How Much PHP Should I learn to start WordPress Development?

If your goal is to use WordPress for content creation and website management as a writer, author, or website owner, there’s no necessity to delve into PHP. You can easily publish content without needing to write any code.

Conversely, if you aspire to go beyond the default features of WordPress and customize your website to your unique specifications, a solid grasp of PHP, alongside other coding languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, becomes indispensable. These skills empower you to tailor your website to your exact requirements, enhancing its functionality and appearance.

WordPress is primarily built using PHP, and having a good understanding of PHP is essential for customizing, extending, or creating themes and plugins for WordPress.

After recognizing the significance of PHP in WordPress development, the natural follow-up question is: “How much PHP should you acquire to embark on your WordPress development journey?”

The amount of PHP you should learn for WordPress development depends on your specific goals and the depth of your involvement with WordPress development.

PHP and the WordPress codex are extensive resources that have evolved over two decades with contributions from thousands of developers. Given this rich history, choosing the right learning path is crucial. In this post, I will provide guidance tailored to the common objectives of aspiring WordPress developers.

Basic PHP.

If you’re primarily using WordPress for content management and simple site administration, a basic understanding of PHP is sufficient. You should know how to work with PHP tags within WordPress templates, use conditional statements, and understand functions and variables.

Intermediate PHP.

For more advanced WordPress theming and customization, it’s essential to have an intermediate-level understanding of PHP. This includes knowledge of concepts like loops, arrays, functions, and basic error handling. You should be comfortable customizing themes and creating child themes.

Advanced PHP.

If you plan to develop custom plugins, create complex theme templates, or work on WordPress core development, you’ll need an advanced understanding of PHP. This includes knowledge of object-oriented programming (OOP), classes, database interaction (MySQL or WP’s database functions), and security best practices.

WordPress-specific Knowledge & PHP.

In addition to PHP, you should become familiar with WordPress-specific functions, hooks, and actions. Understanding the WordPress core, its template hierarchy, custom post types, and taxonomies is essential. You should also learn about the WordPress Codex, APIs, and the structure of themes and plugins.

It’s important to note that WordPress has evolved, and it now supports modern PHP practices and standards. Learning modern PHP, version 7 and above, is highly recommended. Additionally, understanding HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and MySQL can complement your WordPress development skills.

Summary

The specific level of PHP expertise you need may vary depending on your projects and goals. Start with the basics, and as you gain experience and tackle more complex tasks, you can incrementally deepen your PHP knowledge. WordPress development often involves learning by doing, so building projects and customizing themes and plugins will be a valuable part of your learning journey. There are also plenty of resources, tutorials, and communities available to help you along the way.