Title: Making a database query
Last modified: August 21, 2016

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# Making a database query

 *  [webwatchman](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webwatchman/)
 * (@webwatchman)
 * [12 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/making-a-database-query/)
 * I am trying to customize a child theme from TwentyTwelve by making database query
   using the get_template_part() function in my index file that references another
   php file named “welcome.php.” The goal is to get users to see a customized message
   when they come to my index.php page of my site. I was watching a tutorial on 
   this and I cannot replicate the above goal. My site is a local site off of MAMP,
   so I cannot show you a live version. My apologies.
 * Here is my code from the index file that located in the child theme folder:
 * `<?php get_template_part( 'welcome' ); ?>`
 * Here is my code for the welcome.php located in the child theme folder:
 *     ```
       <!-- Welcome message to be displayed on the front index page -->
   
       <div id="front-page-intro" class="clear">
   
       	<article id="intro-elements">
   
       		<div class="entry-content">
   
       			<p>PLEASE WORK PLEASE WORK PLEASE WORK</p>
   
       		</div><!-- .entry-content -->
   
       	</article><!-- #intro-elements -->
   
       </div><!-- #front-page-intro -->
       ```
   
 * Any ideas?

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

 *  [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * (@catacaustic)
 * [12 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/making-a-database-query/#post-4927191)
 * Normally any database queries that you’d do would be done through the [WPDB](http://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/wpdb)
   class.
 * Without knowing what data you want to get from the database it’s hard to suggest
   something more, but as a very basic example, this can be done:
 *     ```
       <?php
           global $wpdb;  // You need to make this variable global inside a function
   
           $name = $wpdb->get_var( 'SELECT first_name FROM ' . $wpdb->users . ' WHERE ID = ' . get_current_user_id() );
           echo $name;
       ?>
       ```
   
 *  Thread Starter [webwatchman](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webwatchman/)
 * (@webwatchman)
 * [12 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/making-a-database-query/#post-4927407)
 * “Without knowing what data you want to get from the database it’s hard to suggest
   something more,” <==== I am confused. I stated I wanted the data from my “welcome.
   php” file. Is that not part of the database, I understand what the database is,
   its the tables needed to assemble the site. When I make a php file and call from
   it, doesn’t that add to the database?
 * I understand declaring the global variable, but I am not clear on what do within
   the argument. Where do I call the “welcome” file in there?
 * Do you have a lynda.com account where I can show you which tutorial I am looking
   at by chance? The video is approximately 7 mins. Its entitled in the Course “
   WordPress 3: Building Child Themes, session: Displaying page content within an
   index page”
 *  [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * (@catacaustic)
 * [12 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/making-a-database-query/#post-4927409)
 * I think that you’ve got slightly the wrong idea about databases and how they 
   work.
 * Setting up a PHP page doesn’t add, edit or delete anything to/from the database–
   unless you tell it to do that and give it some data to work with. All that the
   databaase does is store data. It doesn’t know about PHP, it doesn’t work directly
   with pages, and it you don’t add to it by creating new pages. For what you want
   to do, you don’t need the database, so forget about that because you’ll only 
   confuse yourself more.
 * I don’t have a Lynda account, but from what you’ve said I think that I can guess
   what you’re looking to do. With what you’ve got there, there’s no reason at all
   why it wouldn’t be showing. You did say that you’re trying to include it in your`
   index.php` page, but the biggest question is what page/post/etc type are you 
   trying to call that form, and are there any other template files in yoour theme
   that would get used first before your `index.php` file?
 * WordPress works on a template hierarchy, so if you’re displaying a post, it looks
   for tempalte files in a set order, and uses the first one that it finds. For 
   more details you should look at [this page](http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy).
 *  Thread Starter [webwatchman](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webwatchman/)
 * (@webwatchman)
 * [11 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/making-a-database-query/#post-4927426)
 * I am thankful for you providing clarity on how WP interacts (and doesn’t interact)
   with the database. I know I am putting the right code into the right index.php
   file that is in my theme since I am grabbing content from my “FRONT PAGE” page
   that I made and pasting it into my “BLOG” page that I made. However, thats not
   what I want. What I want, is to pull form my FRONT PAGE and paste that info into
   my home page. I think I will refer to the author of that lesson for further help.
   Thank you for your insight.
 * Though I am familiar with WP hierarchy,
    Do you know where I can further learn
   about databases for wordpress?
 *  [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * (@catacaustic)
 * [11 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/making-a-database-query/#post-4927427)
 * Everything that you’ll need to know about the WPDB class (how WordPress talks
   to the database):
 * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/wpdb](http://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/wpdb)
 * Also, you should have a look at how templates work in WordPress, because you’re
   trying to put things in the wrong places. The `index.php` file of your theme 
   is really only a last-resort backup file if no other template file can be found
   to handle the request.
 * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy](http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy)

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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## Tags

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

 * 5 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * Last activity: [11 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/making-a-database-query/#post-4927427)
 * Status: not resolved

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