What is the difference between template hierarchy and page templates?

1. Template Hierarchy

• Definition: Template hierarchy is WordPress’s built-in system for determining which template file to use for displaying a particular type of content (post, page, category, archive, etc.).
• How it works: WordPress follows a logical order of preference. It starts from the most specific template and falls back to more general ones if the specific file doesn’t exist.
• Example:
  For a page with ID 42, WordPress will look for templates in this order:
  1. page-42.php (most specific)
  2. page-{slug}.php (e.g., page-about.php)
  3. page.php
  4. singular.php
  5. index.php (fallback)
• Use case: You don’t need to manually assign these; WordPress automatically uses the hierarchy to decide the template.

2. Page Templates

• Definition: Page templates are custom templates that a developer can create and assign to a specific page from the WordPress admin dashboard.
• How it works:
  • You create a PHP file in your theme folder and add a comment at the top: <?php /* Template Name: Custom About Page */ ?>
  • Then, in the WordPress admin under Page Attributes → Template, you can select this custom template.
• Use case: You want a page to look or behave differently than the default page.php or follow the hierarchy.

Key Differences

✅ Summary:

• Template hierarchy: Automatic system WordPress uses to find the most suitable template file.
• Page templates: Custom templates created by developers for specific pages, manually selected from admin.