Want to Study WordPress? Here Is Where to Start

Students often need to study something new as they understand that certain knowledge and skills can greatly contribute to their resumes. For some job positions, the knowledge of WordPress is required or is a nice bonus helping a job seeker stand out in the eyes of an employer.

But where to start learning this CMS? Is it difficult? How much time does one need for that? All these questions worry students. For a start, it should be mentioned that any new things people are planning to study need time and effort. So the first step towards successful learning is to ensure other tasks are complete.

As students are always overwhelmed with papers and various written assignments, it is quite challenging to find enough free time for new studies. To solve this problem, students can ask somebody “help me write my paper.” And it would be great if they ask a professional as it will allow a student to be confident about the result.

WordPress: Definition, Pros, and Cons

Before starting learning CMS WordPress, let’s understand the notion of a CMS. So what is a CMS? A CMS is a content management system of the site. Simply put, a CMS is a system that greatly simplifies the development, editing, and maintenance of the website content.

Some time ago, almost all websites were static. Any changes to content had to be introduced manually. Nowadays the process of project development needs a quick response and the opportunity to implement all necessary changes as quickly as possible. But not all users want, are able to, or have enough money to ask programmers for help, especially if the site requires constant maintenance.

This is where a CMS comes to hand.

WordPress is the most used free cms in the world, especially popular in the West. It has the following advantages:

• It is very easy to use. Anyone can create a website on this CMS in a few simple steps. Working with this system requires virtually no programming knowledge, so it is great for beginners and those who want to create their first website.
• This system has a lot of free and paid original templates (themes).
• There are multiple plugins and modules that are constantly updated. One can easily install and configure them.
• There are lots of guides for users to learn how to use and work on this CMS.
• It has a very convenient admin panel. Every person can easily create a page, edit its content, install a plugin or change the design of the site.

However, there are some disadvantages this CMS has. They are as follow:

• Despite its simplicity, some programming knowledge is required for editing themes or creating functionality that’s not provided by the standard set. It may be rather challenging.
• One needs a large number of plugins to make a website that can meet all the requirements, which badly affects the loading speed of the site.
• Installing updates often affects the work of already installed plugins and can have unpredictable effects on their functioning.

Now that you have an initial idea of what this CMS is, it’s time to finish with theory and move on to practice.

How to Start Studying WordPress

Here there are step-by-step instructions to help anyone get started with this CMS.

1. Learning basic web programming languages

An important step is learning the languages the platform is based on. There are four of them:

• PHP. PHP is the foundation of WordPress. It is required for various tasks related to database accesses, system logic, the creation and saving of content.
• HTML. HTML is a markup language It defines how a site’s pages look like in a user’s web browser.
• CSS. CSS adds style to site content (fonts, sizes, colors, indents, and spacing).
• JavaScript. JavaScript is used to create interactive elements on website pages.

2. Making a list of resources

Since WordPress is very popular, there are many resources developers can use. They are:

• Make WordPress. This is a key web resource for programmers, designers, and testers.
• Developer Resources. It contains guides to creating plugins and themes, as well as covers more advanced topics like the REST API.
• Cheat Sheets for WordPress, Web Developers, and Designers. This is a visual doc for programmers. It is sorted by topic.

3. Deciding where to start

WordPress development is a fairly broad field. One should familiarize themselves with all of its sections. Some of the most common ways to start working with this CMS are as follows:

• Modifying an existing WordPress plugin or theme. This approach allows users to experiment while introducing changes and testing their results without having to create something new. One can create a “fork“, a user’s own version of a theme or plugin, with which they can experiment. If the plugin or theme is free, one can find its code in the corresponding directory, in the Development tab.
• Creating a new plugin or theme. If a person is confident, they can try their hand at creating a new plugin or theme. To start with this area, one should read the official guide to creating plugins and exploring the Plugin Handbook. There are similar resources for creating themes. Users can also check the WordPress forums to find a team to collaborate and develop together.
• Participating in WordPress Core. If you want to learn how the platform works, you need a different approach. Reading the Core Developer’s Guide will be perfect. It will provide a user with lots of significant information about what it means to be a WordPress developer. Get involved in bug fixing to gain valuable experience.

Wrapping up

A newbie who wants to become a WordPress developer may find the whole process difficult at first. However, the given CMS is really the best platform to learn website creation due to its accessibility and simplicity.