Every WordPress website has a theme, whether it is a purchased template theme or a custom web design of your own. What most people don’t realize is that there are different types of themes in WordPress, each requiring a different level of skillset, and those are frameworks, parent themes and child themes.
So, what exactly is a parent theme vs. a child theme?
A parent theme can be considered the default theme of a WordPress theme. This is usually a purchased template or a design that contains only the theme design, functionality and page templates required for it to run on WordPress.
Meanwhile, a child theme cannot run on its own. It is not a full theme like a parent theme, but rather inherits the functionality from a parent theme when called upon, allowing the user to make theme customizations and updates that won’t affect the parent theme.
When web designers start customizing a website, the first step should be to create a child theme so that when the parent theme (the purchased template) is updated, it won’t harm the functionality of the child theme and only minor adjustments would be required for each parent theme update. Most parent templates are user-friendly for do-it-yourself web designers who want to just upload and change theme content. However, an experienced professional can help you set up a theme properly so that the theme can be continuously updated in the future without your site experiencing missing or broken code.
But wait…what about frameworks? According to the WordPress Codex, a theme framework is a stand-alone base or starter theme that helps developers kick-start parent theme development; or a code library that is used to facilitate the development of a theme.
When putting everything together, a parent theme can be built off of a framework, from which a child theme can then be create to further customize the website design. The level of expertise required for creating a template website, a child theme, and a parent theme and a custom design increases as you get into more complex types of websites.
At CryoDragon, we build custom websites for our clients. Whether it be an affordable template site to a high-end custom site, we make an effort to make each site unique for our clients. Contact us for a free quote today!
