WP_Theme Class Reference

Last updated: February 13, 2026

The WP_Theme class encapsulates theme data and provides methods for accessing theme information, files, and configuration.

Class Overview

php
final class WP_Theme implements ArrayAccess {
    // Properties
    public bool $update = false;
    
    // File Headers
    private static array $file_headers = array(
        'Name'        => 'Theme Name',
        'ThemeURI'    => 'Theme URI',
        'Description' => 'Description',
        'Author'      => 'Author',
        'AuthorURI'   => 'Author URI',
        'Version'     => 'Version',
        'Template'    => 'Template',
        'Status'      => 'Status',
        'Tags'        => 'Tags',
        'TextDomain'  => 'Text Domain',
        'DomainPath'  => 'Domain Path',
        'RequiresWP'  => 'Requires at least',
        'RequiresPHP' => 'Requires PHP',
        'UpdateURI'   => 'Update URI',
    );
}

Constructor

php
public function __construct( 
    string $theme_dir, 
    string $theme_root, 
    WP_Theme|null $_child = null 
)

Parameters:

  • $theme_dir – Directory name of the theme within theme root.
  • $theme_root – Absolute path to the theme root directory.
  • $_child – For internal use: child theme passed for parent validation.

Example:

php
// Create theme object
$theme = new WP_Theme( 'twentytwentyfour', WP_CONTENT_DIR . '/themes' );

// Recommended: use wp_get_theme() instead
$theme = wp_get_theme( 'twentytwentyfour' );

Getting Theme Headers

get()

Gets a raw, unformatted theme header value.

php
public function get( string $header ): string|array|false

Available Headers:

HeaderDescription
NameTheme name
ThemeURITheme homepage URL
DescriptionTheme description
AuthorAuthor name
AuthorURIAuthor website
VersionTheme version
TemplateParent theme directory (child themes only)
StatusTheme status (usually ‘publish’)
TagsArray of tags
TextDomainTranslation text domain
DomainPathPath to translations directory
RequiresWPMinimum WordPress version
RequiresPHPMinimum PHP version
UpdateURICustom update server URI

Examples:

php
$theme = wp_get_theme();

// Get basic info
$name = $theme->get( 'Name' );        // 'My Theme'
$version = $theme->get( 'Version' );  // '1.0.0'
$author = $theme->get( 'Author' );    // 'Developer Name'

// Get requirements
$requires_wp = $theme->get( 'RequiresWP' );   // '6.0'
$requires_php = $theme->get( 'RequiresPHP' ); // '8.0'

// Get tags (returns array)
$tags = $theme->get( 'Tags' );
// array( 'blog', 'two-columns', 'responsive' )

// Returns false if header doesn't exist
$unknown = $theme->get( 'NonExistent' ); // false

display()

Gets a theme header formatted and translated for display.

php
public function display( 
    string $header, 
    bool $markup = true, 
    bool $translate = true 
): string|array|false

Parameters:

  • $header – Header name.
  • $markup – Whether to apply markup (links, formatting).
  • $translate – Whether to translate the value.

Examples:

php
$theme = wp_get_theme();

// With markup and translation (default)
$author = $theme->display( 'Author' );
// Returns: '<a href="https://author.com">Author Name</a>'

// Without markup
$author = $theme->display( 'Author', false );
// Returns: 'Author Name'

// Tags with markup become comma-separated string
$tags = $theme->display( 'Tags' );
// Returns: 'Blog, Two Columns, Responsive'

// Tags without markup return array
$tags = $theme->display( 'Tags', false );
// Returns: array( 'Blog', 'Two Columns', 'Responsive' )

Directory & Path Methods

get_stylesheet()

Gets the stylesheet directory name.

php
public function get_stylesheet(): string

For child themes, this is the child theme directory. For parent themes, same as get_template().

php
$theme = wp_get_theme();
echo $theme->get_stylesheet(); // 'my-child-theme'

get_template()

Gets the template directory name.

php
public function get_template(): string

For child themes, returns the parent theme directory. For parent themes, same as get_stylesheet().

php
$theme = wp_get_theme();
echo $theme->get_template(); // 'parent-theme'

get_stylesheet_directory()

Gets the absolute path to the stylesheet directory.

