Do I Have To Know Php?

[MacGirl]

I downloaded some of the WP themes, just to get a feel for what the themes can do.

 

All of them had a LOT of php in them, and I'm afraid to modify anything!

 

Of course, I can easily modify the css file...that's something I do know. But I have zero idea of what the php stuff is even about, let alone modifying it.

 

Anyone else had trouble with themes? I thought the easy way would be to take a theme, and modify it. (Yes, it would help if they commented it, but no one did.)

[stevevan]

PHP isn't really that hard, if you want to take the time to learn it. There is a learning curve, but it's not too bad. I'd recommend getting a book (or two) about it. Check out the "... for Dummies" books. I've gotten several and still refer to the quite often! They're pretty good for helping one to retain their content.

[MacGirl]

::grumble:: I have a PHP book, from SitePoint. Guess I'll have to crack it.

 

Oh, well...it never hurts to learn something new.

[TCH-Tim]

Some themes are harder to modify than others - depends how fancy you're getting. If you already know HTML you shouldn't have huge amounts of trouble using PHP in a WP theme.

 

Don't forget to consult the WP site when you come across any WP-specific functions. Their documentation is really good.

 

As for PHP starter books, I'm a fan of the Spring Into series.

 

And of course if you have any specific questions or problems or you just can't seem to make it work, let us have a crack at it.