One of the great things about WordPress is that you can edit your templates directly from the WordPress admin panel. Just navigate to the Presentation menu and right there, in the sub-menu, is the Edit Theme tab.

Some may be tempted to click on it and start editing until their heart is content without a second thought. Some may not even be aware of the potential damage that can be done to their layout.

When editing files from the WordPress admin panel, there is no undo button. Any changes you make and update are written directly into the file, and unless you have a back up somewhere, you cannot go back.

So, here are some tips for editing WordPress files:

  • Back up your files. Do not do anything before you do this.
  • Whenever possible, edit your files in a text/HTML editor where you will have access to the undo button.
  • If you do need to edit files on the server, copy and paste the current code into an outside document and save it as your backup, then make the necessary changes on the server.
  • If you don’t feel comfortable with HTML/PHP/CSS code, then it’s advised not to edit any files from the WordPress admin panel.