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Child Themes

What is a child theme and why should I use one?​

Child themes were created to protect the changes that WordPress users make to their websites. If you make changes to the CSS (the code that controls how your website looks) directly in your theme, those changes are in danger of being erased when new updates are rolled out for that theme. A child theme is simply a set of files that "pull in" the functionality of the original theme (called the "parent theme".

As long as you make changes in your own child theme, those changes will be safe.

That’s why it’s important to always use a child theme when altering the CSS for your website. For more information about child themes, check out this blog we wrote on the topic.

If you make changes in one of our child themes, on the child theme update all of the files are updated so if you have made any changes to these files, those changes will be erased. We don't recommend making any changes to the child theme files.

If you are new in the Divi world, we recommend starting from this Divi Guide.

Server Requirements​

Minimum PHP configuration for Divi Theme​

All our Divi child themes need to meet the same PHP configuration requirements, provided by Elegant Themes for the prime functioning of the Divi theme.

The requirements are:

  • memory_limit - 128M
  • post_max_size- 64M
  • max_execution_time - 120
  • upload_max_filesize - 64M
  • max_input_time- 60
  • max_input_vars - 1000

You can adjust your limits within your php.ini file, or by contacting your host for assistance. You may also need to define a memory limited in wp-config.php. Learn more from this article about how to optimize your server environment for Divi.

TIP

The right server setup is essential for performance, especially if you are using a powerful page builder like Divi. That’s why we’ve put together this quick guide on choosing the best hosting service for your Divi websites.

How to check current configuration​

You can check your configuration settings in the System Status section by going to the Divi Theme >> Support Center from the WordPress Dashboard. If all the lights are green, you are good to go.

system requirements

Demo data import​

Our Divi child themes have built-it demo data importer (except Aspen Roots that is a blank child theme). This will install the content and the design structure as shown on the demo site. For some people importing the sample data file is helpful to see how the theme works and speed up the development website by replacing the content and images with their own. Importing demo data is optional.

Demo data is the dummy-data and it may include, depending on the child theme:

  • Pages, blog posts, menu items, etc.
  • Images
  • Blog post categories
  • Blog post tags
  • Menus & taxonomy terms
  • Theme/plugin options
  • Menu location assignments
  • Widgets

Our demo data is packaged with WP Layouts plugin.

Note:

  • No WordPress settings will be imported.
  • No existing posts, pages, products, images, categories or any data will be modified or deleted.
  • The importer will install only placeholder images showing their usage dimension. You can refer to our demo site and replace the placeholder with your own images.
Note

Some child themes to demo data importer to work may require activating the WP Layouts plugin first. If that's the case, you will get notified in the WordPress Dashboard.

Troubleshooting demo data import​

Your import may fail if you haven't installed and activated required plugins.

  • Install and activate required and try to import demo data again.

If your server meets configurations above and your import fails, please contact our support. Provide the health info and the error message, if applies.

Where to find help?​

Our support covers setup, trouble using existing features, and bug fixes. Regrettably we cannot provide support for customizations or 3rd party plugins or add-ons. Read more here

For general WordPress questions, find help here

Facebook Groups are a great place to meet other designers get solutions to problems, and help others with something you’ve had trouble with yourself. Here are recommended groups:

What is the difference between premium child themes and a standard (blank) child theme?​

A standard child theme doesn’t come with any changes. It simply gives you a blank canvas where you can make changes to your WordPress site without worrying about having those changes erased at the next update. A premium child theme from WP Zone comes with the changes already made by our amazing team of developers and designers. With premium child themes, practically every detail of web design and development is taken care of, from the layout to the color palette, font selection, and more. You simply install the child theme on top of Divi or Extra and you’re ready to go. You can even customize it however you want. Pretty awesome, right?

What do I get when I buy a child theme?​

Each child theme comes with everything you need to create a fantastic, beautiful, high-converting website that your users will love. The specific pages and designs that are included depend on which industry it’s built for, but every child theme comes with all of the core pages that your website will need right out of the box. It’s also super easy to modify your child theme in any way you want, including adding or removing specific pages. Also, our premium Divi and Extra child themes come with plenty of premium features and powerful additions -- all setup, styled and ready to go -- for example

  • E-commerce
  • Event plugins
  • Learning platforms (LMS)
  • Appointment booking
  • Custom-coded 404 error page
  • Icons
  • Archive pages
  • Sidebar
  • Individual post layout and comments section
  • Breadcrumb navigation

And much more

How do I choose the right child theme for my website?​

As you’ll see, we have themes for a wide variety of industries, like law, fashion, e-commerce, construction…and on and on. But the truth is that any of our child themes can easily be customized to fit any industry or any business type. Each of our child themes is simply optimized for a specific industry out of the box, so it’s likely to require less work (or no work at all) to get it just right for businesses in that particular field.

I don’t know how to code. Will I be able to customize my child theme?​

In short, yes. One of the best things about both Divi and Extra is how they allow you to customize your website without having to do much coding if any. Besides, we provide documentation with our child themes that describe in detail how to easily change the colors, images, text, and other elements of your website. Of course, these themes don’t allow you to do absolutely everything that you might want to do without coding (which is why we made Divi Switch and Page Builder Everywhere). So the long answer is that you can make a lot of changes to your child theme without doing any coding at all, but you will always be able to do more with your website if you understand how to write code in CSS or JavaScript. If you want a truly customized website without having to learn how to fiddle with CSS or other coding languages, we also provide custom developed and designed websites, as well as customized child theme installation. Check out our Services page for more information.

I’m looking for a standard, blank Divi child theme. How can I make one of those?​

There are several different ways to make a standard child theme for Divi so that you can make your changes to your website. One of the easiest is to use our Child Theme Builder over at WP Zone.

What about support, licensing, and updates?​

You have a few different purchasing/licensing options for our child themes, depending on how many websites you want to use your child theme for. Your options are:

  • The yearly fee for use on one, three, or unlimited websites
  • Annual Membership (includes unlimited websites)
  • Lifetime Membership (includes unlimited websites)

Whichever option you choose, you’ll get dedicated 5-star support and free updates for the duration of your license.

Are child themes included in your membership?​

Yes! All of our child themes are included in both the Annual and Lifetime membership plans, so if you can’t decide which one you need (or you think you’ll want to use even just a few of our premium child themes with your clients), then membership may be the best option. Not to mention that you’ll get access to ALL of our premium plugins, layouts) along with select courses. All for one low price, no strings attached. If you’re a professional developer or designer using Divi (or you want to be), our membership is a steal.

What if I have a problem or a question about any of the required plugins?​

If you have any questions or particular issues with the plugins used along with this child theme, please consult their documentation directly on the developer's website.