Adding and Changing WordPress Themes

Posted by Jeff

on February 3, 2008

One of the first things a new WordPress blogger wants to do is make their new WordPress blog look the way the want it to. Adding a cool new WordPress theme and then maybe even customizing it a bit. But before you add a new theme and start looking for someone to “pimp your blog” I suggest you try several different themes see how the work and look for a while. Once you are sure you like the theme then get that custom header made and installed, and learn how to tweak it over time.

Here is a short WordPress guide to help you find and install new new WordPress themes using the OneClick Plugin.

From the WordPress dashboard click Presentation on the main panel. Here you will see the current theme first and other installed themes below it. Simply scroll down and click on the theme you want to use and it will now be active. Now that was simply wasn’t it?

If you don’t like any of the installed themes and want another just go to themes.wordpress.net for thousands of free themes to download. Or perform a simple Google search for WordPress themes. After you download a theme to your computer do not unzip it. If the “OneClick Installer” plugin is activated you should see the OneClick Install subpanel under the main dashboard. Click OneClick Install, browse to your new theme next to “Browse”, choose Theme on the drop down box and upload it. Go back to the Themes subpanel and activate the theme it if it isn’t already activated.

I highly suggest choosing a theme that is “Widget ready”. You can sort themes at http://themes.WordPress.net/ for only “Widget ready” themes but at times a few that aren’t will get through. The only real way to see if a theme is “Widget ready” is to activate the theme and look for a Widgets subpanel next to the Themes subpanel.

While we are talking about themes and are in the Presentation panel you should also see the following subpanels or more depending on the currently activated plugins.

Themes Widgets Theme Editor

The Theme Editor shows the code for the current theme; on the right side are the different templates related to current theme. You can make changes to the themes templates here if you know how but that is beyond the realm of this tutorial. Just keep in mind if you plan on messing around in here be sure to copy the contents of the file to a safe location BEFORE you do anything. If you do make a mistake paste the unedited code you saved back into the editor. If you can’t change it back you will need to delete the file you changed and upload an unedited version to your web host again. The other subpanel items in here are self-explanatory. In the future I may explain how to change the header image and make other minor changes, or if you want search Google or go to www.WordPress.org for more information.

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Tags: Customize Wordpress, WordPress, WordPress Guide, WordPress Theme

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Comments

Comment by Website Design on February 3, 2008 @ 1:11 pm

Great post. Sometimes something simple as adding a theme can be a headache for some. I’ve build wordpress sites for clients plenty of times and the number one confusion is how to change the look and feel.

Comment by Jake Riley on February 6, 2008 @ 9:41 am

Very informative post, especially for WP newcomers.

Comment by Jeff Hughes on April 27, 2008 @ 1:24 am

Hello Guys,

Thank you all again for your help with the widget issue, but since my hosting service is giving me old links to learn how to do stuff I need help again.

I know how to install a Theme with no problem, but I am looking for a theme that has Fluid Width since one of the widgets I am trying to use keeps running off the page.

But my issue is that I also want to replace the header graphic at the top of any theme I select how do I do this and are their specific themes I need to download to do this?

Also what is Kubrickr?

Comment by Jeff on April 27, 2008 @ 7:46 am

Mr Hughes, you really need to expand your WordPress support beyond this site. There are thousands of free themes available, and a quick Google for WordPress themes will keep you busy for hours.

Every theme is coded differently and changing the header is done a little differently on them as well. I suggest finding a theme you really like and then pay someone to customize it. Or you can find blogging forums where a group of people can help with your questions, or you may even find the answers already posted; Try Digital Point to start: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40

Comment by blogandblogging on November 7, 2008 @ 3:37 am

Thanks, I was rather lost about how to change it.

Comment by Blogger Templates on January 22, 2009 @ 1:26 pm

Valuable post, thanks!

Comment by funny videos on March 11, 2009 @ 11:48 am

thanks. they should include such tutorials with the installation.

Drive-By comments will be deleted! Like "Thanks for sharing", "Nice post", or any other text that doesn't contribute to the discussion. If you ask a very specific question about your particular WordPress theme, it will probably be deleted. I can fix your WordPress site but for a price. If you ask a question like "Why don't my blog work right", it will be deleted. If you ask a question about your WordPress site without a leaving a link to it, it will be deleted. The point is to ask questions and or comment on the the actual content of the post, and to please use some common sense. All comments are moderated and will appear when approved. Thank you.