1. PROMO Subscribe our All Access Pass @ 75% OFF & access all our 16+ premium Divi extensions: Divi Block Pro, Carousel Toolkit, etc.LEARN MORE
Dismiss Notice
NEW Divi.Help Pro Carousel AI Toolkit - Magically turn your Divi design into carousel, simply by using our online toolkit. No plugins needed. Now it works with Divi 5 as well!Try our carousel AI toolkit
BEST Divi Block - A revolutionary drag & drop tool to easily mix & match 960+ premade blocks (Light & Dark) to kick start your Divi site design. Special module designs are included as well. Also newly added AI generator & color. Now it works with Divi 5 as well!
Learn More About Divi BlockFree Version ~ 340+ Free Blocks

Child theme for existing site. Is it too late?

Discussion in 'Free Divi Community Forum' started by theWillage, Dec 1, 2022.

  1. theWillage

    theWillage New Member

    I have a site that I built with Divi. It is complete and has been active for a year or more. It's working great! But I built it without a child theme and every time I update the Divi theme I am afraid it is going to break.

    I have very minimal CSS edits on the site. And what I do have, I have documented separately.
    I also back up the site regularly.

    My question is. Can I create a child theme now? After the site is up and running without it?
    I would eventually like to dig into more CSS tweaks.

    If I can set up a child theme, is there anything different I need to do in setting the child theme? There is a lot of information on setting up a child theme, so I should be able to do it, but is there anything different when creating a child theme on a site that is done and active?

    Anyone's help would be appreciated.

    Thanks
    W
     
    #1 theWillage, Dec 1, 2022
    1. PRO MEMBER PERKS Divi.Help Pro Layout Packs - Beautifully crafted Divi layout packs for you to kick start your Divi sites:View Demo
  2. Anne Temple

    Anne Temple New Member
    Pro Member

    I have the same question.
     
    #2 Anne Temple, Dec 4, 2022
  3. Divi.Help

    Divi.Help Administrator
    Staff Member

    Child theme is needed if you wish to make PHP file edit to the core Divi theme (most of the time you won't be making any PHP file changes). Or if you need to add some code to the functions.php, then only you need to install a child theme. Otherwise, it's totally optional for you to install a child theme.

    Normally, if you need to add custom CSS, you would add it at WP Admin > Divi > Theme Options > Custom CSS. Though, some people prefer to store their custom CSS in a child theme style.css, as it's more secure in a way. But if you just need some custom CSS & have documented the CSS in a separate backup file, then I see no reason for you to install child theme on your site. Though, if you still prefer to install a blank child theme on your current site, you can do so & it won't affect anything.
     
    #3 Divi.Help, Dec 5, 2022
    1. PRO MEMBER PERKS Divi Block Pro - Premade testimonial carousel design for your Divi site without using any plugins:View Demo
  4. Divi.Help

    Divi.Help Administrator
    Staff Member

    But if you are planning to use premium child theme, then it might have some custom CSS ready, which may affect your current site design. Premium child theme might have custom CSS, JS & custom PHP functions to alter your site. So it's best to install premium child theme on new site. Though, if you need certain functionality from the child theme, you may try to install it on your current site & see how it goes. But before doing so, make sure to create a backup of your site, just in case some premium child themes might make changes to your database as well, which can only be reverted back to original through backup.
     
    #4 Divi.Help, Dec 5, 2022
  5. DougSmart255

    DougSmart255 New Member

    I have the same question, the Divi Support never answered the original question, lmao. How do we make a child theme with an existing website? We not gonna use a premium child theme, how do I make one that "copies" my current website theme or whatever.
     
    #5 DougSmart255, May 2, 2024
    1. PRO MEMBER PERKS Divi Ultimate Archive Plugin - Replace the default archive "Older Entries" with beautiful pagination:Learn More
  6. Divi Booster

    Divi Booster Divi Expert

    I think what you are looking for is a "blank" child theme - i.e. one that doesn't do anything other than give you the basic child theme files that you can then start to edit. Since the child theme doesn't initially do anything, the behavior of the site all comes from the parent theme (e.g. Divi). Only when you add your own code to the blank child theme will it start to override aspects of Divi.

    There are various child theme generators kicking around. This post has a good round up of the options:

    https://www.markhendriksen.com/divi-child-theme-essential-guide/

    It gives you, among other things, the option to download a pre-made blank Divi child theme or if you prefer the details of how to manually create one yourself.
     
    #6 Divi Booster, May 2, 2024
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)