3 sites in 6 weeks? WordPress can do that!

The case for Parent/Child theming has been discussed at length throughout the WordPress community. Discussion points range from the ability to share styles to sharing functionality. While the Parent/Child theme strategy does not fit every use case, there are times when it makes the most sense and provides the greatest possible experience for the client.

In this talk, we will talk about the Parent/Child theme strategy used by the development team at 10up for Harris Publications to launch three sites in six weeks using shared functionality while preparing a scalable framework for future growth.

Transcript

1. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
   3 S I T E S I N 6 W E E K S ?
   WO R D P R E S S C A N D O T H AT !
   

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2. A B O U T M E
   

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3. A B O U T M E
   • Over 10 years of
   professional design and
   development experience.
   

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4. A B O U T M E
   • Over 10 years of
   professional design and
   development experience.
   • Developing with WordPress
   since 2005
   

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5. A B O U T M E
   • Over 10 years of
   professional design and
   development experience.
   • Developing with WordPress
   since 2005
   • Design Engineer at 10up
   (Yes, we’re hiring!)
   

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6. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
   W H E R E TO F I N D M E
   Twitter: @creativeallen
   Personal Blog: http://www.allenmoore.me
   Github: http://github.com/allenmoore
   

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7. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
   A full service digital agency that makes web publishing
   and content management simple and fun.
   We serve clients such as:
   A B O U T 1 0 U P
   

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8. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
   A full service digital agency that makes web publishing
   and content management simple and fun.
   We serve clients such as:
   A B O U T 1 0 U P
   

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9. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
   I N T H I S TA L K
   

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10. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    I N T H I S TA L K
    • Who Is Harris Publications?
    

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11. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    I N T H I S TA L K
    • Who Is Harris Publications?
    • Developing a Strategy
    

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12. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    I N T H I S TA L K
    • Who Is Harris Publications?
    • Developing a Strategy
    • Developing a Structure
    

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13. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    I N T H I S TA L K
    • Who Is Harris Publications?
    • Developing a Strategy
    • Developing a Structure
    • An Example
    

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14. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    I N T H I S TA L K
    • Who Is Harris Publications?
    • Developing a Strategy
    • Developing a Structure
    • An Example
    • Thanks/Questions?
    

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15. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    

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16. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    

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17. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    An American consumer-magazine publisher in New York
    City, NY, that publishes over 75 titles.
    

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18. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    An American consumer-magazine publisher in New York
    City, NY, that publishes over 75 titles.
    

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19. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    An American consumer-magazine publisher in New York
    City, NY, that publishes over 75 titles.
    

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20. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    

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21. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    

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22. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    D E V E LO P I N G A
    S T R AT E G Y
    

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23. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W E M A K E C O N T E N T
    M A N AG E M E N T E ASY.
    M AY B E E V E N F U N .
    

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24. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    T H E E AS Y WAY F O R T H E
    D E V E LO P E R I S N OT A LWAYS T H E
    B E S T WAY F O R T H E U S E R .
    

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25. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    D E B U N K I N G T H E M Y T H
    

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26. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    Q U I C K P O L L
    

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27. – J U S T I N TA D L O C K
    “The idea of parent/child themes became
    popular because it allowed the parent
    theme to be updated while keeping
    customizations intact within a child
    theme.”
    

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28. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H AT A R E PA R E N T / C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    

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29. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H AT A R E PA R E N T / C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    • Parent / Child themes best fit a network of sites when
    the information architecture of a site and its general
    layout (or at least order of DOM elements) are shared
    between different sites.
    

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30. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H AT A R E PA R E N T / C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    • Parent / Child themes best fit a network of sites when
    the information architecture of a site and its general
    layout (or at least order of DOM elements) are shared
    between different sites.
    • They share the same base functional requirements and
    presentation style, and mostly differ in the coat of paint
    applied to their layout and features.
    

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31. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    A N A N A LO G Y
    

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32. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    A N A N A LO G Y
    

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33. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    A N A N A LO G Y
    

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34. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    A N A N A LO G Y
    

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35. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    A N A N A LO G Y
    

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36. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H Y U S E PA R E N T / C H I L D
    T H E M E S ?
    

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37. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    PA R E N T / C H I L D T H E M E S C A N N OT
    O N LY B E YO U R F R I E N D B U T YO U R
    A L LY.
    

