How do I edit the php/html for a particular post?

Question

I am new to Wordpress but I am comfortable coding in html/php and want to create custom forms on some of my posts.

My site is currently running on localhost.

I feel very silly because I have been searching through my /var/html folder for an embarrassingly long time trying to find out where I can edit a page called "My Profile". I was expecting to see some kind of auto-generated my_profile.php file or something.

The page itself is identified with page_id=10 , but I don't see anything about page_id within the file structure either. Where does the "My Profile" code live?

Answer 1

It's useful to understand how things work in WP. Content (pages, posts) are stored in the WP database. The 'style' of the site - how it works, how pages are built, how it looks - are in the theme of the site.

Within the theme are templates - that defines how a post is displayed to the end user. To understand templates - and themes - check out my answer to this question: Need help on Wordpress and php .

This page is a good place to start learning about how WP works: https://codex.wordpress.org/New_To_WordPress_-_Where_to_Start . Look at themes, templates, template hierarchy, etc.

Find a basic theme, then make a Child Theme to 'mess' with. (The above link will get you to Child Themes info.) Edit a template.

Pages and Posts are edited via the Admin pages. Log into admin, then look at the Pages or Posts items. Edit a page, and see the changes. But the "Where to Start" is a good place to start learning.

Have fun. WP is great to modify, frustrating at times, but will give you a sense of accomplishment.