Function php file in wordpress

What is: functions.php

In WordPress, functions.php or the theme functions file is a template included in WordPress themes. It acts like a plugin for your WordPress site that’s automatically activated with your current theme. The functions.php file uses PHP code to add features or change default features on a WordPress site.

For example, a WordPress theme might add a bit of code to the theme’s functions.php file in order to add a new widget area to the footer, or add a custom welcome message to the WordPress dashboard. The possibilities are endless!

The functions.php file automatically loads when you install and activate a theme on your WordPress site.

Editing the functions.php file using custom codes allows you to add post types, taxonomies, shortcodes, and more to improve your website.

Where Is the functions.php File Located?

The functions.php file location is in your theme folder.

If you want to add a code snippet to your WordPress site, adding it to the functions.php file is one option.

But it’s usually not the best way to do it. WordPress tries to separate design and functionality whenever possible. This is the reason that we have themes, which determine the design, and plugins, which determine functions.

It’s best if you’re able to change your WordPress theme without changing the way your site functions, or change your plugins without affecting your site design.

There are many WordPress tutorials that will tell you to add code snippets to your theme’s functions.php file, but that’s usually not a good idea.

If you decide to edit your functions.php file, please use extreme caution. Here are 3 reasons why editing your functions.php file is not a good idea:

• Edits to the functions file will be lost when the theme is updated.
• Edits will be lost if you change your WordPress theme.
• Making coding errors in the functions file can lock you out of your site.

Even something as simple as a missing semicolon could make your whole site disappear with an error called the “White Screen of Death”. If that does happen to you, we wrote a step-by-step guide on how to fix the WordPress White Screen of Death so you can regain access to your site.

Making a coding mistake in your functions.php file can also lead to other WordPress errors as well.

You should only edit a functions.php file if you have a child theme and the code snippets will only be used with the active child theme. For example, you may want to include snippets for custom fonts, stylesheets, or add a language translation file specifically for that particular child theme.

The Best Way to Add Custom Code Snippets to functions.php

So, if you shouldn’t edit functions.php, where are you supposed to add code snippets from online tutorials?

The simplest way is to use WPCode, a powerful WordPress code snippet plugin that makes it easy for you to add custom WordPress features using code snippets without editing your theme’s functions.php file.

While you can add your own code snippets, it conveniently comes with a built-in code snippets library where you can find some of my most popular WordPress code snippets that will help you eliminate the need of separate plugins.

For example, there are ready-made snippets that will help you keep your WordPress website secure, allow you to upload SVG images, choose your WordPress editor, and disable comments.

Once you install and activate the plugin, you can head over to the Code Snippets page and then click the ‘Add New’ button to create your first code snippet in WordPress.

This will bring you to the ‘Add Snippet’ page.

Here you can choose a code snippet from the pre-made library or add your custom code.

You need to start by entering a title for your custom code snippet, then paste your code snippet into the code box.

Be sure to also select the correct code type from the drop-down menu on the right.

To learn more about how to use WPCode, see our guide on how to add custom code snippets to WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn all about the functions.php file in WordPress and how to add code snippets to your site! Check out the additional reading below to learn more.

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Additional Reading

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Beginner’s Guide to the WordPress Functions.php File + 5 Things You Can Do With It

The WordPress functions.php file is one of the most central files of any WordPress installation. It can control much of the functionality and behavior of your website. However, beginners often don’t understand what the file does and what they can use it for. This article will change that.

In the following, you will learn what the functions.php is, where to find it, and what it can do. After that, I will talk about the file’s pros and cons and close the article with a few example code snippets that you can input into functions.php to enhance your WordPress website.

Sounds good? Then let’s not dilly-dally and dive right into it.

What is functions.php and what does it do?

The functions.php file is part of pretty much every WordPress installation. More specifically, you can usually find it in the directory of every theme installed on your site (including child themes).

So what does this ubiquitous file do?

The functions.php file is kind of like a theme-dependent plugin. You can use it to add any kind of functionality to your site (like plugins do). However, because functions.php is part of your theme, your changes will only be active as long as the theme is, whereas plugins work no matter which theme you’re using.

To do its job, functions.php can contain PHP code as well as native WordPress functions. If you know your way around things like theme hooks, you can even use functions.php to create your own hooks!

Because it can contain all types of code snippets the functions file is very powerful. However, you know what uncle Ben said: with great power also comes great responsibility. For that reason, let’s next discuss when to use functions.php and when not to.

Pros and cons of using the WordPress functions.php file

So, functions.php basically works like a plugin. However, it doesn’t just do one specific thing. Instead, the file can be a collection of code for many different purposes. For example:

• Creating widget areas
• Adding new image sizes to your site
• Changing the text of the ‘read more’ link
• Adding custom fonts

As you can see, the file is extremely flexible. For that reason, if you want to make small changes to your site, the WordPress functions.php file is the perfect way to accomplish that.

On the other side, it also has its limits. First and foremost, if there is any small mistake in the file (such as a missing semicolon) it can take down your entire site.

Plus, if it’s the only way you make changes to your site, the file can quickly become chaotic and confusing.

Finally, as you learned earlier, if you ever switch WordPress themes, you’ll lose the changes in your functions.php file. If you think you’ll be switching themes soon, or are adding functionality that you want to work independently of your theme, you may be better off using the Code Snippets plugin:

This plugin gives you a simpler, theme-independent way to add code snippets to functions.php

Example functions you can use on your site

Alright, now that you know all about this important file, you can start using it. Below, you will find a few code snippets that you can copy and paste to your theme’s functions file (with site-specific customizations, of course). The best way to use them is to paste them at the end of your functions.php file.

1. Add Google Analytics to your site

Adding Google Analytics to your site is always a good idea. It will help you understand your audience better and track their behavior on your site so you can improve it.

Usually, you would include Google Analytics on your site via a plugin, however, it’s also possible to do it manually via the WordPress functions.php file. Here’s what that looks like:

To make the code snippet work, you need to replace everything between