How to Hardcode the WordPress Setup Process

Every WordPress developer has a preset list of tasks that need to be done before they begin developing a new WordPress website. Default settings need to be adjusted and things need to be deleted. But what if you could automate this whole process using some little known code snippets?

Standard WordPress Setup Steps

What if there was a way to do the following WordPress Setup steps automatically?

A Streamlined WordPress Setup Process

Creating a “ThrowAway Theme” to run cleanup tasks for your initial setup can accomplish ALL of the above tasks.

Did you know that in the wp_config.php file you are able to set a WP_DEFAULT_THEME to be activated when the WordPress site starts? This also opens the possibility of creating a single WordPress theme that sets up WordPress the way you want without having to manually do it. 🙂

First you need a 1) theme style.css file and 2) a functions.php file. (that’s it).

The style.css file will just include the header meta information, like this:

/*
Theme Name: ThrowAway Theme
Author: Bob Bobertson
Description: Simple theme to run some errands.
Version: 1
*/

Then the functions.php file looks like this:

<?php
 
// set the options to change
$option = array(
    // we don't want no description
    'blogdescription'               => '',
    // change category base
    'category_base'                 => '/cat',
    // change tag base
    'tag_base'                      => '/label',
    // disable comments
    'default_comment_status'        => 'closed',
    // disable trackbacks
    'use_trackback'                 => '',
    // disable pingbacks
    'default_ping_status'           => 'closed',
    // disable pinging
    'default_pingback_flag'         => '',
    // change the permalink structure
    'permalink_structure'           => '/%postname%/',
    // dont use year/month folders for uploads 
    'uploads_use_yearmonth_folders' => '',
    // don't use those ugly smilies
    'use_smilies'                   => ''
);
 
// change the options!
foreach ( $option as $key => $value ) {  
    update_option( $key, $value );
}
 
// flush rewrite rules because we changed the permalink structure
global $wp_rewrite;
$wp_rewrite->flush_rules();
 
// delete the default comment, post and page
wp_delete_comment( 1 );
wp_delete_post( 1, TRUE );
wp_delete_post( 2, TRUE );
 
// we need to include the file below because the activate_plugin() function isn't normally defined in the front-end
include_once( ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/plugin.php' );
// activate pre-bundled plugins
activate_plugin( 'wp-super-cache/wp-cache.php' );
activate_plugin( 'wordpress-seo/wp-seo.php' );
 
// switch the theme to "Builder"
switch_theme( 'builder' );
 
?>

Follow These Steps to Hardcode the WordPress Setup Process

1. Upload your WordPress Installation.
2. Have the “ThrowAway” theme defined in the wp-config.php file.

define( 'WP_DEFAULT_THEME', 'default-theme-folder-name' ); 

3. Done… once you do the Installation/setup screen, WordPress will start in the “throwaway” theme, do all the tasks, then switch to your main theme.

Watch the Webinar: Hardcoding the WordPress Setup Process

In this webinar, “The Professor” walks through all the steps above in more detail so you can see how to start streamlining your own WordPress setup process.

Watch the webinar

Kristen Wright

Kristen has been writing tutorials to help WordPress users since 2011. As marketing director here at iThemes, she’s dedicated to helping you find the best ways to build, manage, and maintain effective WordPress websites. Kristen also enjoys journaling (check out her side project, The Transformation Year!), hiking and camping, step aerobics, cooking, and daily adventures with her family, hoping to live a more present life.