Having played around quite a bit with wordpress and installed and modified other existing themes I thought I would be well prepared for the next step of implementing my own designs into the wordpress framework. I had heard a lot about using pre-existing frameworks and the robust features such a conversion could offer and was eager to figure out how I could make the leap with my own custom designs. I enjoyed the emphasis on forethought and planning, with so many functionality options there is considerable amount of planning needed, particularly if selling your theme is your aim. I’d rather not get involved with the pandora’s box of copyright involved in selling my theme but I would like to in the simplest application be able to move my existing designs into the framework.

Although I found Ch 1-4 easy to read and informative, frustration began to set in once I got to Ch5, Advanced Theme Construction. Unfortunately I am a web designer by trade, with great XHTML/CSS/Javascript skills, but light on the PHP. I found even the simplest of footer modification exercises did not work. I had installed a nice fresh version of the latest Wordpress version 3.1 in a production area and quickly found that even though I was still within the general umbrella of version 3, the instructions (written in Aug 2010) were already outmoded. The fact that new versions of Wordpress come out every few months makes any printed instructions on the matter antiquated at best. Page 108 tells me to modify home.php but that no longer exists. I was pleased to see reference to a printable cheatsheet of wordpress hierarchy, until I followed the URL which refers to a page entirely in Isreali.

I think in all this book is likely very useful for people who have a much more solid PHP understanding of how Wordpress works on the backend and the enormous Codex. For me, it would have been MUCH more helpful if it was written from “are you always manually coding your designs and now want to move them into wordpress” perspective.  I guess I missed the subtitle “Create versatile wordpress themes that really sell!” which is a better explanation of the focus. Ironically the “User Reviews” link at the bottom of the website that corresponds with the book, http://www.sitepoint.com/books/wordpress1/ does not work.

Cole, Allan, et al. Build your own wicked wordpress themes, Canada: Sitepoint, August 2010.