Q:

New to WordPress - editing existing theme

Forgive me if this isn't the right environment to pose a question of this nature.
I've just been assigned a project to create a site in WordPress based off of a purchased theme of similar structure. This is my first time working with WP, so I'm a bit overwhelmed with where to start. 
I'm used to only working through a text editor, but WP obviously has a dev portal online that formatting and content can be built through.
So far I only have my theme imported and activated on WP and the PSDs for the site-to-be.
Should I be doing my editing/formatting/content-building through this online portal? My text editor? A combination? 
Thanks in advance for any knowledge you can shed or articles you share!

A:

It's a bit of a paradigm shift moving from standard text editor web development into the world of WP. Here are some points to help you along:

You should download/install a plugin called Synchi. This will make the WordPress text editor much more robust. It also allows you the ability to access and modify the WP theme files directly thru the dashboard (Appearance > Editor).
You can use an external text editor and jump back and forth, but I find it easier to stay inside the WP dashboard once you have Synchi installed. I only use Visual Studio if I'm coding something more complex and I want to see Intellisense.
If you are going to be making major changes to your base WP theme, you should create a "Child Theme" and work off of that. http://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes 
There are millions of articles on how to get started with WP, so I'll let you Bing/Google that. Just keep in mind there's a bit of a learning curve so just BE PATIENT - you'll figure it out quickly enough!

