If you are looking to make customizations to your PrestaShop theme, you may want to consider creating a child theme. A child theme is a separate theme that inherits the styles and functionality of its parent theme. This means that you can make changes to the child theme without affecting the parent theme, and your changes will be preserved even if the parent theme is updated.
Creating a child theme in PrestaShop is a simple process that only requires basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and PHP. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to create a PrestaShop child theme.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Create A New Folder
The first thing you need to do is create a new folder for your child theme. You can create the folder anywhere on your computer, but it is recommended that you create it in the "themes" directory of your PrestaShop installation.
To create a new folder, right-click anywhere on your computer and select "New Folder". Give your folder a name that is related to your child theme. For example, if your parent theme is called "Classic", you may want to name your child theme "Classic Child".
Step 2: Create A New Stylesheet
Next, you need to create a new stylesheet for your child theme. This stylesheet will contain all of the custom styles that you want to apply to your website.
To create a new stylesheet, open a text editor on your computer (such as Notepad or Sublime Text) and create a new file. Save the file with a name like "style.css" in the folder you created in the previous step.
In your new stylesheet, you will need to include some basic information at the top of the file. This information is called a "header" and includes details such as the name of your theme, the author, the version number, and the description of your theme. Here is an example header:
/*
Theme Name: Classic Child
Author: John Smith
Version: 1.0
Description: A child theme of the Classic theme.
*/Once you have created your header, you can start adding your custom styles to the stylesheet. You can use CSS selectors to target specific elements on your website and apply custom styles. For example, if you want to change the font color of your website’s main heading, you can add this code to your stylesheet:
h1 {
color: #ff0000;
}Step 3: Create A New Functions File
In addition to a new stylesheet, you will also need to create a new functions file for your child theme. This file will contain any custom functions that you want to add to your website.
To create a new functions file, open a text editor and create a new file. Save the file with a name like "functions.php" in the same folder as your stylesheet.
In your new functions file, you can add any custom PHP code that you want to apply to your website. For example, if you want to add a new widget to your website’s sidebar, you can add this code to your functions file:
function my_custom_widget() {
register_sidebar( array(
'name' => __( 'My Custom Widget', 'text_domain' ),
'id' => 'my_custom_widget',
'description' => __( 'A description of my custom widget', 'text_domain' ),
'before_widget' => '',
'after_widget' => '',
) );
}
add_action( 'widgets_init', 'my_custom_widget' );This code creates a new widget called "My Custom Widget" and registers it with your website’s sidebar.
Step 4: Create A New Template File
Finally, if you want to create custom page templates for your website, you can create a new template file for your child theme.
To create a new template file, open a text editor and create a new file. Save the file with a name like "page-custom.php" in the folder for your child theme.
In your new template file, you can add your custom HTML, CSS, and PHP code to create a custom page layout. For example, if you want to create a custom page template for your website’s homepage, you can add this code to your template file:
This code creates a new page template called "Homepage" and includes your custom code for the page layout.
Conclusion
Creating a child theme in PrestaShop is a simple process that allows you to make customizations to your website without affecting the parent theme. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create a unique and customized website that stands out from the crowd.