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Do you need WAMP/MAMP to design wordpress themes?


Peep

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Having worked through Killersites "The Complete Web Designer" (Disc 1 & 2) I am quite satisfied with the basic web design skills I learned and built a website from being a complete beginner - the look of which I am quite happy with.

 

I then decided I wanted to add a blog to the site, and that the blog would look the same as the main website. Therefore I would like to gain the skill of being able to design Wordpress themes. I have the course "Complete Wordpress Training".

 

The instructor makes reference to "MAMP" for MAC, I would need "WAMP" as I operate in the Microsoft Windows Environment.

 

Can I first ask; what is the correct place to download "WAMP" from? Is this; http://www.wampserver.com/en/download.php the correct application?

 

Secondly, do you actually need MAMP/WAMP? can you not just style your wordpress files using CSS/Dreamweaver etc?

 

Apologies if these questions are confusing - but I don't have a web design background and I don't really know what mySQL is or anything like that....

 

*EDIT

 

I just wanted to add a bit of information about my goals so that people might find it easier to advise me. At the moment, I am not looking to become a professional web designer, I just want to be able to build my own sites and be able to attach a blog to them, which will be in the same design as the main site.

 

Perhaps I am trying to run before I can walk?

 

For instance here; http://www.killersites.com/blog/2011/web-designers-roadmap-for-2011/

 

it suggests that once you have some HTML and CSS skills (which are covered in the "Complete Web Designer" course), the next step is to learn some PHP basics. Maybe that is what I should do?

Edited by Peep
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You don't have to have WAMP to design a Wordpress template. You can simple upload it to a host server (your domain) and work on it there. Otherwise, simply download the WAMP from the link you've provided and install it to your computer.

 

Typically, I would build the template purely HTML/CSS. Once you've perfected it then you can implement/extract the php functions from Wordpress' default theme to your design and test. Once you get that far then you can modify whatever php functions to suit your need.

 

A regular here (Susie) has far more knowleged in this area and could provide some additional info on how to make a fully functional Wordpress template. You can also go to Worpress site and find a indepth tutorial on building templates from scratch.

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if you want to create your own wordpress theme (similar to your site) then it would be easier to work in a localhost MAMP/WAMP as this way you would work a lot faster. The way I work is that for every major functionality I create I run it in the browser - for example when get the wordpress posts, instead of trusting that it does work, I like to see it in the browser. If you are going to do that then you do need MAMP/WAMP as otherwise you would spend a lot of time loading/uploading files to and from your server

that is how we had to work at school, it consumes a lot of time.

 

I know that you can edit the wordpress files within wordpress dashboard (something like that) but never tried it.

 

MAMP/WAMP help to safe time

 

I use xampp for windows http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html I cant remember why I switched from wamp (but it might have been a good reason).

Edited by akurtula
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