Themes & plugins Intro
Edit the parent theme and the next update erases it
A theme update replaces the whole folder — that is correct behaviour. Which is why your changes need to live somewhere it does not reach.
Technote
Making a theme feel like your brand
Turning a purchased theme into your brand the right way — child themes and settings instead of editing theme files, so the work survives updates.
8 articles
Themes & plugins Intro
Building a child theme: one header line and the load order
Two files is all it takes. Get the Template header line or the stylesheet load order wrong, though, and no amount of CSS will change the screen.
Themes & plugins Intro
What belongs in the Customiser and what belongs in CSS
The same colour change can end up somewhere the next person finds it, or somewhere they never will. The criterion is discoverability, not taste.
Themes & plugins Practical
Template overrides: the copy freezes the moment you make it
Copy a parent file into your child theme and yours wins. It also stops receiving the parent's fixes — you have taken on its maintenance.
Themes & plugins Practical
Beating theme styles without !important
You wrote the rule and nothing changed. The cause is usually order rather than specificity — and order is fixable without !important.
Development workflow Practical
What to check before a theme update
Postponing an update is not a plan. Once you know what can break, updating stops being frightening and becomes a procedure with an order.
Themes & plugins Practical
What a page builder costs: convenience against portability
A builder does one thing very well, and in exchange your layout moves into the database. Where you draw the line decides whether that trade is bearable.
Performance optimization Advanced
Auditing a theme: what it loads versus what it uses
Themes routinely ship assets for features you never use. Once you have the list, what can safely go and what cannot becomes obvious.