In this video we build out a home page template for the theme using bootstrap styles and markup.
06: Loading Scripts and Styles
WordPress loads scripts and styles using enqueue methods. In this video, we’ll load our styles from Bootstrap and a basic javascript file.
05: Content and Template Parts
In this video we cover how the content loop works and update the templates to show actual post and page content.
04: Quick Introduction to the Command Line
In this video we make a small update to footer.php and then discuss some basics about using the command line.
03: Template Includes
In this video we break apart our base templates with a header.php and footer.php file.
02: Introduction to Template Hierarchy
In this video we create some of the base templates that most WordPress themes use (index.php, page.php, single.php and archive.php). To learn more about how WordPress loads templates, you can read this article in the codex.
Other Links
01: Setting up a Local Environment
This is the first lesson in the WordPress Theme Development Course. In this video we cover how to set up a local development environment for WordPress using Local by Flywheel.
If you already have a local development environment set up that you like (using Vagrant, MAMP, Valet, or something else), feel free to skip to the next video. There’s nothing in this series that requires you to use a specific development environment set up. Continue reading
Working on a Theme Development Course

I just started work on video course for learning WordPress theme development. It’s designed for folks who are familiar with using WordPress and would like to start building themes professionally (for clients or for their own work). The plan is to release the entire video series for free.
Since the focus is on professional development, I’ll be covering developer tools as much as actual theme development. Introducing topics like local environments, version control and build tools all together as it relates to WordPress themes will (I think!) be really useful for new developers getting up to speed.
If you or a friend has been looking to move into WordPress theme development, get on the mailing list and I’ll let you know when the first video is available.