Episode 12 of 32

Installing a Blank Theme

Create the minimum files needed for a WordPress theme — style.css and index.php — and activate it.

Installing a Blank Theme

Now it's time to start building our WordPress theme! We'll create the minimum files WordPress needs to recognize a valid theme, then activate it.

Minimum Theme Requirements

A WordPress theme needs only two files to be valid:

style.css — with a special comment header (theme metadata)
index.php — the main template file

Step 1: Create the Theme Folder

Navigate to your WordPress themes directory:

C:\wamp64\www\developer-coffee\wp-content\themes\

Create a new folder called developer-coffee:

C:\wamp64\www\developer-coffee\wp-content\themes\developer-coffee\

Step 2: Create style.css

Create style.css inside your theme folder with this comment header:

/*
Theme Name: Developer Coffee
Theme URI: http://developer-coffee.com
Author: Your Name
Author URI: http://yourwebsite.com
Description: A custom theme built from a PSD design — 
             a developer blog with coffee-themed styling.
Version: 1.0
License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Text Domain: developer-coffee
*/

This comment block is required — WordPress reads it to identify the theme in the admin panel.

Theme Header Fields Explained

Field	Required?	Purpose
`Theme Name`	✅ Yes	The name shown in Appearance → Themes
`Description`	Recommended	Shown in the theme details modal
`Version`	Recommended	Theme version number
`Author`	Recommended	Theme developer name
`Text Domain`	Recommended	Used for translation/internationalization

Step 3: Create index.php

Create a minimal index.php:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html <?php language_attributes(); ?>>
<head>
    <meta charset="<?php bloginfo('charset'); ?>">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title><?php bloginfo('name'); ?></title>
    <?php wp_head(); ?>
</head>
<body <?php body_class(); ?>>

    <h1>Developer Coffee Theme</h1>
    <p>Theme is active! We'll build this out in the coming episodes.</p>

    <?php wp_footer(); ?>
</body>
</html>

Important WordPress Functions Used

Function	What It Does
`language_attributes()`	Outputs `lang="en-US"` attribute
`bloginfo('charset')`	Outputs the site's character set (UTF-8)
`bloginfo('name')`	Outputs the site title
`wp_head()`	Required — lets WordPress and plugins add to `<head>`
`body_class()`	Adds dynamic CSS classes to `<body>`
`wp_footer()`	Required — lets WordPress and plugins add scripts before `</body>`

Step 4: Activate the Theme

Go to the WordPress admin: Appearance → Themes
You should see "Developer Coffee" listed
Hover over it and click "Activate"
Visit the site — you'll see the basic message from index.php

Your Theme Folder Structure (So Far)

developer-coffee/
├── style.css      ← Theme metadata + CSS styles
└── index.php      ← Main template file

Key Takeaways

A WordPress theme needs minimum two files: style.css and index.php
The comment header in style.css is how WordPress identifies the theme
Always include wp_head() and wp_footer() — they're required hooks
body_class() adds useful CSS classes for targeting specific pages
Activate your theme from Appearance → Themes in the admin