Can you design before using WordPress?

  • I’ve been busy designing sites for other people (html/css,etc.) and finally am saying NO to everyone so I can get the site done for my business. I don’t have time right now to learn all about WordPress. How crazy would it be to design my site (which will have a number of static pages) now and add WordPress later? I’m not interested in a template at all.
    Thanks,
    Cary

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

  • Umm well, WordPress uses templates. Static pages or not, you’ll need to use templates in order to get it working properly.

    You can design it easily and then throw on WordPress after, but you _will_ have to use templates.

    No, you don’t have to use templates. For example, one of my sites doesn’t use WP’s template system. It just has the loop in my index.php:

    https://www.finalgear.com/index.phps

    (_header.php loads up the WordPress header function file and the top of my site.)

    And I also had a template for that site done before I even started putting WordPress into it.

    Let’s not argue semantics ??

    WP requires a template in order to display. It doesn’t matter if that template is in the /wp-content/themes/ folder or not – if you are calling the loop and do_header (or whatever that command is), then you have created a template for WP, even if that page has other uses.

    To answer the question though, you can design a site first and slip WP into it after. Just design with that thought in the back of your head – “will this look good as a blog”. Changing a static page into a WP template isn’t that difficult. There is plenty of info in the codex to get you going with that ??

    Well obviously everything is a template, but I meant you don’t have to break your layout up into single.php, index.php, comments.php, etc. and put it into your /wp-content/themes/ folder. ??

    Thread Starter cary

    (@cary)

    Yes, I mistakenly used a WordPress word “template” when I meant “template” in a general sense. I meant that I want to design an original design, not use someone else’s design, and later add a page that is a blog using WordPress, and then have the first paragraph of the blog section’s latest entry appear near the top of my site’s home page. The rest of the site doesn’t need to involve blog functions at all. I wondered if I could set up the whole site and add the blog’s first page, and that excerpt for the home page later.
    Also, what’s the best way to find someone to hire to do that last part? A list of Word Press geniuses anywhere? ?? (that underpaid web designers can hire? In other words, if you are famous, I’m sure I can’t afford you!)
    Cary

    1. to have some blog entires displayed on your site -> see my tutorial here: https://www.transycan.net/blogtest/2005/07/05/integrate/ (see scenario #1)
    2. You can post an email here with request for paid work and those interested will contact you, or
    3. you can se a message to the wp-pro mailing list:
    https://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-pro

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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