Editing your WordPress themes and preserving appearance edits through updates can be an unnecessary, discouraging pain.
While many experts say we should create Child Themes, in today’s user-friendly web we have other options.
Today, I’ll repost a very recent YouTube question where I explain why I advocate using Custom CSS windows as a 3rd and hopefully easier option as opposed to Child Themes.
This 3rd method has helped me learn and edit countless WordPress themes and jump into many of your projects on the fly, so I obviously recommend it to new WordPress designers.
Do you prefer Child Themes, editing the core WordPress Appearance files (often dubbed “hacking up a theme”), or a 3rd option?
As usual, please do let me know what method you use and why. Enjoy!
YouTube repost, a great question
Why I don’t exactly love child themes
To summarize the above YouTube comment:
- can conflict with premium WordPress themes I’ve enjoyed
- require knowledge of FTP and file structure which can confuse beginners (did for me)
- not sure theme developer always intend on us using them
Why I prefer Custom CSS windows
And:
- won’t get removed/erased during updates
- more in line with thoughts of many theme developers
- have allowed me to learn/edit a variety of themes quickly
Conclusion
While in the end this whole debate may really be a structural question (because either way you are writing the same CSS) it’s a larger picture question when you think about explaining it to a WordPress beginner or applying a strategy over lots of site builds. Speaking of debates, what’s your preference, and why?