Using WordPress ‘get_theme_root()’ PHP function

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The get_theme_root() WordPress PHP function retrieves the path to the themes directory without a trailing slash.

Usage

$theme_root = get_theme_root( $stylesheet_or_template );

Parameters

  • $stylesheet_or_template (string): Optional. The stylesheet or template name of the theme. Default is to leverage the main theme root. Default: ”.

More information

See WordPress Developer Resources: get_theme_root()

Examples

Display theme root path

This example displays the theme root path on the screen.

$theme_root = get_theme_root();
echo "The theme root path is: " . $theme_root;

List all theme directories

This example lists all theme directories inside the theme root.

$theme_root = get_theme_root();
$theme_directories = glob("$theme_root/*", GLOB_ONLYDIR);

foreach ($theme_directories as $dir) {
    echo basename($dir) . "<br>";
}

Count subdirectories in themes directory

This example counts the number of subdirectories in the themes directory.

function display_themes_subdirs_count_info() {
    $theme_root = get_theme_root();
    $files_array = glob("$theme_root/*", GLOB_ONLYDIR);
    echo "There are " . count($files_array) . " subdirectories in the " . $theme_root . " directory";
}

Example output: There are 5 subdirectories in the /home/user/public_html/wp-content/themes directory.

Check if a specific theme exists

This example checks if a specific theme exists in the themes directory.

function check_if_theme_exists($theme_name) {
    $theme_root = get_theme_root();
    $theme_path = $theme_root . '/' . $theme_name;
    return is_dir($theme_path);
}

if (check_if_theme_exists('twentytwentyone')) {
    echo 'The theme exists.';
} else {
    echo 'The theme does not exist.';
}

Create a new theme directory

This example creates a new theme directory inside the theme root.

function create_theme_directory($new_theme_name) {
    $theme_root = get_theme_root();
    $new_theme_path = $theme_root . '/' . $new_theme_name;
    if (!is_dir($new_theme_path)) {
        mkdir($new_theme_path);
        echo "New theme directory created: " . $new_theme_path;
    } else {
        echo "Theme directory already exists: " . $new_theme_path;
    }
}

create_theme_directory('my_custom_theme');