![](https://article-imgs.scribdassets.com/49kqf8nq68bns4nk/images/fileDSP93H9H.jpg)
WORDPRESS
Credit: http://wordpress.com
OUR EXPERT
So far, we’ve set up a self-hosted WordPress site. Now we’re S going to refine and customise the look and the layout of the site. To do so, we will explore the world of templates, themes, blocks and patterns, along with explaining how the block editor can be used to change any element of a WordPress site. By the end, you should have a fully working, customised site that’s ready for use.
Refer to last month’s issue for instructions on how to install WordPress, but this month’s instructions are equally valid if you are using professional hosting rather than hosting the site yourself. We won’t be using the command line at all this month. Just as a reminder, if you are self-hosting the website, and you placed the WordPress files into the wordpress folder at the root of your hosting, you can access the site by typing http://localhost/wordpress/ into your web browser. If you are accessing the server from another machine on your network, you can access it by typing in the IP address of your server followed by /wordpress.
We’re going to be spending most of our time in WordPress’s Dashboard, its central configuration and management hub. If you are logged in, click on the icon at the top of the window. If you are logged out of your WordPress site, you can get back to the Dashboard by adding /wp-admin to the end of the server URL.
![](https://article-imgs.scribdassets.com/49kqf8nq68bns4nk/images/fileMEV6CA0D.jpg)
Site design time
WordPress has its 20th anniversary this year, but how it works has changed in the last decade. In the old days, site design would usually consist of installing a theme, altering the options for that theme, and adding content using WordPress’s editor. The old editor resembled a word processor with a formatting toolbar along the