Below you’ll find a WordPress Cheat Sheet that is split into three parts:
- WP-CLI (Beginners)
- WordPress Theme Development (Developers)
- WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts
We’ve made it available both in PDF and PNG (as an infographic).
PDF Version of WordPress Cheat Sheet
WordPress Cheat Sheet (Download PDF)
Infographic Version of WordPress Cheat Sheet (PNG)
WordPress Cheat Sheet (Download PNG)
WordPress Cheat Sheet
Most common functions, commands, and keyboard shortcuts to help you with your WordPress theme development journey.
WP-CLI Cheat Sheet
WP-CLI is the command-line interface for WordPress. You can update plugins, configure multisite installations and much more, without using a web browser.
Download WordPress
wp core download
Generate wp-config.php
file
wp core config --dbname=<dbname>
--dbuser=<dbuser> --dbpass=<dbpass>
--dbprefix=<dbprefix>
Install WordPress
wp core install --url="your_domain_name"
--title="Your Blog Title" --admin_user="admin"
--admin_password="your_password"
--admin_email="your_email"
Search plugin
wp plugin search yoast
Install plugin
wp plugin install pluginname
List plugins
wp plugin list
List installed themes
wp theme list
Search for new themes
wp theme search keyword
Install theme
wp theme install bootstrap-four
Activate theme
wp theme activate bootstrap-four
List posts
wp post list
Edit post
wp post edit 1
Post update
wp post update 1
--post_title="Your New title..."
Create posts
wp post create
--post_status=publish
--post_title="Second Post"
--edit
Login WordPress db
wp db cli
List WordPress users
wp db query "SELECT user_login, ID FROM wp_users;"
Change WordPress post author
wp post update 6 --post_author=1
Optimize db
wp db optimize
Update WordPress
wp core update
Update WordPress DB
wp core update-db
Update all plugins
wp plugin update --all
WordPress Themes Development Cheat Sheet
WordPress Themes Development Cheat Sheet (Expand)
WordPress Theme Definition
Your theme’s information is stored in the theme’s main style.css
file. The information is displayed when you view your theme on Appearance > Themes or on WordPress’ theme repository (if it’s submitted and approved).
/*
Theme Name: Twenty Seventeen
Theme URI: https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyseventeen/
Author: the WordPress team
Author URI: https://wordpress.org/
Description: Twenty Seventeen brings your site to life with immersive featured images and subtle animations. With a focus on business sites, it features multiple sections on the front page as well as widgets, navigation and social menus, a logo, and more. Personalize its asymmetrical grid with a custom color scheme and showcase your multimedia content with post formats. Our default theme for 2017 works great in many languages, for any abilities, and on any device.
Version: 1.0
License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Text Domain: twentyseventeen
Tags: one-column, two-columns, right-sidebar, flexible-header, accessibility-ready, custom-colors, custom-header, custom-menu, custom-logo, editor-style, featured-images, footer-widgets, post-formats, rtl-language-support, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready
This theme, like WordPress, is licensed under the GPL.
Use it to make something cool, have fun, and share what you've learned with others.
*/
WordPress Template Files
Basic files every WordPress theme should have:
style.css // Theme's main stylesheet file
index.php // Main template file
single.php // Single post file.
// ..Used for to display single posts only
archive.php // Archive or Category template file
searchform.php // Search form file
search.php // Search results file
404.php // 404 error page file.
// ..Will be displayed if no page can be found.
comments.php // Comments template file
footer.php // Footer content file
header.php // Header content file
sidebar.php // Sidebar content file
page.php // Single page file. Used for pages only.
WordPress Template Anatomy
header.php
get_header();
wp_nav_menu(); // (registered in functions.php)
get_search_form();
The Loop
index.php
home.php
archive.php
page.php
single.php
comments_template();
search.php
author.php
404.php
sidebar.php
get_sidebar()
footer.php
get_footer()
Not Displayed
style.css // Theme style
functions.php // Theme functions
comments.php // Comments template
WordPress Template Tags
Template tags are used within themes to retrieve content from your database.
The content could be anything from a blog title to a complete sidebar.
