Lesson 1

The WordPress Architecture

The WordPress Stack

  • Operating System (Linux)
  • Web Server (Apache or Nginx)
  • Database (MySQL)
  • Application Server (PHP)

Terminology

Core

The Loop

Themes

Plugins

Post Types

  • Default
    Posts & Pages
  • "Special"
    Attachments, Revisions, & Navigation Menu Items
  • Custom Post Types

Taxonomies

  • Categories
  • Tags
  • Custom Taxonomies

Hooks

  • Actions
  • Filters

APIs

Templates (and Other Theme Files)

index.php

Template of last resort.

style.css

Contains essential information WordPress needs to identify your theme.

functions.php

Provides supporting functionality for your theme, and is the best place for enqueuing stylesheets, JavaScript, etc.

Archive Templates

Post Templates

Page Templates

Template Parts