Modify wordpress themes

After choosing one from among the thousands of skins available, bloggers can still modify WordPress themes to suit specific requirements. WordPress offers a customizable control panel, a unique tool in blogosphere, for the next level of individual expression. WordPress themes are basically files strung together for basic blog design to be integrated with a graphical interface. These are template files and modifying themes does not change the underlying software. Themes can be modified not just overall but also specifically for every single page on your weblog.
There are two levels of theme modification in WordPress – at the novice level and at the programmer level. As a technical blogger, you would need to know that at the outset, when you start a blog with WordPress, they give you two themes for initial use. The ‘Classic’ and the ‘Default’ theme are based on different functions and tags to prevent any confusion. The user can swap these skins at will via the administration panel. Unlike capabilities of other blog platforms, users can modify WordPress themes by using templates, template tags and the WordPress Loop for new looks and features. The task is simplified because WordPress presentation and template files are different from the system files and the blog can be upgraded without major overhaul of the visual appeal and identity.
Before you modify WordPress themes, it is better to understand their structure. Along with images, WordPress themes are built on three types of files which are style.css for the look of the weblog, optional functions.php file for technical tweaking and template files for controlling the generation of data to be uploaded. Earlier, WordPress used a single file, the index.php to control display which was limited in scope.
The style sheet header needs to be modified in the style.css file before you begin to modify the theme. It helps incorporate two or more themes together too. The file is comment based and can be changed with guidelines from the WordPress help section too. The function.php file is more of a plug-in to help set up an administration screen for the user to define a palette of colors, styles and other aspects of the weblog.
But if you are not planning to modify WordPress themes with program jargon, you can still enjoy a limited customization option with different themes. You needn’t even look at the code. Some of these themes, both in the free and premium section are available widget-ready with help pages and tutorials et al. For example, in Dkret2 there are two style sheets. They can be modified without re-writing the code. It also includes five sidebar choices. Similarly, Mandigo gives color schemes, choice in placement of sidebars, 38 languages, screen resolution option, column and color options etc. Royale even allows changing link colors. Tarski comes with a stock of header photos. The Cutline theme even allows rotation of photos. Ikarus comes with more than 2,000 choices that can be configured straight from the administration dashboard. Still, if you find yourself in a bind, the WordPress help forums and Twitter links are miracle solution generators. Either way, for the novice or expert programmer, WordPress themes are only limited by imagination.