I take it you’ve read Parts #1 and #2 of this series – ? If you haven’t you might be a bit lost.

Here is a very quick recap of Parts #1 and #2: -

In Part #1 we brought together some previous posts on the subject of WordPress and I said that I’d almost taught you enough for you to be able to build your own customised static Home Page on your WordPress self-hosted blog. I gave you a few more pointers and asked you to set about the task of actually writing your own template; from which I said that you’d learn a lot.

In Part#2 we talked about branding; what it is, what it does, how to do it, and where to do it. I gave a few helpful tips on creating a custom header-file, (I was actually thinking about using it throughout your entire blog, as in: at the top of each page.) and got you thinking: ‘Maybe a dangerous move as a blogger; but I declare again that one of this blog’s primary functions is to educate; and I can’t educate anybody who scans the page with their brain in neutral. – It’s just not possible.

And so therefore that brings us on to Part #3, which, luckily, happens to be right here, and with a bit of luck you’re still reading it. – Good.

Do Me A Favour!

In Part #3 I’m going to do you a favour: -

‘Chances are that if you actually needed to complete the homework I set in Part #1 then you either haven’t done it, or you started and gave up. 1 geek-point awarded to you for at least reading the articles.

If that’s not the case and you’re actually still slogging away at it then well done that reader. – 10 geek-points to you.

IF you’ve previously not had a clue about the subject, but, having read parts #1&2, you’ve completed the homework and been successful at doing so – then go straight to the top of the class, and have 1000 geek-points! Excellent work!

Whatever the case you can relax a bit: I’ve got templates for you. – No; they’re not fully-constructed and optimised templates, nor are they guaranteed to work with every theme.

Data: -

The templates are from my TwentyTen Plus theme from this blog. (A hybrid born from a crossbreeding of the original Twenty Ten and the original Twenty Eleven theme, written by the WordPress Team; then adapted for Kkomp.com – Beyond by Yours Truly here.) … With a twist. – Yes there is one big twist: I stripped the templates of all but the essential bits.

This means that YOU now have a set of almost blank templates to use for customising your self-hosted WordPress blog’s Home Page – or Front Page, if you prefer to call it that.

To achieve this end, you will have to have a basic knowledge of php, a somewhat greater knowledge of css, and be able to competently code in HTML to a reasonable standard.

If your theme is the Twenty Ten theme then these templates should work OK from the word go. – But you’ll need to populate them with things that you like and wish to see displayed on your blog’s Front Page. If your current blog-theme doesn’t like the templates and refuses to work properly with them then you’ll have to adjust the css tags to match your existing stylesheet.

There is some necessary basic php in them, which you may or may not have to/like to recode and/or add to. There is very little HTML content in any of them; which is why you need to know how to code in HTML in order to be able to build your own HTML structure within them.

It Gets Worse

- Now the bad news: I don’t yet teach, nor do I intend to teach at this juncture, because I am not qualified to do so, full courses in HTML coding, nor css, nor php: Therefore if you don’t know how to code in HTML, or php, and are not experienced in css, you’ll have to learn it from another blog: In other words it’s back down a grade for a while. I also suggest that you consult the WordPress Codex for further information.

My class is now over; but I’ll leave you with some pointers as to where to learn what you may need to learn; as well as, of course, a download-link for the templates themselves: -

The Templates

~Right-click and choose “Save Link As” (The files are zipped to prevent them from running when you click the links. )~

header.php

Home_Template.php

footer_1.php

These templates come pre-designed to join together to make up the total of your customised static Home Page: -

• The header file ( header.php ) is designed to replace your original header file as your blog’s universal header; but you’ve got to build it first.
• The Home Page template ( Home_Template.php ) has the necessary php on it; that’s all, except for a few HTML suggestion-markers; visible to readers if used and displayed raw.
• The footer file ( footer_1.php ) is a unique template which is only used in conjunction with the Home Page template. It will not replace your existing universal footer.php file.

Free online courses in HTML  
             Free online courses in css                 Free online courses in php

BLOGMASTERS CLUB – Promotional film & intro: -                                                                                                         I’ll teach you some of the basics of how to build and customise your blog. – At the same time experienced professional blogger and entrepreneur David Risley could teach you, in depth, how to make money with it.

~ Check out the video~