Simple child theme is not working

Hi!

Please use the provided child theme example. It is in the theme’s inc/examples folder.

Unfortunately because of my free time availability I can only support child theme example.

But if you will find the cause, please let me know.

Ok. I try to find things.

Wrong path to custom header pics when using a child theme

In custom-header.php there is:
'default-image' => '%2$s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-01.jpg',
This points to the thema path. Acually to the child now. But there are no images there.
So it should be (on line 23)
'default-image' => '%s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-01.jpg',
and when someone wants to use an other set then the defaults, they should write a function in the theme functions.php.
In the same custom-header.php file the same corrections should be done to the lines 49-65:

	register_default_headers( array(
		'First'  => array(
			'url'           => '%2$s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-01.jpg',
			'thumbnail_url' => '%2$s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-01-thumbnail.jpg',
			'description'   => esc_html_x( 'First', 'header image description', 'tiny-framework' )
		),
		'Second' => array(
			'url'           => '%2$s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-02.jpg',
			'thumbnail_url' => '%2$s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-02-thumbnail.jpg',
			'description'   => esc_html_x( 'Second', 'header image description', 'tiny-framework' )
		),
		'Third'  => array(
			'url'           => '%2$s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-03.jpg',
			'thumbnail_url' => '%2$s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-03-thumbnail.jpg',
			'description'   => esc_html_x( 'Third', 'header image description', 'tiny-framework' )
		),
	) );

should be replaced with:

	register_default_headers( array(
		'First'  => array(
			'url'           => '%s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-01.jpg',
			'thumbnail_url' => '%s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-01-thumbnail.jpg',
			'description'   => esc_html_x( 'First', 'header image description', 'tiny-framework' )
		),
		'Second' => array(
			'url'           => '%s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-02.jpg',
			'thumbnail_url' => '%s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-02-thumbnail.jpg',
			'description'   => esc_html_x( 'Second', 'header image description', 'tiny-framework' )
		),
		'Third'  => array(
			'url'           => '%s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-03.jpg',
			'thumbnail_url' => '%s/images/headers/Tiny-Framework-header-03-thumbnail.jpg',
			'description'   => esc_html_x( 'Third', 'header image description', 'tiny-framework' )
		),
	) );

Next I will try to find out why the menu is a ‘list of text’. (this happens on all servers I tried with php7)

The lay-out trouble seem to be caused by the fact that the childtheme can not find the parent styles and so on.
Therefore a functions.php is needed, next to the style.css.
The functions.php example in the \themes\tiny-framework\inc\examples folder did the thing. As far as I can overlook only the essential functions are activated. There are no additional functions or functions that replace the parent theme.

So the minimum child theme exists of style.css (only the header) and functions.php (like the example)

The above correction of custom-header.php is needed, or one should make a duplicate of the images folder in the child theme. In that case one could replace thesed with other images.

Btw. I like the comments and explanation in the theme files!

Thank you for the investigation!

As I noted in the custom-header.php comments:

%s is a placeholder for the theme template directory URI.
%2$s is a placeholder for the (child) theme stylesheet directory URI.
I’m using %2$s to make it easy for the user to replace default header images in a child theme.

So the main intent is for the users who do not really want to mess with creating their own child theme, but I will definitely add your findings to the online manual so users would know that they have to copy over the header files.

I tested a child theme with custom-header.php and %s – when using a child theme the Customizer shows the parent theme header images, so not useful for real world scenario where people what to see header selection for the images they have included with the child theme.

Thank you again!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Tomas Mackevicius.

I can agree with your explanation.
However, when I select my own image in the customizer, this image is not shown when I switch to the child. I have to select this image again.
The approach is usefull when someone wants other default images for some purpose.

Child is working now, with no changes to the original (parent). Thanks.

On this line in functions.php seems to be an extra ‘?>’ at the end of this line:

	 * Standard Post Thumbnail can be inserted with <?php the_post_thumbnail(); 

You see, this is not to be uncommented, it is just info. I appended to the comment:

Standard Post Thumbnail can be inserted in the theme files with..

In the above line, I removed the ending ‘?>’. Comment will stay comment. My editor sigaled a mismatch with te starting php tags.

BTW you may want to read:

https://justintadlock.com/archives/2014/11/03/loading-parent-styles-for-child-themes

Justin here says:

The major problem with this method [the one being used in Tiny Framework] is that we’re putting users (often first-time users) into the functions.php file, which can be a dangerous place. One mistake here and you’ll definitely bring your site down.

The thing is that I want intentionally drive users to look at functions.php and experience those dangers, as making mistakes is the way to learn ??

Another older thread: https://github.com/Automattic/_s/pull/638

Anyway, I always look what happens in the development of default themes and if some or the other method becomes more prevalent, I would consider it.

As we can see, this discussions is also present in Twenty Seventeen:

https://github.com/WordPress/twentyseventeen/issues/67

So we will see… ??