php
public function get_stylesheet_directory(): string
php
$path = $theme->get_stylesheet_directory();
// /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/my-theme

get_template_directory()

Gets the absolute path to the template directory.

php
public function get_template_directory(): string
php
$path = $theme->get_template_directory();
// For child: /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/parent-theme
// For parent: /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/my-theme

get_stylesheet_directory_uri()

Gets the URL to the stylesheet directory.

php
public function get_stylesheet_directory_uri(): string
php
$uri = $theme->get_stylesheet_directory_uri();
// https://example.com/wp-content/themes/my-theme

get_template_directory_uri()

Gets the URL to the template directory.

php
public function get_template_directory_uri(): string

get_theme_root()

Gets the absolute path to the theme root.

php
public function get_theme_root(): string
php
$root = $theme->get_theme_root();
// /var/www/html/wp-content/themes

get_theme_root_uri()

Gets the URL to the theme root.

php
public function get_theme_root_uri(): string

get_file_path()

Gets path to a file in the theme (checks child before parent).

php
public function get_file_path( string $file = '' ): string
php
$theme = wp_get_theme();

// Get path to theme root
$path = $theme->get_file_path();

// Get path to specific file
$config = $theme->get_file_path( 'inc/config.php' );
// Checks child theme first, then parent

Theme State Methods

exists()

Checks if the theme exists.

php
public function exists(): bool

A theme with errors still "exists" unless the error is ‘theme_not_found’.

php
$theme = wp_get_theme( 'maybe-theme' );
if ( $theme->exists() ) {
    echo 'Theme found!';
}

errors()

Gets theme errors.

php
public function errors(): WP_Error|false

Error Codes:

CodeDescription
theme_not_foundTheme directory doesn’t exist
theme_no_stylesheetstyle.css missing
theme_stylesheet_not_readablestyle.css not readable
theme_no_indexMissing index.php or templates/index.html
theme_no_parentParent theme not found
theme_parent_invalidInvalid parent theme
theme_child_invalidTheme references itself as parent
theme_pausedTheme paused due to fatal error
theme_wp_incompatibleWordPress version too low
theme_php_incompatiblePHP version too low
theme_wp_php_incompatibleBoth versions too low
php
$theme = wp_get_theme( 'broken-theme' );
if ( $errors = $theme->errors() ) {
    foreach ( $errors->get_error_codes() as $code ) {
        echo "Error: $code - " . $errors->get_error_message( $code );
    }
}

parent()

Gets the parent theme object.

php
public function parent(): WP_Theme|false
php
$theme = wp_get_theme();
if ( $parent = $theme->parent() ) {
    echo 'Parent theme: ' . $parent->get( 'Name' );
} else {
    echo 'This is not a child theme';
}

is_block_theme()

Checks if this is a block-based theme.

php
public function is_block_theme(): bool
php
$theme = wp_get_theme();
if ( $theme->is_block_theme() ) {
    echo 'This is a block theme';
}

A block theme requires templates/index.html or deprecated block-templates/index.html.

is_allowed()

Checks if theme is allowed (multisite).

php
public function is_allowed( string $check = 'both', int $blog_id = null ): bool

Parameters:

  • $check – ‘network’, ‘site’, or ‘both’
  • $blog_id – Blog ID for site-level check
php
// On multisite
if ( $theme->is_allowed() ) {
    echo 'Theme is allowed on this site';
}

if ( $theme->is_allowed( 'network' ) ) {
    echo 'Theme is network-enabled';
}

File & Template Methods

get_files()

Gets files in the theme directory.

php
public function get_files( 
    string|array|null $type = null, 
    int $depth = 0, 
    bool $search_parent = false 
): array

Parameters:

  • $type – File extension(s) to find, or null for all.
  • $depth – How deep to search (0 = flat, -1 = infinite).
  • $search_parent – Include parent theme files.

