What Is a WordPress Theme Editor?

If you run a website using WordPress, you might be familiar with the Theme Editor. For starters, you might have come across it when you are researching WordPress. Either way, it is an important WordPress feature that you must learn to increase your website’s functionality. To help you understand more about the editor for WordPress themes, here is what you need to know.

What Is a WordPress Theme Editor?

The Theme Editor is a feature located in the Appearance section of WordPress. It lets you configure your website’s theme files from the backend area. Here is what the editor for WordPress themes looks like:

If you look at the right side of your screen, you will see a list of files you can edit for the theme you are currently using. Above the Theme Files section, you will see a dropdown of the themes you have. 

If you select another theme, which is inactive, you get to edit its files as well. However, it does not activate the theme. Activating a theme should be done in the Themes section under the Appearance menu. 

A Word of Caution

Although WordPress is ideal for users with no coding background, it is still important to note that you should not touch the editor for WordPress themes. Editing the theme files can be tricky if you have no coding background. If you paste an incorrect code or edit a file incorrectly, you will create problems. 

You might need to learn some basic coding first before you can edit your theme files. It is also best to ask assistance from your web hosting provider or developer if you need modifications involving the theme files. 

How to Edit WordPress Template Editor

If you have the basic background for the programming languages used in WordPress, such as PHP and CSS, you can easily use the Theme Editor. For the header, comment section, and site styling changes, you must edit the header.php, comments.php, and stylesheet.css files, respectively. 

For our tutorial, let us assume that you want to add a custom text to the footer of your admin panel. First, go to Appearance and then select Theme Editor. On the right side of the page, look for the functions.php file and click it once you see it.

Copy the following code:

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>/**</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>* code #16 - customize the admin page footer text</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>* source &nbsp; - http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/a/6005/8922</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>*/</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>function custom_admin_footer() {</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>&nbsp;echo 'add your custom footer text and html here';</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>}&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>add_filter('admin_footer_text', 'custom_admin_footer');</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

Paste the code at the bottom of the file. Replace “add your custom footer text and html here” with your own text. Click Update File at the bottom of the page. 

Go back to your dashboard and refresh it. You will then see the custom text at the footer.

Conclusion

The WordPress Theme Editor is an important feature on your website to increase functionality. However, before you make modifications for this feature, it is important that you have some coding background. Any mistake in configuring the code could be a problem. So, use the editor for WordPress themes carefully and achieve great functionality!