What Is a CMS “Theme”?

A CMS is a Content Management System generally used to build a internet site primarily based on a database and set of documents, generally in PHP, HTML, Javascript, and other coding languages.

Some of the maximum commonplace CMS structures are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. The theme for a CMS is a collection of code documents and (typically) photographs that determine how a CMS internet site appears.

How is a “theme” different from a “template”?

In the CMS world, ​template and subject essentially consult with the same issue. The phrase used depends on the CMS. Drupal and WordPress use the phrase subject matter, even as Joomla makes use of the word template.

Note: Drupal does have a separate idea of template files, but do not allow that confuse you. When you’re speaking approximately the unmarried “thing” that controls how maximum or all of a Drupal site looks, you call that the subject matter.

Themes Change the “Look” of the Site

When you think about how a website “appears”, you are in all likelihood deliberating the topic. The purpose of a topic machine is to allow you to exchange the appearance of the whole web site , on each page, at the same time as leaving the content material intact. Even if your web site has hundreds of pages, you could trade to a brand new subject matter fast.

Some Themes Include Extra Functionality

In theory, a subject matter (or template) focuses on the “appearance”, and adds little, if any, functionality on your website. If you want a little box in the sidebar to do some thing unique, you’ll need to find a separate module, ​​plugin, or extension, relying in your CMS.

In exercise, many themes (or templates) seem to encompass plenty of greater capabilities which you could allow. It also appears that paid issues (which are nearly unknown inside the Drupal global) are likely to include this greater functionality.

The internet web page for a paid WordPress theme or Joomla template regularly consists of numerous greater functions as a chief promoting factor.

If a paid subject matter solves all your troubles in one fell swoop, and it’s nicely maintained, it is not necessarily a terrible idea. Some of these paid themes remind us of Drupal distributions. They appear to be looking to bundle each greater factor you may want for your website.