What is the structure of the WordPress Template Hierarchy?

What is the structure of the WordPress Template Hierarchy? - Swaraa Tech

WordPress uses a system called the WordPress Template Hierarchy to decide which template file to use for rendering a specific page on a WordPress site. In a WordPress theme, it's a way to arrange and rank the various template files according to the type of content being displayed.

The WordPress template file hierarchy, which is kept in the theme folder, serves as the foundation for the template hierarchy. WordPress will fall back to the next file in the hierarchy if a specific template file cannot be found until it locates a suitable file to use.

An example of the WordPress Template Hierarchy is shown here:

  1. index.php : This is the most basic template file and is used as a fallback if no other template file is available. It displays the posts of the site's main blog page.

  2. home.php: This file is used for the site's main blog page if it exists. It takes priority over the index.php file.

  3. single.php: This file is used to display a single post of any post type.

  4. page.php: This file is used to display a single static page.

  5. archive.php: This file is used to display a list of posts of a particular category, tag, date range, or author.

  6. category.php: This file is used to display a list of posts of a specific category.

  7. tag.php: This file is used to display a list of posts of a specific tag.

  8. author.php: This file is used to display a list of posts written by a specific author.

  9. search.php: This file is used to display search results.

  10. 404.php: This file is used to display a custom 404 error page.

For instance, when a user requests a post, WordPress will search the theme directory for the single.php file. If that file cannot be found, it will search for index.php. WordPress will show the default page if it is still unable to locate the file.

Similar to this, when a user asks for a category archive, WordPress will first look for category.php, then archive.php, then index.php, and so on.

Developers can easily create custom templates for particular pages, posts, and archive pages by adhering to the WordPress Template Hierarchy while still maintaining the flexibility to customise and modify the templates as necessary.

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