WordCamp KC: The WordPress Theme Repository

The WordPress Theme Repository
Chip Bennett, WordCamp Kansas City, 11 June 2011
Developing, submitting, and finding the best free WordPress Themes

Audience
Developers? End Users?
How long using WordPress?
Agenda
What is the WordPress Theme Repository?
Why the WordPress Theme Repository?
Developing a Repository-hosted Theme
Submitting a Repository-hosted Theme
Finding a Repository-hosted Theme
Open Forum
Feedback, criticism, and ideas for the WordPress Theme Repository: Themes, quality, Guidelines, review process
2
WordCamp Kansas City: 11 June 2011

A description and brief history of the Repository
3

The WordPress Theme Repository:What is the WordPress Theme Repository?
The official WordPress.org directory of free WordPress Themes.
Timeline:
Jul 2008: Theme Repository Opens
Dec 2008: WordPress 2.7 Introduces Theme Updates from WP Admin Interface
Dec 2008: 200 Themes Purged From Repository
Jun 2009: WordPress 2.8 Introduces Theme Repository Browsing from WP Admin Interface
Jun 2010: Formation of Theme Review Team
4

How the Repository benefits both WordPress end users and Theme developers
5

The WordPress Theme Repository:Why the WordPress Theme Repository?
End Users
Convenience:
Integrated into WP-Admin backend – search, install, updates
Quality:
Reviewed by real, live human beings
Comprehensive Guidelines ensure high quality and support for core WordPress features and functionality
Reliability/Freedom
No malicious code or link spam
No bogus attribution-link requirements
No encrypted footers or any other encrypted code
100% GPL or GPL-compatible
You cannot find this combination anywhere else in the world!
6

The WordPress Theme Repository:Why the WordPress Theme Repository?
Developers
Automatic Updates
Exposure
Integrated into WP-Admin backend
WordPress 3.1 has been downloaded more than 12 million timeshttp://wordpress.org/download/counter/
Built-in support mechanism
WordPress.org Support Forum integration
Great way to give back to the community!
7

Developing a Repository-Hosted Theme
What Theme developers should know about developing Themes to be hosted in the Repository
8

The WordPress Theme Repository:Developing a Repository-Hosted Theme
Setup Test Environment
Latest WordPress version (including betas and release candidates)
wp-config.php: set WP_DEBUG to TRUE
Plugins: Theme Check, Log Deprecated Notices, Debug Bar, FixPress, WordPress Beta Tester
Theme Review Guidelines
Ensure Theme code meets guidelines for code quality, functionality, data security, licensing, naming, credit links, documentation, etc.
Theme Unit Tests
Install Theme Unit Test Data
Ensure Theme meets guidelines for output and display of content
9

The WordPress Theme Repository:Theme Review Guidelines
Quality
Why “Quality”?
“The goal of the theme directory is not to list every theme in the world, it's to list the best ones. We want a reasonable number of themes we can point to that embody the best and brightest of WordPress development, and that users can choose without compromise.” – Matt Mullenweg
What is “Quality”?
The current Theme Review Guidelines can be summarized into five main areas:
Licensing, Credit Links, and Security
Code and Markup Standards Compliance and Best Practices
WordPress Functionality and Feature Support
WordPress Best Practices
Theme Front-End Display
10

The WordPress Theme Repository:Theme Review Guidelines - Quality
Licensing, Credit Links, and Security
Why?
Non-negotiable; protect end-user data and freedoms
Abuse of these issues is the original, and remains the primary, reason for Theme review
Licensing
100% GPL-compatible. Period.
Credit Links
Reasonable, accurate, appropriate
Security
No malicious code or exploits
(Yes, sadly, we still get people attempting to submit Themes with these)
11

Code and Markup Standards Compliance and Best Practices
Why?
“Low-hanging fruit”, for the most part
Encourage intentional code, rather than copy-pasta reliance
Demonstrate purpose/pride in work, attention to detail
HTML/CSS validation
High-level review: major issues only
PHP/JS Errors and Notices
Clean, quiet output
Deprecated WordPress Functions
Maintain forward-compatibility
12

