How does WordPress fit into the big picture of web design?

[eindoofus]

I'm having a hard time understanding WordPress. Where does the line between HTML/CSS/Javascript/PHP end and WordPress begin? I heard that WordPress allows you to design websites and allows the clients to update them, but to what degree?

How much control does one surrender by using WordPress? And how much can the client update on there own? If you use WordPress do you need to use it for the entire site or is it possible to only integrate the blog aspect of it?

[<CrGeary.com/>]

Where does the line between HTML/CSS/Javascript/PHP end and WordPress begin?

Well Obviously HTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP are coding languages, So when you make your WordPress theme using these, you can make it however you want. For example, if you wanted the title of a post you would do:


<h2><?php the_title(); ?></h2>

All your outputting is the text, so you add the heading tags yourself, i could have put that inside an intput textfield if i wanted to.

So as far as "control", if your the theme designer ( or you have knowledge of HTML/CSS etc, you can do pretty much everything you want to do.

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And how much can the client update on there own?
They can update as much as they want, they can update the content mainly ( which is what it is aimed at ), they can install new themes, they can modify themes, they can manage files, they can edit URL Rewrites, they can do loads.

Check it out at WordPress.com ( make a free account and take a browse of the admin panel ), but note that because it is hosted via WordPress, you loose some of the features. If you want to see the full features you have to download it, and install in your own webspace.

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If you use WordPress do you need to use it for the entire site or is it possible to only integrate the blog aspect of it?
Yeah, just make a sub directory on your site, say? blog/ then put wordpress inside that. WordPress even comes with a neat little file "wp-blog-header.php", so if you put wordpress inside blog/ then on your home page, you can include ( 'blog/wp-blog-header.php' ); and you get most of the wordpress features on your home page aswell. Pretty sweet :D ( if you understood what i was on about ).