Simple, Step-by-Step video and text guide to finding and modifying functions.php file in WordPress.
Functions.php is a very important file that holds all of a particular themes' function declarations or custom code. Although most of the time it is not necessary to modify functions.php, but if you are looking at customizing your theme's functionalities, you need to modify the file. A fair word of warning before you edit your WordPress file: modifying the theme files can cause a broken installation. Proceed with caution or consult a WordPress expert.
You can find the functions.php file after logging into wordpress dashboard by navigating to Appearance> Theme Editor>Theme Functions. You can modify the file from the WordPress dashboard and update changes. Functions.php gives more freedom to modify or customize your current theme to better suit your needs.
After navigating to Appearance>Theme Editor> Theme Functions, modify the content of the file as displayed on your WordPress dashboard and click on "Update File" to commit changes. You will see a "File updated successfully" notification if your functions.php file has successfully been updated. Always backup your theme files before making any changes so you can recover from a broken installation.
The following video describes 3 steps necessary to find functions.php file in WordPress Dashboard, edit it and save changes. Please take a backup before proceeding.
Finding and modifying your WordPress Theme's Function.php file can be done in 3 easy steps as follows:
After you have completed this tutorial, you will learn how to find and edit functions.php using the WordPress Dashboard.
To login to your WordPress Dashboard, open a browser and navigate to http://your-domain.com/wp-admin . Replace your-domain with your website domain and you will see a screen similar to the one shown below:
Enter your username and password for your WordPress Dashboard. Click on the "Log In" Button to login to WordPress Dashboard.
On successful login, you will see the WordPress dashboard that will enable you to make changes to your WordPress website.
After logging into your WordPress dashboard, move your cursor above "Appearance" on the left panel.
You will see a sub-menu open.
Click on "Theme Editor" to see all the files that your current theme has. When you open this for the first time, a warning message says editing the files may break your website. Click on "I understand" to close the warning message. It is recommended you make a copy of files and save it on your computer before editing any files.
After the warning message, you can view and edit your theme files.
On the right panel, you can see a list of all theme files click on any one of them to view or modify the files.
After opening the theme editor in WordPress, Click on "Theme functions" on the right panel to open functions.php
This is the functions.php file. Please note that this file may break your website, proceed with caution and always have a saved copy beforehand.
Edit or add content to functions.php and click on "update file" to save changes. You will see a notification if your changes were saved successfully to functions.php.
Functions.php is a file that contains important theme functions necessary for the WordPress theme.
Functions.php is located at <WordPress Root>/wp-includes/themes/<your-theme-name>/functions.php
Functions.php is used to extend or modify the current theme's functionality.
If you have a good grasp of php and the WordPress framework, there shouldn't be any problems. However, it is strongly recommended that you backup the functions.php file before editing so you can recover from errors or a broken installation. It is always advised to hire WordPress professionals when customizing theme code.