WordPress Functionality and Feature Support
Why?
Ensure consistent user experience among Themes
Expose full power/potential of WordPress to end users
Leverage work of WordPress developer community, rather than “reinventing the wheel” for functionality
Required Functionality
Intentionally short list: Comments, Widgets
Recommended Features
Not required to be implemented, but if they are, must support core WordPress functionality: Navigation Menus, Post Thumbnails, Post Formats, Custom Header Images, Custom Backgrounds, Visual Editor Style, etc.
Optional Features
Everything else
13

WordPress Best Practices
Why?
Helps ensure interoperability between Themes and Plugins, and future compatibility with WordPress core
Facilitates use of Repository as resource for new developers
Code practices
Naming convention/prefixing
Support for most recent WordPress version
Forward-compatibility, cleanup of deprecated code, not encouraging use of obsolete versions of WordPress
Use of core functions, hooks, template tags, and styles
Plugin compatibility, facilitate child-theming, consistent user experience
Use of standard Theme template files
Must be used appropriately. At a minimum: index.php, style.css, screenshot.png, comments.php
Theme documentation
Anything out of the ordinary must be documented, so end users know how to use the Theme properly
14

Theme Front-End Display
Why?
Ensures consistent experience for site visitors, and that user data are displayed as expected
Theme Unit Test Data
Standard data set tests all major WordPress features and content types
Implementation and content, not aesthetics
15

Submitting a Theme
De-mystifying the process of Theme submission, review, and approval
16

The WordPress Theme Repository:Submitting a Theme
Resources
WordPress.org Theme Uploader
Themes Subversion (SVN)
Themes-Trac
WordPress.org Extend/Themes
WordPress Theme Review Team (WPTRT)
Process
Prepare/Upload Theme Package (developer)
Generate Theme-Trac ticket (SVN/Trac)
Theme Review/Approval (WPTRT reviewers)
Synchronize SVN with Extend (WPTRT admins)
17

The WordPress Theme Repository:Submitting a Theme: Resources
WordPress.org Theme Uploader
Only way to submit Theme to the Repository
(No SVN-commit access for themes.svn, at least, not yet)
Includes several automated scripts/tests
Synchronized with Theme Check Plugin
18

Themes SVN
Where uploaded Theme files are stored, after the Theme ZIP archive is unpacked by the Theme uploader
Perpetual repository: files are never deleted, except for extraordinarily egregious reasons
SVN-checkout access
19

Themes-Trac
Theme Review ticketing/tracking system
Uploader assigns each uploaded Theme a new ticket
Theme Review process takes place within Trac tickets
Theme Review progress tracked via Trac reports
Theme developers can post comments using WPORG login credentials
20

WordPress.org Extend/Themes
Front-end for access/download of Repository-hosted Themes
Heavily-moddedbbPress install
Must be manually synchronized with SVN after Theme is approved in Trac
21

WordPress Theme Review Team (WPTRT)
Who are they?
All-volunteer team of WordPress community members
Mostly self-directing, under the WPORG umbrella
Varying degrees of WordPress experience/expertise
Undergo training period before gaining ticket resolution/closure privileges
What is their purpose?
Review and approve Theme tickets as quickly and as completely as possible
Provide an educational resource for the WordPress Theme Developer community
Encourage and establish community standards for Theme quality and best practices
Anyone can get involved, and anyone interested is encouraged to do so!
22

The WordPress Theme Repository:Submitting a Theme: Process
Prepare/Upload Theme (Developer)
Remove any extraneous files (.git or .svn directories, MACOSX files, backup files, etc)
Compress the Theme as a ZIP file (the name of the file does not matter; it is re-packaged by SVN after being uploaded)
Upload the ZIP file, using the WordPress.org Uploader.
Generate Trac Ticket (SVN/Trac)
If the uploader script finds no warning or required issues, the Theme is uploaded, and Trac ticket generated.
Note: ensure that your Themes-Trac user profile includes an email address, so that you receive automated notification emails
If the uploader script does find such issues, the upload fails, and the script returns a report of all detected issues
23

