The Classic Editor is an official text editor plugin for WordPress managed by the WordPress team, which permits users to edit post content in the style of previous text editors. It is very similar to MS Word. It enables users to use plugins for wide screen and vintage meta boxes and not rely on the previous Editors.
Styling and designing the WordPress theme using Classic Editor is a blend of creativity and functionality. The Classic Editor is a top preference of website owners due to its flexibility and easy-to-use customization options.
It enables users to troubleshoot common mistakes in styling in just a few clicks when using the Classic Editor with WordPress themes.
Importance of Classic Editor in WordPress
The Classic Editor is WordPress’s most reliable, versatile, and user-friendly tool. It is a favourite tool among all developers and bloggers due to its simple interface and top-notch functionality in styling and designing WordPress.
Classic Editor is far better than the previous editors in its features and capabilities. Some of its features are discussed here.
Layout: The Classic Editor has dedicated toolbars that can make content italic and bold, as well as insert links in the content. This makes editing seamless.
Media Visibility: The Classic Editor lets the users add media to its content such as images and videos. This helps the creativity for adding visually appealing media into the pages and posts.
Special Characters: The Classic Editor contains integrated keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys. This saves time and effort.
Text Pasting: The Classic Editor allows users to paste text from external sources and modify the content. This allows the smooth transfer of content from different platforms.
Understanding WordPress Themes and the Classic Editor
What is a WordPress Theme
A WordPress Theme is a collection of template files and style sheets used to visualize the appearance of a website’s content. It is also called website design. It is responsible for the color scheme, typography, and content management of the entire website.
Also Read: Content Management Mistakes You Might Be Making — And How To Fix Them
How Classic Editor Works with Themes
- Basic Styling with the Classic Editor
The first step of getting started with the Classic Editor is understanding how to apply basic styling to the WordPress theme. Upon activating the Classic Editor plugin, you can directly access it in the WordPress dashboard for quick actions.
The Classic Editor has a dedicated toolbar to access and apply the basic and simple settings such as font size, italic, bold, text colors, and background colors with easy steps without requiring coding knowledge.
- Intermediate Styling: Manipulating Custom CSS within the Classic Editor
Once you finish the basics, you can customize the theme using custom CSS. The Classic Editor keeps a customization tab in the CSS section for this addition of CSS. You can change the CSS code here, which directly affects the theme visuals.
For example, you can alter the CSS code to change the layout of posts. This quick access to the CSS can boost the visual appeal and functionality of your website.
- Plugins Integration
Classic Editor offers a set of built-in styling tools, but its capabilities can majorly be enhanced by integrating plugins with it.
Advanced styling and formatting features such as drag-and-drop elements, table creation, custom styles, and font family options can be unlocked by activating plugins like Elementor, Visual Composer, and TinyMCE Advanced.
These tools are easy to use and don’t require any coding knowledge to use them.
- The Classic Editor’s Formatting Options
The best feature of the Classic Editor is its formatting options, which offer extensive ways to organize and display the content in a user-friendly and attractive view.
You can use headers, subheaders, and footers to structure the content logically, making it easier for users and the search engine to understand the content hierarchy.
You can also use other tools such as number lists, bullet lists, and blockquotes to present data more attractively.
- Advanced Styling: Enhancing Functionality and Design
The Classic Editor allows the user to access the advanced styling features impairing it with other plugins for additional functionality. You can mount the high levels in your theme design using these advanced features.
You can create better and more dynamic content layouts using plugins like Advanced Custom Fields or Shortcodes Ultimate and add elements that are not supported by the editor. This can boost the design and functionality of your website, even though you are not an expert in technicalities.
- Optimization of Site Performance
The design and attractive styling of your website are essential aspects, but it is not advisable if this styling affects the performance of your website. So it is recommended to ensure these styles do not affect the website’s performance.
Images should be optimized, use web-compatible fonts, and reduce heavy CSS and JavaScript elements used in the website.
There are various plugins available for this purpose but Wp-rocket is best at optimizing the images, caching, and compressing and minimizing heavy CSS and JavaScript files. This helps to boost the website’s performance.
- Maintaining Consistency Across Your Site’s Design
Consistency in website structure and design is very important for the professional appearance of your online legacy. You can ensure the cohesive and professional look of your website using the Classic Editor by designing your pages and posts. You can apply uniform heading formats, colors, and font styles across all the pages and posts.
User experience is the key to success for your website. You can use tools like reusable locks and readymade templates within WordPress that can save you time and design your website effortlessly.
- Troubleshooting Common Issues
You are a professional editor and have expertise in using the Classic Editor but, you may face some backlashes in design, and some styles are not appearing correctly. You may also see issues in responsiveness and plugin compatibility with WordPress. You can start troubleshooting it by clearing the browser and website cache.
If the issue isn’t resolved, deactivate and reactivate all the plugins one by one to sort out the conflict. Extreme complex issues can be addressed by reading the developer’s documentation and WordPress support forums.
- Testing and Publishing Custom Styled Theme
Testing is a key step to verify that the changes you have made in design are running and functioning properly. For this purpose, test your website across all devices and check for any broken patterns or layout shifts in the design.
There are different tools available for testing purposes. You can check responsiveness using tools like BrowserStack for cross-browser testing and Google’s mobile-friendly test.
If everything is going according to the plan and you are satisfied with the look and performance of your website, Bravo! Now you can publish the changes.
Final Thoughts or Conclusion.
WordPress customization with the Classic Editor is fun as well as it is rewarding. Styling and designing the WordPress theme using Classic Editor is a blend of creativity and functionality. Mastering its tools and all the available actions, you can create a strongly appealing, unique, and professionally designed website for your online presence that can stand top in your industry.
Optimization of media, integration, and compatibility tests of plugins are very important for a website’s design. Heavy CSS and JavaScript files should also be minimized for smooth performance.
The key to success and the best theme customization lies in continuous testing, learning, and experimentation with patience.
Also Read: Free Vs. Paid WordPress Themes: Which Option Should You Go For?