Returns: Array keyed by relative path with absolute path values.

php
$theme = wp_get_theme();

// Get PHP files in root directory
$php_files = $theme->get_files( 'php' );

// Get all PHP files recursively
$all_php = $theme->get_files( 'php', -1 );

// Get CSS and JS files
$assets = $theme->get_files( array( 'css', 'js' ), -1 );

// Include parent theme files
$all_files = $theme->get_files( 'php', -1, true );

// Result structure:
// array(
//     'index.php' => '/path/to/theme/index.php',
//     'inc/functions.php' => '/path/to/theme/inc/functions.php',
// )

get_post_templates()

Gets all post templates defined by the theme.

php
public function get_post_templates(): array

Returns array keyed by post type, then by template file.

php
$templates = $theme->get_post_templates();
/*
array(
    'page' => array(
        'templates/full-width.php' => 'Full Width',
        'templates/landing.php' => 'Landing Page',
    ),
    'post' => array(
        'templates/featured.php' => 'Featured Post',
    ),
)
*/

get_page_templates()

Gets templates for a specific post type.

php
public function get_page_templates( 
    WP_Post|null $post = null, 
    string $post_type = 'page' 
): array
php
$page_templates = $theme->get_page_templates( null, 'page' );
$post_templates = $theme->get_page_templates( null, 'post' );

get_screenshot()

Gets the theme screenshot.

php
public function get_screenshot( string $uri = 'uri' ): string|false

Parameters:

  • $uri – ‘uri’ for absolute URL, ‘relative’ for relative path.

Supported formats: png, gif, jpg, jpeg, webp, avif

php
$screenshot = $theme->get_screenshot();
// https://example.com/wp-content/themes/my-theme/screenshot.png

$relative = $theme->get_screenshot( 'relative' );
// screenshot.png

Block Theme Methods

get_block_template_folders()

Gets the block template directory names.

php
public function get_block_template_folders(): array
php
$folders = $theme->get_block_template_folders();
/*
array(
    'wp_template'      => 'templates',      // or 'block-templates' (deprecated)
    'wp_template_part' => 'parts',          // or 'block-template-parts' (deprecated)
)
*/

get_block_patterns()

Gets block patterns from the theme’s patterns directory.

php
public function get_block_patterns(): array
php
$patterns = $theme->get_block_patterns();
/*
array(
    'hero.php' => array(
        'title' => 'Hero Section',
        'slug' => 'theme-slug/hero',
        'categories' => array( 'featured' ),
        'keywords' => array( 'hero', 'banner' ),
        'blockTypes' => array( 'core/cover' ),
        'postTypes' => array( 'page' ),
        'viewportWidth' => 1200,
        'inserter' => true,
    ),
)
*/

Cache Methods

cache_delete()

Clears the theme cache.

php
public function cache_delete(): void

Forces re-reading of theme data from disk on next access.

php
$theme = wp_get_theme();
$theme->cache_delete();

delete_pattern_cache()

Clears the block pattern cache.

php
public function delete_pattern_cache(): void

Static Methods

get_core_default_theme()

Gets the latest installed WordPress default theme.

php
public static function get_core_default_theme(): WP_Theme|false
php
$default = WP_Theme::get_core_default_theme();
if ( $default ) {
    echo 'Latest default: ' . $default->get( 'Name' );
}

get_allowed()

Gets themes allowed for a site (multisite).

php
public static function get_allowed( int $blog_id = null ): array
php
$allowed = WP_Theme::get_allowed();
// array( 'theme-slug' => true, 'another-theme' => true )

get_allowed_on_network()

Gets themes allowed network-wide.

php
public static function get_allowed_on_network(): array

get_allowed_on_site()

Gets themes allowed on a specific site.

php
public static function get_allowed_on_site( int $blog_id = null ): array

network_enable_theme()

Enables theme(s) network-wide.

php
public static function network_enable_theme( string|array $stylesheets ): void
php
WP_Theme::network_enable_theme( 'twentytwentyfour' );
WP_Theme::network_enable_theme( array( 'theme-one', 'theme-two' ) );

network_disable_theme()

Disables theme(s) network-wide.

php
public static function network_disable_theme( string|array $stylesheets ): void

sort_by_name()

Sorts themes array by name.

php
public static function sort_by_name( array &$themes ): void
$themes = wp_get_themes();
WP_Theme::sort_by_name( $themes );

ArrayAccess Interface

WP_Theme implements ArrayAccess for backward compatibility:

bash
$theme = wp_get_theme();

