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closed resolvedok ill do step one which is "Use FileZilla to FTP to your site and download the theme files. "
questions
1. is there any link or video specific to using filezilla to do this ? im a noob and this is pretty confusing but I want to learn.
2. by doing this im not messing up my site yet right (remember I edited the main files) ?
Thank you so much you have no idea how much of a great helper you are !
ok I started filezilla and I read instructions online on how to connect to my hosting company server. I also went to my hosting company's control panel and created an ftp login and password for my website. Then I opened filezilla (the mode is passive) and put the login information in and I assume it worked because at the top it said directory listing successful BUT I don't think it worked right because it says I have an empty directory on the bottom right squared screen, when on the instructions online and youtube videos when they do it they at least have a folder that starts with www. But I have nothing?
If this doesnt confuse you.....
a number of hosting companies now have something called 'file manager'
You can use that to delve down into the folder structure to find your graphene theme
maybe under public html wp-admin themes but see what you can find
I also went to my hosting company's control panel and created an ftp login and password for my website
If you create a new FTP user like this, you'll also have to assign the root folder of your website to this new FTP user. Otherwise, like you said you'll just see an empty folder.
You don't actually have to create a new FTP user, as usually you can just use the same username and password that you use to login to your server's control panel.
ok perfect I just created the FTP account, talked to my hosting company, and I am finally connected to filezilla. SO I see files on the bottom right of the screen.
Now this is my idea of FTP and i'm sure it is not completely right. From all my reading I see that using filezilla and connecting to my website is useful because if the theme creator ever decides to update the theme then I will NOT loose the things I have been editing in the main style files because this entire time I edit those file through the "Child" theme. The child theme Can NOT be erased through an update of the entire theme Thus I will lose no changes I have made to my site. Is this Idea correct?
If it is correct then the next question is. I am finally connected, so what do I do next?
Download the Graphene theme files that you have modified previously. Then, use WinMerge to find the difference between the modified files and the fresh copy of the theme.
It's best to get the fresh copy that is the same version as the theme's version you're currently using. You can download any version of the theme using the link in this format:
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/download/graphene.<version>.zip?nostats=1Replace <version> with the version you want to download, e.g. 1.8.1.
After that, migrate all the difference / changes that you did to the theme's files into the child theme you've created.
ok I downloaded it , I have 1.8.3.
The WinMerge thing I don't understand it. I am pretty confident that all I have changed has been the Footer file. And I am ok with fixing that again.
So whats the next step, creating a child theme? and how ?
And is FileZilla connected to my website?? So if I want to change something on my site, do I make changes in Filezilla Or my website? or do I only use FileZilla if I want to change the Main Files like the .PHP Files ?
The WinMerge thing I don't understand it. I am pretty confident that all I have changed has been the Footer file. And I am ok with fixing that again.
If that's all you've changed, then it's best to just start afresh with a new copy and don't bother with migrating the changes you've done previously. Depending on how you want to customise the theme's footer, you can probably find the how-to in this forum already.
So whats the next step, creating a child theme? and how ?
Yes. See http://docs.graphene-theme.com/Customisation_using_a_child_theme
And is FileZilla connected to my website?? So if I want to change something on my site, do I make changes in Filezilla Or my website? or do I only use FileZilla if I want to change the Main Files like the .PHP Files ?
FileZilla is an FTP client. It connects to an FTP server. FTP denotes "File Transfer Protocol", so it gives you access to the files on your server so that you can modify, delete, create new file, etc.
When you change something via WP Admin, those changes are not made to the files, but to the site's database (except a few things that need file access, like uploading images or writing htaccess rules for permalink). If you can make changes via WP Admin, there's no need to make that change by editing or creating new files using the FTP client, except in some cases related to performance.
Before I create the child theme, do I upload the orginal un edited files that I downloaded from the link you gave me? If so, How ? Or do I just go and create the child theme without uploading anything
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