In this short article, I am going to talk about the difference between get_template_directory vs get_template_directory_uri. If you are a beginner WordPress Theme Developer, it may create confusion. Let’s know in details what should we use while creating a WordPress theme.
Get template directory vs Get template directory uri
get_template_directory():
Get Template Directory is a function which returns the absolute template path directory of the theme. It generates the hosting directory of the template. Please check the example below.
/Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/htdocs/wp/wp-content/themes/test
Example Uses:
include (get_template_directory().'/includes/myfile.php');
It is the result which this function returns. You can use this function to include the template directory in your WordPress theme. Please note that this function should be used inside the include function.
get_template_directory_uri():
It is almost the same, but it retrieves the full URI of the template directory. You can use it to print the URL of the template directory. It retrieves the full URI including the http://. You can use it outside of the Include function. Generally, we use get_template_directory_uri() function to print the style.css or javascript source. You can also use it to print for any other reasons. Get_template_directory_uri() prints like that.
http://localhost/wp/wp-content/themes/test
Please check the picture below for better understanding.
Example Uses:
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?php echo esc_url(get_template_directory_uri()); ?>/style.css"/>
Both are important for developing a professional WordPress theme. But their uses are a little bit different. It is just using them inside the include function or outside the include function. That’s it.
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