Creating Multiple Page Templates in Your Theme

Introduction

In modern WordPress theme development, page templates provide designers and developers with the flexibility to present different layouts and functionality under the same theme. Rather than forcing every page to share identical structure, multiple page templates allow you to tailor specific sections of a site—landing pages, galleries, portfolios, or blog archives—to precise requirements. This article explores the concepts, conventions, and advanced techniques for creating and managing multiple page templates within your theme.

Why Use Multiple Page Templates

• Design Variability: Offer a full-width layout for product landing pages, a sidebar layout for blog posts, or a grid layout for your portfolio.
• Performance Optimization: Load only the scripts and styles necessary for each template, reducing overhead for pages that require fewer assets.
• Maintainability: Organize code in separate files rather than large conditional blocks, increasing readability and easing updates.
• Client Control: Empower site administrators to choose from custom templates via the page editor, without touching any code.

Understanding WordPress Template Hierarchy

WordPress determines which template file to use based on the Template Hierarchy. Learn more at WordPress Developer Resources. Key insights:

• If you create page-about.php, it will be used for the page with slug “about”.
• The fallback page.php serves all pages without a specific template.
• Adding a template header (see next section) lets editors pick your layout in the Page Attributes metabox.

Creating a Custom Page Template

1. Naming and Location

Place your template files in your theme’s root directory (or a subfolder, with slight code adjustment). Use clear, descriptive filenames:

File Name	Purpose
page.php	Default page template fallback
page-custom.php	Catch-all for pages using “Custom” template
page-{slug}.php	Automatically used for specific page slug
template-landing.php	Selectable via “Template Name” header

2. Template Header Comment

At the top of your template-landing.php, include a header block for WordPress to recognize it:

/
Template Name: Landing Page
Description: A full-width landing page without sidebar.
/

3. Building the Template Structure

Within that file, start by loading header and footer, then craft your markup:

ltphp get_header() gt

ltdiv class=landing-container style=max-width:900px margin:0 auto padding:40px 20pxgt
  ltphp 
    while ( have_posts() ) : the_post()
      the_title(lth2gt,lt/h2gt)
      the_content()
    endwhile
  gt
lt/divgt

ltphp get_footer() gt

Advanced Techniques

1. Conditional Templates by Page ID or Slug

Instead of separate files, you can hook into template_include:

ltphp
add_filter(template_include, function(template) {
  if ( is_page(contact) ) {
    custom = locate_template(page-contact-custom.php)
    if ( custom ) {
      return custom
    }
  }
  return template
})

2. Dynamic Template Registration (WP 4.7 )

Starting in WordPress 4.7, you can register custom templates programmatically—useful for plugin-driven templates:

ltphp
add_filter(theme_page_templates, function(templates) {
  templates[plugin-special.php] = __(Plugin Special, text-domain)
  return templates
})
add_filter(template_include, function(template) {
  if ( is_page_template(plugin-special.php) ) {
    return plugin_dir_path(__FILE__).templates/plugin-special.php
  }
  return template
})

Best Practices

• Sanitize Outputs: Always escape dynamic data (esc_html(), wp_kses_post()).
• Enqueue Assets Conditionally: Hook wp_enqueue_scripts only when is_page_template() returns true.
• Keep Templates DRY: Abstract shared markup into get_template_part() files.
• Use Child Themes: For overriding templates without modifying parent themes.
• Document Thoroughly: Provide comments and inline PHPDoc for complex logic.

Resources

• WordPress: Page Template Files
• WordPress: Template Hierarchy
• Enqueueing Scripts and Styles
• Child Themes

Conclusion

Implementing multiple page templates in your theme empowers you to meet diverse design and functional requirements while maintaining a clean, maintainable codebase. By adhering to WordPress conventions, leveraging the template hierarchy, and following best practices, you can deliver an adaptable, high-performance site tailored to every page’s purpose. Start experimenting with custom templates today and unlock the full potential of your theme’s flexibility.