Template tags are the preferred method to pull content into your theme because: they can print dynamic content; they can be used in multiple theme files; and they separate the theme into smaller, more understandable, sections.
the_content() Get post content
the_excerpt() Get the post excerpt
the_title() Get the title of the post
the_permalink() Display post link
the_category(', ') Display category of a post
the_author() Show post author
the_ID() Display post ID
edit_post_link() Show Edit link for a post
next_post_link('%link') Display next page URL
previous_post_link('%link') Display previous page URL
get_links_list() Retrieve blogroll links
wp_list_pages() Retrieve all pages
wp_get_archives() Retrieve archive for the site
wp_list_cats() Retrieve all categories
get_calendar() Show the built-in WordPress calendar
wp_register() Show register link
wp_loginout() Displays login or logout links (for registered users)
Include Tags
Use these tags to include templates to your theme.
<?php get_header(); ?> Includes header.php and display its content
<?php get_sidebar(); ?> Includes sidebar.php
<?php get_footer(); ?> Includes the footer.php
<?php comments_template(); ?> Load specific template for comments
Useful Header Functions
site_url() Get WordPress site url
wp_title() Get page title
bloginfo('name') Get blog name
bloginfo('description') Get blog description
get_stylesheet_directory_uri() Get stylesheet directory URI
bloginfo('atom_url') Get Atom feed URL
bloginfo('rss2_url') RSS 2.0 URL
The Loop
The Loop is the default mechanism WordPress uses for outputting posts through a theme’s template files.
<?php if ( have_posts() ) : ?>
<?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>
// Display post content
<?php endwhile; ?>
<?php endif; ?>
WordPress Menu and Sidebars
Default Navigation Menu
<?php wp_nav_menu(); ?>
Specific Navigation Menu
<?php wp_nav_menu( array('menu' => My Navigation' )); ?>
Category Based Navigation
<ul id="menu">
<li <?php if(is_home()) { ?> class="current-cat" <?php } ?>>
<a href="<?php bloginfo('home'); ?>">Home</a>
</li>
<?php wp_list_categories('title_li=&orderby=id');?>
</ul>
Page Based Navigation
<ul id="menu">
<li <?php if(is_home()) { ?> class="current-page-item" <?php } ?>>
<a href="<?php bloginfo('home'); ?>">Home</a>
</li>
<?php wp_list_pages('sort_column=menu_order&depth=1&title_li=');? >
</ul>
Registering New Sidebar
Add the following code to your functions.php
file to register a new sidebar.
add_action( 'widgets_init', 'theme_slug_widgets_init' );
function theme_slug_widgets_init() {
register_sidebar( array(
'name' => __( 'My Sidebar', 'theme-slug' ),
'id' => 'sidebar-1',
'description' => __( 'Description', 'theme-slug' ),
'before_widget' => '<li id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s">',
'after_widget' => '</li>',
'before_title' => '<h2 class="widgettitle">',
'after_title' => '<h2>',
));
}
WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts
WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (Expand)
Alt + Shift + Key
Windows/Linux: ”Alt + Shift + Key“.
Mac: “Ctrl + Option (alt) + Key”. (WordPress 4.2 below use “Alt + Shift + Key”).
n Check Spelling (This requires a plugin.)
l Align Left
j Justify Text
c Align Center
d Strikethrough
r Align Right
u • List
a Insert link
o 1. List
s Remove link
q Quote
m Insert Image
w Distraction Free Writing mode
t Insert More Tag
p Insert Page Break tag
h Help
x Add/remove code tag
1 Heading 1
2 Heading 2
3 Heading 3
4 Heading 4
5 Heading 5
6 Heading 6
9 Address
Ctrl + Key
Windows and Linux: “Ctrl + Key“,
Mac: “Command + Key“.
c Copy
v Paste
a Select all
x Cut
z Undo
y Redo
b Bold
i Italic
u Underline
k Insert/edit link
Formatting Shortcuts
Formatting Shortcuts while using visual editor.
* Start an unordered list
- Start an unordered list
1. Start an ordered list
1) Start an ordered list
## H2
### H3
#### H4
##### H5
###### H6
> Transform text into blockquote
--- Horizontal line
`..` Transform text into code block