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WordPress

Steven Griffiths
Steven Griffiths
3,165 Points
Posted by Steven Griffiths
Steven Griffiths
3,165 Points

Which courses to complete before tackling "how to build a wordpress theme"

Hi there.

I started the Wordpress Development track and have got as far as the "How to build a Wordpress theme".

In the intro to this course it says I should know how to implement J-Query and some basic PHP.

I was hoping that I wouldn't need to know much of either as I thought it would just be a case of cutting and pasting the code in.

I headed to the j-query basics course and in the intro to that it suggests completing the JavaScript beginners course.

So this would mean I need to complete the following before I can progress: JavaScript Foundations, JQuery Basics and PHP basics

Do I really need to complete all these courses in order to continue with the Wordpress Development track?

Has anyone else completed the Wordpress develpment track without knowing any jquery or php successfully?

It would be great to get some advice.

Thanks in advance

4 Answers

Joshua Russo
Joshua Russo
10,037 Points
Joshua Russo
Joshua Russo
10,037 Points

I've been developing with WordPress for about 3 years now. Yes, you can build a WordPress website without too much knowledge of jQuery, PHP, and Javascript. However, to build a unique custom theme or to really get into development, it would definitely be recommended to have an understanding of these topics. The WP Codex does offer hundreds of code examples for implementing functions and other code into WordPress. Though, without basic PHP and Javascript knowledge, the time taken and rate of success in achieving your exact goals will vary greatly.

As a side note, you can complete courses individually. Tracks, however, help you to understand each section before moving on to another section that involves basic knowledge you should have learned previously. I've been using Treehouse for over a year and there's definitely a reason for their methods in teaching us how to program.

Steven Griffiths
Steven Griffiths
3,165 Points
Steven Griffiths
Steven Griffiths
3,165 Points

Thanks for your response.

OK, but for the purpose of continuing the Wordpress development track, do you think I should complete the courses I mentioned, or are there others I should complete also?

Joshua Russo
Joshua Russo
10,037 Points
Joshua Russo
Joshua Russo
10,037 Points

I don't think you HAVE to complete them, but it's recommended. I would say go ahead with your current track and if you seem to get stuck or really lost, then go back and do the others for further clarification.

Steven Griffiths
Steven Griffiths
3,165 Points
Steven Griffiths
Steven Griffiths
3,165 Points

OK. Thanks for the advice. Before you replied I started the PHP basics, so I may as well finish that now. So far I'm finding it far better than other learning I've tried with programming.

I've never got very far with programming courses before. I usually find that they always assume some previous knowledge or they start off easy to understand then suddenly I get stuck, then give up.

I'm hoping this won't be the case this time with TreeHouse, it's kind of my last hope really!