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WORDPRESS-DEVELOPMENT5 MIN READ

Template Hierarchy Is A Debugging Map

Use the WordPress template hierarchy to find the file that actually controls a page.

The template hierarchy turns "why did nothing change?" into a traceable question. The hierarchy is WordPress's ordered lookup for theme files. It starts with the request and walks from specific candidates to broader fallbacks. That gives you a practical map for pages, posts, custom post types, taxonomies, archives, search results, and front-page views. Mechanism The mechanism is controlled specificity. A specific template can solve a real variation cleanly, but a specific file in the wrong place can also hide the source of truth from the next developer. Debugging starts by identifying which branch of the hierarchy is active. WordPress Move…

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