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June 27, 2022
Question

Creating WP Child Theme with DW (was: Dreamweaver templates)

  • June 27, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 261 views

Hello I saw free dreamweaver templates online that I would like to download and edit in dreamweaver. I was told they weren't built by dreamweaver but can be used. I'm currently planning to work on a variety of projects but am limited to the starter templates. I was told these are the only templates available and I don't know coding. I do prefer to use these over other platforms but it wouldn't be feasible for me to use the same cycle of templates for the wide variety of projects I plan to complete. If someone could assist me with this it would really make a world of a difference for me. Thanks in advance.  Also would it be possible for me to get instructions on how to upload my templates to Wordpress. I'm a bit new to the tech world and am having a hard time with the learning curves. Thanks again!

[Moderator Note: Title changed for clarity.]

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    3 replies

    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    June 27, 2022

    Dreamweaver is merely a code editor.  It's not a site building platform.

     

    WordPress is an online site building platform. Themes (Templates) drive the site's functionality and appearance.  Unless you're using WordPress platform to create your website, a free or premium WP Template will be utterly useless to you. 

    https://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development

     

    If you want to create static sites in Dreamweaver, look for Bootstrap Templates.  Bootstrap is a responsive layout framwork for making sites that perform well on mobile, tablet & desktop devices.

    https://startbootstrap.com/templates?showPro=false&showVue=false&showAngular=false

     

    Start your learning journey here:  Read chapters, do code exercises and take quizzes at the end.
    - https://www.w3schools.com/html/
    - https://www.w3schools.com/css/
    - https://www.w3schools.com/js/
    - https://www.w3schools.com/bootstrap/

     

    Hope that helps.

     

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    B i r n o u
    Legend
    June 27, 2022

    I second the previous comment at 100%.

     

    It's true that at first glance templates allow you to quickly reproduce online content, whether it's HTML sites or CMS like Wordpress.

     

    But as @Jon Fritz rightly points out, you will have to lift the hood and intervene in the code from the very first turn.


    So not to simply repeat what was said, I would add that in the case of Wordpress, you will not only have to know languages and developpement web as https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn and  https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Guide  completed by PHP/MySQL... https://www.php.net/manual/en/tutorial.php and server relation ship, but you will also need to master the architecture of Wordpress and the articulation of its classes. https://codex.wordpress.org/

     

    That said, and to answer to your question

     

    quote

    would it be possible for me to get instructions on how to upload my templates to Wordpress.

    By @Opal24920339rppz

     

    To upload your files, you need to FTP the files in the appropriate Folder... but do you know how to work with WP, and how it works...  at least on the early stage ?

    Just in case

    1. Install WP - https://wordpress.org/support/article/how-to-install-wordpress/
    2. Download your template from the site where you get it
    3. Upload it to the wp-content/themes/ folder
    4. create a child template to be used instead of your main template https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/advanced-topics/child-themes/
    5. select the theme from the WP administration, you can get some help from there https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-properly-change-a-wordpress-theme/
    Jon Fritz
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    June 27, 2022

    The phrase "I don't know coding" in your original post is a huge red flag when working with this program. DW assumes you understand html, css and javascript just to start off. Creating a Child Theme for WordPress requires a very high level of PHP coding knowledge.

    I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but frankly, you're going to need to hire someone, or start a 2-4 year course to gain the knowledge you'll need to do this from scratch.

    DW has nothing built into it that would be able to do any of the necessary work you'll need to do to create a WP Child Theme. The program allows you to code anything you want, and can help you get it done much more quickly, but you need to bring the coding knowledge to the table or it's just not happening.