Title: Adding functions.php to child theme Last modified: August 31, 2016 --- # Adding functions.php to child theme * Resolved [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * (@cherylweb27) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/) * I’ve loaded the theme onto a fresh new install of WordPress. I then loaded my own child theme (style.css and functions.php, both with no theme modifications), and got the following error: * > Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output > started at /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas.com/wp-content/themes/ > Mesocolumn Child Theme/functions.php:6) in /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas. > com/wp-includes/pluggable.php on line 1228 * (Or something similar… the “on line xxx” might have been different, but everything else was the same.) * So then I deleted my child theme (the error went away), and loaded the theme- provided child theme. With ONLY the theme-provided child theme, there were no errors. * Then I created a “blank” functions.php, with only the following in it: * > // Your php code goes here ?> * and the error returned (this is the current “on line xxx” error): * > Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output > started at /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas.com/wp-content/themes/ > Mesocolumn Child Theme/functions.php:6) in /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas. > com/wp-includes/pluggable.php on line 1228 * What’s going on? How can I include a functions.php in my child theme? * Site Link: [http://notsoalternateideas.com/](http://notsoalternateideas.com/) * Thanks for the help! 🙂 Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total) * Theme Author [Richie KS](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rkcorp/) * (@rkcorp) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980345) * probably the theme folder name ‘Mesocolumn Child Theme’ try rename it to mesocolumn- child-theme * Thread Starter [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * (@cherylweb27) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980346) * Where do you see that? When I look at my site’s files via cPanel & File Manager, I see the following path: * wp-content >> themes >> mesocolumn-child * Do I need to reinstall the child theme, and adjust the folder name before uploading? * Thread Starter [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * (@cherylweb27) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980347) * Ohhhh…. I see it in the path of the error…. but I don’t know where that’s coming from??? That was the original child theme that I deleted. * Thread Starter [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * (@cherylweb27) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980348) * Sorry for the confusion! I think I might have cut & pasted the wrong error. * THIS IS THE CURRENT ERROR… * > Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output > started at /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas.com/wp-content/themes/ > mesocolumn-child/functions.php:4) in /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas. > com/wp-includes/option.php on line 820 > Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output > started at /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas.com/wp-content/themes/ > mesocolumn-child/functions.php:4) in /home2/cheryl27/public_html/notsoalternateideas. > com/wp-includes/option.php on line 821 * (I never would have caught that if you hadn’t mentioned the folder name. Good catch! Sorry for the confusion. 🙁 ) * [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/) * (@alchymyth) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980349) * what editor are you using to create the new functions.php file? there must not be any characters or empty lines before and after the php tags. * [https://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_Files](https://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_Files) * Thread Starter [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * (@cherylweb27) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980350) * I just put it in a text file (notepad on Windows), then saved it as functions. php. * I don’t think there are any characters or empty lines before the **** * I didn’t know there needed to be…? * I will try putting them in, to see if that fixes the situation. * Thread Starter [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * (@cherylweb27) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980351) * I added lines before & after everything in the functions.php file. No change. Thanks though [@michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michael/) !! 🙂 * Thread Starter [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * (@cherylweb27) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980352) * I’m really a winner tonight… lol 🙂 * Michael, I re-read your post… like 5 times… and realized that you actually meant that there SHOULD NOT be any spaces or lines after the open & close php tags in functions.php. * So I double-checked, and yes, there was one rouge space after the close php tag. * So I removed it (along with the spaces I mistakenly added a few minutes ago), and VOILA! The errors are gone. * Thanks soooooo much for your help!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total) The topic ‘Adding functions.php to child theme’ is closed to new replies. * ![](https://i0.wp.com/themes.svn.wordpress.org/mesocolumn/1.6.5.1/screenshot. png) * MesoColumn * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/mesocolumn/) * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/mesocolumn/active/) * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/mesocolumn/unresolved/) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/mesocolumn/reviews/) ## Tags * [child theme](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/child-theme/) * [functions](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/functions/) * 8 replies * 3 participants * Last reply from: [cherylweb27](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cherylweb27/) * Last activity: [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-functionsphp-to-child-theme-2/#post-6980352) * Status: resolved