Title: Help customizing a theme
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# Help customizing a theme

 *  [David Neff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/david-neff/)
 * (@david-neff)
 * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/help-customizing-a-theme-1/)
 * Hello guys,
 * I would like to customize the twenty twelve theme and I need some help. Here 
   is an image of what I want to have it look like:
 * [http://www.debate.org/photos/albums/1/3/2271/57166-2271-fxwry-a.jpg](http://www.debate.org/photos/albums/1/3/2271/57166-2271-fxwry-a.jpg)
 * Now, in the main content section, I want to have a featured content slider (which
   I can use a plugin for), and also some custom widgets on the home page underneath–
   basically something like on [http://www.wbjc.com/](http://www.wbjc.com/) (which
   runs WordPress).
    On certain pages, I want a sidebar as normal. I can obviously
   use Widget logic, or something similar.
 * Please help me as this is the first attempt at making a custom theme.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * (@alchymyth)
 * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/help-customizing-a-theme-1/#post-3561943)
 * what is the link to your site?
    what have you achieved so far? what is the specific
   problem right now?
 * please start by creating a child theme for the customisations; [http://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes](http://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes)
 *  Thread Starter [David Neff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/david-neff/)
 * (@david-neff)
 * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/help-customizing-a-theme-1/#post-3561946)
 * LINK TO SITE: [http://client.davidneff.biz/jbim/](http://client.davidneff.biz/jbim/)
   
   ACHIEVEMENT: Just the background colour PROBLEM: I need help customizing the 
   navigation bar and making the desired widgets and page templates. I have read“
   Creating a custom page template” in the WordPress codex and did not help
 *  [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/)
 * (@esmi)
 * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/help-customizing-a-theme-1/#post-3562161)
 * Try removing the user/password block on on your site.
 *  [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * (@alchymyth)
 * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/help-customizing-a-theme-1/#post-3562162)
 * > customizing the navigation bar and making the desired widgets and page templates.
 * if you don’t need the theme to be adaptive to different browser widths, using
   Twenty Ten might be easier, as it is nearly like your initial posted design sketch.
 * – the navigation (not the menu formatting) can be customized using the custom
   menu under _**dashboard – apperance – menus **_( [http://codex.wordpress.org/Appearance_Menus_Screen](http://codex.wordpress.org/Appearance_Menus_Screen))
 * – formatting is not the strong point of this forum – possibly try a css forum
   like [http://csscreator.com/forum](http://csscreator.com/forum)
 * – widget can be dragged under _**dashboard – appearance – widgets**_; if your
   wanted widget is not within the default widgets, search the plugins [http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/)
 * – for page templates, you need to define quite clearly what you want the template
   to do; a new template often starts with a copy of page.php of the theme, with
   the necessary code added at the top, and with the functionality programmed into
   it;
 * – the Codex has a lot of resources; from [http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development](http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development)
   to instructions for nearly every available function.
    you will need to work through
   these instructions.
 * knowing html and css and the basics of php is a prerequisite for customizing 
   WordPress themes; and these basics are not taught or supported in depth by this
   forum..

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Help customizing a theme’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/php/)
 * [twenty twelve](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/twenty-twelve/)

 * 4 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * Last activity: [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/help-customizing-a-theme-1/#post-3562162)
 * Status: not resolved

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