// These work like get_themes() return format
echo $theme['Name'];           // Theme name
echo $theme['Version'];        // Version
echo $theme['Author'];         // Author with link
echo $theme['Author Name'];    // Author without link
echo $theme['Author URI'];     // Author URI
echo $theme['Description'];    // Description
echo $theme['Template'];       // Template directory
echo $theme['Stylesheet'];     // Stylesheet directory
echo $theme['Template Dir'];   // Template directory path
echo $theme['Stylesheet Dir']; // Stylesheet directory path
echo $theme['Screenshot'];     // Screenshot relative path
echo $theme['Tags'];           // Tags array
echo $theme['Theme Root'];     // Theme root path
echo $theme['Theme Root URI']; // Theme root URL
echo $theme['Parent Theme'];   // Parent theme name

Magic Properties

These properties are available via __get():

php
$theme = wp_get_theme();

echo $theme->name;           // Theme name
echo $theme->title;          // Same as name
echo $theme->version;        // Version
echo $theme->parent_theme;   // Parent theme name
echo $theme->template_dir;   // Template directory path
echo $theme->stylesheet_dir; // Stylesheet directory path
echo $theme->template;       // Template directory name
echo $theme->stylesheet;     // Stylesheet directory name
echo $theme->screenshot;     // Screenshot relative path
echo $theme->description;    // Description (translated)
echo $theme->author;         // Author (translated)
echo $theme->tags;           // Tags array
echo $theme->theme_root;     // Theme root path
echo $theme->theme_root_uri; // Theme root URL

Default Themes

WordPress maintains a list of default themes:

php
private static $default_themes = array(
    'classic'           => 'WordPress Classic',
    'default'           => 'WordPress Default',
    'twentyten'         => 'Twenty Ten',
    'twentyeleven'      => 'Twenty Eleven',
    'twentytwelve'      => 'Twenty Twelve',
    'twentythirteen'    => 'Twenty Thirteen',
    'twentyfourteen'    => 'Twenty Fourteen',
    'twentyfifteen'     => 'Twenty Fifteen',
    'twentysixteen'     => 'Twenty Sixteen',
    'twentyseventeen'   => 'Twenty Seventeen',
    'twentynineteen'    => 'Twenty Nineteen',
    'twentytwenty'      => 'Twenty Twenty',
    'twentytwentyone'   => 'Twenty Twenty-One',
    'twentytwentytwo'   => 'Twenty Twenty-Two',
    'twentytwentythree' => 'Twenty Twenty-Three',
    'twentytwentyfour'  => 'Twenty Twenty-Four',
    'twentytwentyfive'  => 'Twenty Twenty-Five',
);

String Conversion

Converting to string returns the translated theme name:

bash
$theme = wp_get_theme();
echo $theme; // Outputs: "My Theme Name"
echo (string) $theme; // Same

Complete Usage Example

php
function analyze_theme( $stylesheet = '' ) {
    $theme = wp_get_theme( $stylesheet );
    
    if ( ! $theme->exists() ) {
        return new WP_Error( 'theme_not_found', 'Theme does not exist' );
    }
    
    if ( $errors = $theme->errors() ) {
        return $errors;
    }
    
    $info = array(
        'name'        => $theme->get( 'Name' ),
        'version'     => $theme->get( 'Version' ),
        'author'      => $theme->display( 'Author', false ),
        'description' => $theme->get( 'Description' ),
        'tags'        => $theme->get( 'Tags' ),
        'is_block'    => $theme->is_block_theme(),
        'is_child'    => (bool) $theme->parent(),
        'requires_wp' => $theme->get( 'RequiresWP' ),
        'requires_php'=> $theme->get( 'RequiresPHP' ),
        'screenshot'  => $theme->get_screenshot(),
        'directory'   => $theme->get_stylesheet_directory(),
    );
    
    if ( $theme->parent() ) {
        $info['parent'] = $theme->parent()->get( 'Name' );
    }
    
    if ( $theme->is_block_theme() ) {
        $info['patterns'] = count( $theme->get_block_patterns() );
        $info['template_folders'] = $theme->get_block_template_folders();
    }
    
    return $info;
}

// Usage
$info = analyze_theme( 'twentytwentyfour' );
print_r( $info );

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