Interestingly (perhaps), when I was tinkering earlier, I read through some of the functions.php for my theme (SemPress) and there seemed to be code in there to add a post number as a title to a post that didn’t have a one. Hmm…

@vanessa I’ve been looking through my functions file too. I’d like to try and make some changes but I'm a bit worried that the whole thing comes crashing down.

@vanessa I’d really like to do some sort of course on the nuts and bolts of Wordpress. Beyond the basics like installation and stuff.

@stefp I probably ought to, but then there's so much I don't know it's intimidating. Never used php, html, css, or pretty much anything! Mind you, I've learned a lot ftom people on here and in the Slack room.

@vanessa You don't need to remove anything from the parent. If there is something in the child that is additional to or different from the parent, it takes precedence.

/ @stefp

@jeremycherfas But in this case there is something in the parent that I don't want to happen, so I have to negate its effects, which, I guess, is what the "remoe the title from status posts in the rss feed" bit is doing. Just ironic that the one thing I didn't want is actually in the parent theme. If it didn't add a title I wouldn't have to remove it!

@vanessa It's a little complex, I agree, but the code you had (i think) for titleless posts will go in your child theme's functions.php and do it for you. I think.

@jeremycherfas Oh, it does, yes. It's all working nicely, just a bit counterintuitive unless I think hard. I'm getting there, though. RSS behaving, Previously-approved commenters being auto-spproved. All good.

@jeremycherfas Thanks. I found the concept of a child theme a bit confusing to begin with but I'm starting to see all the benefits.

@stefp Definitely. Even if all you want to do are a few little tweaks to, say, the typography, you don't have to worry about it being overwritten.