Child theme template file will not load

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I have a child theme that will load my style.css file but will not load my php template file.

I got this template file by copying and pasting it from the parent directory into a new file with the same file name and everything. Then I edited one line of text as a test and loaded the file into the root of the child theme directory. I refreshed my site but no change could be seen.

The theme is zerif-lite and I’m not sure why this is happening

2 Answers
2

This is a basic WordPress question, please get familiar with theme theming concepts.

Basic theme: https://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development
Child themes: https://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes

Theme hierarchy

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Parent theme style.css

/*
Theme Name: Twenty Fifteen
Theme URI: https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyfifteen/
Author: the WordPress team
Author URI: https://wordpress.org/
Description: Twenty Fifteen
Version: 1.3
License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Text Domain: twentyfifteen

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.
*/

Child theme style.css

/*
 Theme Name:   Twenty Fifteen Child
 Theme URI:    http://example.com/twenty-fifteen-child/
 Description:  Twenty Fifteen Child Theme
 Author:       John Doe
 Author URI:   http://example.com
 Template:     twentyfifteen
 Version:      1.0.0
 License:      GNU General Public License v2 or later
 License URI:  http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
 Tags:         light, dark, two-columns, right-sidebar, responsive-layout, accessibility-ready
 Text Domain:  twenty-fifteen-child
*/

Note: Template: twentyfifteen this section is very important. Template name should match with the parent template folder name.

This is a basic example of how child theme works in WordPress. You can find more information at templating documentation.

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