Header, footer, and sidebar templates in Wordpress - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Header, footer, and sidebar templates

📖 Scenario: You are building a simple WordPress theme for a blog. The blog needs a consistent header, footer, and sidebar on every page. These parts will be created as separate template files so WordPress can include them easily.

🎯 Goal: Create the basic WordPress theme structure with separate header.php, footer.php, and sidebar.php template files. Then include these templates in the main index.php file to build a complete page layout.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a header.php file with a site title inside a <header> tag

Create a footer.php file with copyright text inside a <footer> tag

Create a sidebar.php file with a simple navigation menu inside an <aside> tag

In index.php, include the header, sidebar, and footer templates using WordPress functions

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

WordPress themes use separate template files for header, footer, and sidebar to keep code organized and reusable across pages.

💼 Career

Knowing how to build and include WordPress templates is essential for WordPress theme development jobs and freelance projects.

1

Create the header template

Create a file called header.php and add a <header> element containing an <h1> with the text My WordPress Blog.

Wordpress

# Create header.php with a header tag and h1 text

# Your code here

Hint

Use HTML tags <header> and <h1> with the exact text.

2

Create the footer template

Create a file called footer.php and add a <footer> element containing the text © 2024 My WordPress Blog.

Wordpress

# Create footer.php with a footer tag and copyright text

# Your code here

Hint

Use the <footer> tag with the exact copyright text.

3

Create the sidebar template

Create a file called sidebar.php and add an <aside> element containing a navigation menu with three links: Home, About, and Contact. Use an unordered list <ul> with list items <li> and anchor tags <a> with href set to #.

Wordpress

# Create sidebar.php with an aside tag and a nav menu with 3 links

# Your code here

Hint

Use <aside> with a <nav> containing a <ul> list of links.

4

Include templates in index.php

Create index.php and include the header, sidebar, and footer templates using WordPress functions get_header(), get_sidebar(), and get_footer() in that order.

Wordpress

# Create index.php and include header, sidebar, and footer templates

# Your code here

Hint

Use the WordPress template functions get_header(), get_sidebar(), and get_footer() in index.php.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using get_header(), get_sidebar(), and get_footer() in a WordPress theme?

easy

A. To register new WordPress plugins

B. To create new posts automatically

C. To add custom CSS styles to the theme

D. To include reusable template parts like header, sidebar, and footer in theme files

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the function roles

   get_header(), get_sidebar(), and get_footer() are WordPress functions used to include specific parts of a theme.

2. Step 2: Identify their purpose

   These functions help insert reusable parts like the header, sidebar, and footer into theme templates, making the site organized and easier to maintain.

3. Final Answer:

   To include reusable template parts like header, sidebar, and footer in theme files -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Reusable template parts = D [OK]

Hint: Remember these functions insert common page sections [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking these functions create posts
• Confusing them with CSS or plugin functions
• Assuming they add styles instead of templates

2. Which of the following is the correct way to include the sidebar template in a WordPress theme file?

easy

A. load_sidebar();

B. include_sidebar();

C. get_sidebar();

D. sidebar_include();

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall WordPress template functions

   The correct WordPress function to include the sidebar template is get_sidebar().

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   Functions like include_sidebar(), load_sidebar(), or sidebar_include() do not exist in WordPress.

3. Final Answer:

   get_sidebar(); -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Sidebar inclusion function = A [OK]

Hint: Use get_sidebar() exactly to include sidebar templates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent functions like include_sidebar()
• Forgetting parentheses after function name
• Confusing with PHP include statements

3. Given the following WordPress theme file snippet, what will be the output behavior?

<?php get_header(); ?>
<main>Content here</main>
<?php get_footer(); ?>

medium

A. Only the main content will display, header and footer missing

B. The page will display the header, main content, and footer sections

C. The page will show an error because get_footer() is missing arguments

D. Only header and footer will display, main content ignored

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand get_header() and get_footer() usage

   These functions include the header.php and footer.php template parts respectively.

2. Step 2: Analyze the snippet structure

   The snippet calls get_header(), then outputs main content inside <main>, then calls get_footer(). This means all three parts will appear on the page.

3. Final Answer:

   The page will display the header, main content, and footer sections -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Header + main + footer = B [OK]

Hint: get_header() and get_footer() wrap main content automatically [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming get_footer() needs arguments
• Thinking main content is ignored
• Believing header/footer won't show without extra code

4. You added get_sidebar(); in your theme file, but the sidebar does not appear on the site. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The sidebar.php template file is missing from the theme folder

B. You forgot to call get_header(); before get_sidebar();

C. The get_sidebar(); function requires parameters to work

D. WordPress does not support sidebars by default

Solution

1. Step 1: Check sidebar template existence

   get_sidebar(); includes sidebar.php by default. If this file is missing, nothing will show.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Calling get_header(); is not required before sidebar. get_sidebar(); works without parameters. WordPress supports sidebars by default.

3. Final Answer:

   The sidebar.php template file is missing from the theme folder -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing sidebar.php = A [OK]

Hint: Check if sidebar.php exists when sidebar is missing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming get_sidebar() needs parameters
• Thinking header must be called first
• Believing WordPress lacks sidebar support

5. You want to create a custom footer template named footer-special.php and include it only on the homepage. Which code snippet correctly includes this custom footer in your theme's index.php?

hard

A. if (is_front_page()) { get_footer('special'); } else { get_footer(); }

B. get_footer('special'); if (is_front_page()) { get_footer(); }

C. get_footer(); if (is_front_page()) { get_footer('special'); }

D. if (is_home()) { get_footer(); } else { get_footer('special'); }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand get_footer() with parameters

   Calling get_footer('special') loads footer-special.php. Without parameters, it loads footer.php.

2. Step 2: Use conditional to check homepage

   is_front_page() returns true on the homepage. So, use it to load the special footer only there, else load default footer.

3. Step 3: Analyze options

   if (is_front_page()) { get_footer('special'); } else { get_footer(); } correctly uses the conditional to load footer-special.php on homepage and default footer elsewhere. Other options call footers incorrectly or in wrong order.

4. Final Answer:

   if (is_front_page()) { get_footer('special'); } else { get_footer(); } -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Conditional footer load = C [OK]

Hint: Use get_footer('name') with condition for custom footers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling both footers unconditionally
• Using is_home() instead of is_front_page() for homepage
• Reversing the conditional logic