  • Sidebar: Widget-ready area (can have multiple).
  • User Roles: Define access and permissions.
  • Nonce: Security token to prevent unauthorized actions.

Full Site Editing (FSE)

  • Introduced in WordPress 5.9.
  • Enables editing the entire site using blocks (no code required).
  • Works only with Block Themes.

Core Concepts

  • Site Editor: Edit templates, headers, footers, and layouts.
  • Blocks: Building units of content and layout.
  • Templates: Define structure for pages, posts, archives, etc.
  • Template Parts: Reusable sections (header, footer).
  • Global Styles: Control site-wide typography, colors, and spacing via theme.json

Key Takeaways

  • WordPress customization relies on themes, plugins, and blocks.
  • Gutenberg and FSE shift WordPress toward a visual, block-first editing experience.
  • Block themes + Global Styles = powerful, code-free site customization.
  • Understanding WordPress terminology improves development and collaboration.