Title: child them functions.php error
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# child them functions.php error

 *  [laptophobo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/laptophobo/)
 * (@laptophobo)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-them-functionsphp-error/)
 * Hi. I’m using the theme “notes-blog” and whenever I try to use a function.php
   file in my child them, I get this error:
 * > “Fatal error: Cannot redeclare site_header_style() (previously declared in /
   > home/p52347r2/public_html/site/wp-content/themes/doww-console/functions.php:
   > 59) in /home/p52347r2/public_html/site/wp-content/themes/notes-blog/functions.
   > php on line 73
   >  “
 * In one version I kept the content exactly like the parent version. In the other,
   I put in only the additional code. No matter what I do, I get the error message—
   until I delete the functions.php file from my child theme.
 * So, what might I be doing wrong?
 * Thanks for helping!

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

 *  [Samuel B](https://wordpress.org/support/users/samboll/)
 * (@samboll)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-them-functionsphp-error/#post-2296197)
 * Actually that is the one file you don’t want to copy to your child theme as it
   acts as a plugin of sorts.
    Just make the modifications to your parent file and
   let the child theme pick it up.
 *  Thread Starter [laptophobo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/laptophobo/)
 * (@laptophobo)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-them-functionsphp-error/#post-2296262)
 * Well, in the Codex and several other sources, it says the opposite. That I should
   not make changes to the parent functions.php file, but instead create a child
   theme functions.php to work from. It does, however, mention that the file differs
   from the others.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘child them functions.php error’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [child theme](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/child-theme/)
 * [function.php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/function-php/)

 * 2 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [laptophobo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/laptophobo/)
 * Last activity: [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/child-them-functionsphp-error/#post-2296262)
 * Status: not resolved

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