Custom Page for Wordpress
Recently, i was looking around the web for this topic “making custom page for wordpress”, but it was so hard to find anything for this keyword, and after spending some time i did find a good resource therefore i would like to share it here. What motivated me to write this post, well i already knew how to make a custom page a homepage, but i wanted a custom page, like you would see my banner page doesn’t have a sidebar.
| This post will have three main points that it will be discussing. One main point would be creating a Custom Wordpress Page, then the other two points will be different ways of making a static wordpress homepage. I thought alot about it, and have decided to have it in text and a video format for each method. Each method will have its individual video. I will try to go as slow as i can so others can follow, and i will try to explain each step clearly in the video. |
Creating a Custom Wordpress Page
What i mean by creating a custom wordpress page, is having a page in your wordpress blog that have different layout. Not necessarily just your homepage. As i needed a custom page on balkhis to post my new banners and if i had posted the 728×90 banner it would’ve broken the template, so to see an example of a custom wp page Click Here.
Now here is how you will start, open a notepad file, dreamweaver file, or some type of text editor. Then go on, and paste the following codes in it above everything, all your html codes and whatever you have on top.
You can use any Wordpress phpTags you like such as calling header, footer etc. Make sure you save this file as a .php extension so lets save this file as custom.php, and then upload this to your default template folder. /wp-content/themes/yourtheme/ Disclaimer: Just so i don't get stupid emails, yourtheme folder is the one that you are using, it doesn't have to exist.
Now you can login to your wordpress admin panel, and click the Write Tab, and select Write Page not write post, write page. Then put the title of the page in this case we name it "Custom" and then on the right hand side where you select post slug and such, you will see a new option called Page Template, select the template in our case "BalkhisT1", and hit publish now you have a custom wordpress page :)
Now if you don't understand the above written instruction because i know i didn't go as detailed, watch the video below to view everything step by step. I will go slow so i don't loose anyone behind.
Next two methods are for custom homepage, i have two methods. I dont know if there are any advantages of them as in Search Engine wise, but they can surely be used to serve two different purposes.
Method 1: Raw Code
In this method, we will have a separate file called home.php and we will make it the homepage by adding some php codes. You can use this for a site that you don't want to look anything like wordpress. for ex: Uzzz Productions.
Start by opening a blank .php page. add the following codes:
Now that will help you alot if you use it as that and just have a sidebar with manual page links, or use some of the wp tags to only display pages, and/or categories and give your site a custom non-wp look.
Watch a step-by-step video for this method
Method 2: WP-Admin Method
In this method, we will use the wordpress admin panel, and our technique above for wordpress custom page, to make your blog look unique, but it will still have the wordpress look because you are displaying the recent post.
First you have to do all the steps i explained above in the "Wordpress custom page", then you have to go to Write tab, click Write Page, and make a page so called "Blog" or whatever you like to call it. Make sure you put the page-slug as blog also because i am sure you want your users to read it so you are going to link it from your homepage. Now, in this one leave the page template as default rather than using the BalkhisT1.
Once that is done, go to your wordpress admin panel tab "Options" > "Reading"
On the front page options area, choose the Static Page option, Select your Front page as "Custom" and your Blog page as blog, and you are done.
Watch a step-by-step video
I hope you like this post because i know i had a hard time finding this.
Hey, I am Syed Balkhi, The guy who is behind Balkhis Inc. I entered the industry back in 2002 not knowing a single thing. I barely spoke English at that time. In the past six years, my language barrier has been eliminated. Aside from English, now I also speak html, and php. Along with the languages I have also managed to master a few arts. Art of web-designing started when I first entered. Messing around with photoshop, I learned how to create my first web design. Now I founded a web designing firm Uzzz Productions. After running numerous amount of websites in various niche, I have mastered the art of web-development. Now I am compiling a resource of what I already know, and what I am learning on this blog. This resource is to help me if I ever need a guide to look back to, and it is help my fellow webmasters.
Another great post Smub. Nice videos too!
thanks mikey
i know this was very useful to me when i started so i thought i should help others out.
Dear Sir,
I am very thankful for this post. It was of great useful for me. Once again thanks a lot
Regards
Anil
Nice post as usual.
Thanks for this excellent detailed post. The images/videos have made it easier for me to implement this. I’ve had pages before but nothing like this.
It was a blurry video, but a good post. Its very usefull.
[...] To watch a video how I did it you can refer back to my old post on How to create your own custom wordpress page? [...]
[...] I first started Balkhis, I wrote about Creating your own Custom wordpress page in which I discussed two ways to making a custom wordpress homepage, but I only shared one method [...]
[...] thing you would need to do is Create a Custom Page in wordpress and make it your homepage. If you read I have already showed you both ways in the post above. Now [...]