title: Why is drupal theming so difficult? Any tips for simplifying it or learning it faster?
body: <p>I've been coding in PHP for 4 years and even I find it so convoluted and hard to grasp. I have no idea how they expect designers to manage theming.</p>
  
  <p>I know basic theming, theming with tpl files, views templates, contemplate templates etc. However I get lost whenever I enter the template.php file.</p>
  
  <p>I needed to theme a node input form for a custom content type. I wracked my brain over it with like 7-9 tutorials and it's still not coming together. I understand why module building can be complicated - because most people who work with modules are developers anyway. </p>
  
  <p>However, when even a <strong><em>developer can't understand theming</em></strong>, it's definitely over-engineered! </p>
  
  <p>Maybe it's my fault, maybe I didn't learn Drupal properly. In that case, is there a step-by-step system to becoming a Drupal guru?</p>