One of the most important reasons for the proliferation of WordPress-based sites is the ease with which the software allows web developers and designers to display different content in a myriad of different ways. This starts in the core and extends to the theming system.
First, there is the concept of core template files. Out of the box, WordPress will attempt to load predetermined template files for different types of content. For example, the author.php
file, if it exists, is used when a user visits an author's post listing page. Likewise, the home.php
file is used when a visitor happens upon the root of the site.
On top of this base system, there is a whole additional level available to theme developers. The developers can create specific page templates that display a variety of content in a very specific way. The templates are created individually when the theme is being developed, and they may or may not rely upon user-supplied content. These types of templates are activated...