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38. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H Y D I D W E C H O O S E PA R E N T /
    C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    

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39. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H Y D I D W E C H O O S E PA R E N T /
    C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    • Rapid Development
    

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40. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H Y D I D W E C H O O S E PA R E N T /
    C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    • Rapid Development
    • Shared elements
    

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41. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H Y D I D W E C H O O S E PA R E N T /
    C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    • Rapid Development
    • Shared elements
    • Multisite implementation
    

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42. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H Y D I D W E C H O O S E PA R E N T /
    C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    • Rapid Development
    • Shared elements
    • Multisite implementation
    • Scalability
    

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43. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    W H Y D I D W E C H O O S E PA R E N T /
    C H I L D T H E M E S ?
    • Rapid Development
    • Shared elements
    • Multisite implementation
    • Scalability
    • Ease of updates and bug fixes
    

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44. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    D E V E LO P I N G A
    S T R U C T U R E
    

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45. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    PA R E N T T H E M E
    

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46. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    PA R E N T T H E M E
    • Contained all functionality that was common among
    each design.
    

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47. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    PA R E N T T H E M E
    • Contained all functionality that was common among
    each design.
    • Contained functionality that would possibly be
    implemented on future sites.
    

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48. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    PA R E N T T H E M E
    • Contained all functionality that was common among
    each design.
    • Contained functionality that would possibly be
    implemented on future sites.
    • Independent of design and styles (except for a
    normalize stylesheet).
    

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49. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    C H I L D T H E M E S
    

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50. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    C H I L D T H E M E S
    • Contained all styles for each individual design.
    

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51. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    C H I L D T H E M E S
    • Contained all styles for each individual design.
    • Custom functionality or hooks/filters of parent theme
    functions that were unique to a particular design.
    

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52. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    A D D _ T H E M E _ S U P P O R T
    

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53. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    I F ( C U R R E N T _ T H E M E _ S U P P O R T S ( ) )
    

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54. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    E X A M P L E :
    P U B L I C AT I O N S / I S S U E S
    

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55. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    H OW D I D W E
    AC C O M P L I S H T H I S ?
    

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56. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    P U B L I C AT I O N S C U S TO M
    P O S T T Y P E
    

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57. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    

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58. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    C U S TO M M E TA F I E L D S
    

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59. Publications
    

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60. Issues
    

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61. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    S H A D OW TA XO N O M Y
    

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62. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    

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63. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    S H A D OW TA XO N O M Y
    

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64. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    S H A D OW TA XO N O M Y
    • Associate an article with a Publication/Issue
    

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65. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    S H A D OW TA XO N O M Y
    • Associate an article with a Publication/Issue
    • If an editor creates a Publication or Issue, a mirror image
    term is created - including hierarchy - in a custom taxonomy
    that is available only to the standard WordPress post.
    

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66. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    S H A D OW TA XO N O M Y
    • Associate an article with a Publication/Issue
    • If an editor creates a Publication or Issue, a mirror image
    term is created - including hierarchy - in a custom taxonomy
    that is available only to the standard WordPress post.
    • We added some JS to the taxonomy metabox to ensure
    that posts tagged with a specific Issue were always
    associated with the parent Publication as well
    

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67. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    S H A D OW TA XO N O M Y
    • Associate an article with a Publication/Issue
    • If an editor creates a Publication or Issue, a mirror image
    term is created - including hierarchy - in a custom taxonomy
    that is available only to the standard WordPress post.
    • We added some JS to the taxonomy metabox to ensure
    that posts tagged with a specific Issue were always
    associated with the parent Publication as well
    • For more information about Shadow Taxonomies, visit
    http://eamann.com/tech/wordpress-shadow-taxonomies/
    

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68. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    

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69. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    C OV E R S TO RY
    

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70. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    C OV E R S TO RY
    http://www.allenmoore.me/setting-object-terms-with-a-checkbox-in-
    wordpress/
    

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75. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    T H A N K S !
    

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76. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    Zach Brown
    Dan Blaker
    Chris Marslender
    D I R E C T O R O F S Y S T E M S E N G I N E E R I N G
    S E N I O R W E B S T R AT E G I S T
    S E N I O R W E B E N G I N E E R
    Matt Gross
    Brandon Camenisch
    Michael Phillips
    S E N I O R W E B E N G I N E E R
    W E B E N G I N E E R
    W E B E N G I N E E R
    # T E A M 1 0 U P
    

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77. Allen Moore • @creativeallen • #3sites6weeks • allenmoore.me/wpyall14
    Q U E S T I O N S ?
    

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