People who are just getting their feet wet with customizations are often daunted by the strange words and punctuation they find in the code for custom.css and custom_functions.php. Even the basic format of the CSS and PHP languages are foreign.
Two new articles just published in the Newbies “Getting Started” section, “Basic CSS Syntax for custom.css” and “Basic PHP Syntax for custom_functions.php” provide just the kind of information newbies need to get a grip on their first adventures with CSS and PHP in Thesis.
Both articles are filled with illustrations of what is being discussed, and are written in clear and concise language. They cover just the what’s needed to work with Thesis and leave the long tutorials to someone else.
The PHP article, in particular, is full of advice for preventing syntax mistakes and troubleshooting errors in the custom_functions.php file. This is because even the smallest syntax error in the PHP code will bring your blog crashing down, preventing access to your blog site, and delivering only a cryptic error message. In a large number of cases — perhaps the majority — the problem is not bad code, but some tiny syntax error.
I have many more articles on tap for Newbies, and am receiving some good suggestions for more. If you would like to see an article on a subject that is puzzling you, please leave a comment or email me directly by clicking the “Contact” button.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: , CSS, custom_functions.php, custom.css, Customization, PHP, Syntax
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank so much for these articles, Mike! I was looking this weekend for a good place to start learning php. The article about php as well as the punctuation tips for css were huge helps!
Can you recommend any books or websites that would be a good place to continue?
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Hi, Erin! I’m glad the article was useful to you.
The site mentioned in the article is the best one I know of. There is another site, Tizag, whose tutorial is almost as good.
I’ve not found any PHP books that I really like. The problem is that PHP is used only partially in Thesis, and PHP is a heavy-duty language primarily used for accessing databases. Most books have only a chapter or two on the part Thesis uses, then devote 90% of the book to the database part. Probably the best book I’ve found is O’Reilly’s “PHP in a Nutshell.” It is meant as a reference, not as a tutorial, so has good explanations of the nuts and bolts of the language.
The way I learned PHP was by looking at the code in the DIYthemes Forum, then going to the online tutorials for the parts I didn’t understand. Gradually I learned what I needed to know to write Thesis code. I still don’t know the database part of the language, but then I don’t need to to write PHP for Thesis.
Mike,
I’m a newbie, and I’m trying to add a widget similar to your “subscribe” one with just RSS and email using my own buttons. Can you help me?
Thank you!
Kipi
I think I got it, Mike. Thanks, though!
I’m glad you got it, Kipi! A tutorial for putting a subscribe icon in the sidebars is on my list, but so are about 100 other topics! I’ll get around to it, and your question bumps it up in priority. Thanks!
Mike just pinged you in the forum. I have these 1.5 and open hook and scratching my head why it’s so difficult to remove the thesis foot and change the defaut picute on my parent side. Also I could not find /custom/custom.css on my file server with Bluehost. Very frusterating. What happened to WYSIWG eidtos geez. Pleae help. Greg