Path 1: Web & WordPress Roadmap

A project-based guide to learning web development through the lens of the world's most popular CMS.

The Web & WordPress path is perfect for beginners because you get instant visual feedback. When you change a line of code, you see the result immediately in your browser. By the end of this path, you’ll understand how to customize WordPress safely, write basic PHP, and use hooks to change how your site behaves. Note: this is NOT an advanced WordPress course, but it will get you started.

🔰 New to this? Start here.

If you’re brand new to WordPress, coding, or even using AI for this kind of thing, you’re in the right place. This path assumes you’re curious, not experienced.

Here’s what a “from zero” flow might look like:

  1. Install WordPress locally:
    Follow LocalWP’s setup steps until you can visit your site at something like http://example.local in your browser.

  2. Open your AI tool of choice:
    ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini—anything that lets you paste text and get answers back.

  3. Tell AI exactly where you are:
    Paste something like:
    “I just installed WordPress using LocalWP. I have no coding experience. I want to make my site say ‘Hello World’ at the top using the WPCode plugin. Can you walk me through this step-by-step?”

  4. Let AI generate the snippet for you:
    AI will give you a small block of PHP code. You don’t need to understand it yet.

  5. Add the snippet with WPCode:

    • In your WordPress dashboard, go to Code Snippets (from the WPCode plugin).
    • Create a New Snippet and paste the code AI gave you.
    • Save and activate it.

  6. Ask AI to explain it back to you:
    Copy the snippet and say:
    “Explain what this PHP snippet does line-by-line, in plain English, like I’m a beginner.”

🧭 Stuck? Tell AI: “Here’s what I see on my screen — what should I do next?”
Screenshots work great; paste them right into the chat and let AI guide you step-by-step.

You don’t have to “know PHP” yet. At this stage, your job is to copy, paste, and ask good questions. The rest of this roadmap will show you how to turn that into real understanding.

🚀 Your First 10 Minutes

Before diving into code, let’s set up your safe “sandbox” environment.

  1. Install LocalWP: This lets you run WordPress safely on your computer without paying for hosting.
  2. Spin up a blank site: Follow the prompts to create your first local testing site.
  3. Install the WPCode plugin: This is the safest way to add code without breaking your theme.
  4. Add a “Hello World” snippet: Use AI to generate a simple PHP snippet that echoes “Hello World” at the top of your site, and ask: “Explain what this snippet does line-by-line.”

💡 Note: You don’t need to touch theme files or worry about “Child Themes” yet. WPCode keeps your customizations safe and separate.

🏗️ Project 1: The “Smart Welcome” (Level: Beginner)

The Goal: Display a different greeting on your site depending on the time of day (e.g., “Good Morning!” vs “Good Evening!”).

  • The AI Prompt: “I am using the WPCode plugin. Can you write a PHP snippet that checks the current time and returns a greeting string? Explain how the date() function works in PHP.”
  • Why this matters: This is the same conditional (if/else) logic you’ll use in nearly every PHP template file.
  • Bonus: You’ll see the greeting change instantly when you refresh the page — this is why WordPress is such a great beginner platform.

🏗️ Project 2: The Dynamic Menu (Level: Intermediate)

The Goal: Show a “Login” link to guests, but a “Logout” link to users who are already signed in.

  • The AI Prompt: “I want to add a dynamic login/logout link to my primary navigation menu. Can you provide the code for a filter and explain what add_filter does in plain English?”
  • Why this matters: Hooks are how 90% of WordPress customization happens—mastering them unlocks the ability to modify almost any plugin or theme.

🏗️ Project 3: The Custom Content Guard (Level: Advanced)

The Goal: Create a “Member’s Only” section by restricting certain pages to logged-in users.

  • The AI Prompt: “Write a PHP function that redirects any user who is NOT logged in away from the ‘Members’ page (ID: 123) and back to the homepage. Walk me through the logic line-by-line.”
  • Why this matters: Access control is the foundation of membership sites, private dashboards, and custom business apps.

🔄 The Practice Loop

To move from “pasting” to “programming,” follow this loop for every snippet:

  1. Rubber Duck it: Explain what the code is doing back to the AI.
  2. Break it: Change the greeting text or a Page ID and see how the site reacts.
  3. Compare: Ask AI, “Show me two different ways to write this snippet and explain which one is more maintainable.”
  4. Refactor: Ask AI, “Is there a more ‘WordPress-correct’ way to write this using the is_user_logged_in() function?”

⭐ Quick Summary

  • Start with LocalWP: Experiment safely on your own machine.
  • Use Snippets: Use WPCode to avoid theme-breaking errors.
  • Focus on Hooks: Actions and Filters are the “secret keys” to WordPress development.

⚠️ A Final Reminder

WordPress is a massive ecosystem. Focus on one small “Quick Win” snippet at a time, and use AI to bridge the gaps in your knowledge. You don’t need to understand everything at once — WordPress is learned one snippet at a time.

🧩 Go Deeper with WordPress

🚧 Coming Soon: These WordPress‑focused guides are in development. They’ll appear here as they’re published.

  • The WordPress Hooks Guide — a beginner-friendly overview of Actions and Filters.
  • The PHP Basics for WordPress Guide — learn the syntax behind the snippets you’ll be using.
  • The Theme & Template Hierarchy Guide — understand how WordPress decides which file controls each page.
  • The Plugin Development Starter Guide — build your first simple plugin once you’re comfortable with hooks.

These guides build on the foundations you’ve learned here and help you grow from “tweaking WordPress” to “developing for WordPress.”

🌐 Beyond WordPress

🚧 Coming Soon: These broader web development guides are also in progress.

If you want to learn the foundations of web development itself, these guides are a great next step:

  • HTML & CSS Starter Guide — learn how the browser turns code into a webpage.
  • JavaScript for Beginners — add interactivity and logic to your pages.
  • The Web Development Sandbox — a safe place to experiment with HTML/CSS/JS using AI as your tutor.

These aren’t required for WordPress development, but they’re perfect if you want to understand the web at a deeper level.

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