Theme Review/Approval (WPTRT reviewers)
A WPTRT Reviewer assigns himself the Trac ticket, and proceeds with the review.
Any issues noted during the review are listed in a comment to the Trac ticket.
Noted issues are indicated as either REQUIRED (must be fixed for Theme approval) or RECOMMENDED.
Some Reviewers will attach screenshots to help clarify Theme issues, or may give additional information, suggestions, etc.
If the Theme has any REQUIRED issues, the ticket is closed as “not-approved”. Otherwise, the ticket is closed as “approved”.
24

Synchronize SVN with Extend (WPTRT admins)
When a Trac ticket is closed, the version of the Theme included in the ticket must be synchronized with Extend.
Approved Themes are synchronized as “approved”
Not-Approved (or Newer-Version-Uploaded) Themes are synchronized as “old”
This synchronization is a manual process, usually performed by a WPTRT admin at least once per day
Once a Theme is synchronized as “approved”, it becomes the version available for download in Extend.
Note: Extend is comprised of several servers; due to caching, it may take some time for the new version to propagate
25

Finding a Repository-Hosted Theme
What end users should know about searching for Themes hosted in the Repository
26

The WordPress Theme Repository:Finding a Repository-Hosted Theme
What to look for:
“Last Updated”: Themes that are being actively maintained
The oldest Theme in the Repository was last updated June 2008, when WordPress was still at Version 2.5.
Look for Themes updated since the most recent WordPress version, to ensure support for the latest WordPress features. If, e.g., a Theme was last updated prior to the following dates, it will not support these features:
WordPress 3.1 Feb 2011 Post Formats
WordPress 3.0 June 2010 Custom Nav Menus/Headers/Backgrounds
WordPress 2.9 Dec 2009 Post Thumbnails
WordPress 2.8 June 2009 Widgets
WordPress 2.7 Dec 2008 Comment Threading/Paging
Themes added/updated since ca. Fall 2010 have all undergone a thorough, consistent Theme Review
Active support: either via the Theme’s WPORG support forum, or via the developer’s site
27

Themes with Specific Features
Find Themes that meet your exact needs. Tag Filters:
Colors
Columns
Width
Features
Subject
WP-Admin: Boolean AND search only
Extend: Boolean AND/OR searches
28

Featured Themes
A sometimes-updated list of Themes highlighted by the WPTRT
Generally, Themes with exemplary code quality, features, and/or design
29

Newest Themes
Newest Themes added to the Repository
(Newly added Themes, not existing Themes that have been recently updated)
30

Recently Updated Themes
Existing Themes that have been updated most recently
31

Recap
Whew! That was a lot!
32

Recap:
Developing a Repository-hosted Theme
Submitting a Repository-hosted Theme
Finding a Repository-hosted Theme
Questions?
33

Open Forum
You’ve heard from me; now I want to hear from you
34

Open Forum
Feedback, criticism, and ideas for the WordPress Theme Repository:
Theme Repository:
Theme Selection,
Theme Quality,
Child Themes/Theme Frameworks
etc.
Theme Submission Process
Theme Review Guidelines
Theme Review Process
35

Resources
Sites and information referenced, and further reading
36

Resources
End Users
Theme Repository: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
Extend/Themes Tag Filter: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/tag-filter/
Only Download Themes From Trusted Sources: http://www.chipbennett.net/2010/12/10/only-download-wordpress-themes-from-trusted-sources/
Developers
Theme Uploader: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/upload/
Themes SVN: http://themes.svn.wordpress.org/
Theme-Trac: https://themes.trac.wordpress.org/
Theme Review Guidelines: http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Review
Theme Unit Tests: http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Unit_Test
WordPress Theme Review Team
WPTRT: http://make.wordpress.org/themes/
How to Join WPTRT: http://make.wordpress.org/themes/about/how-to-join-wptrt/
Theme-Reviewers Mail List: http://lists.wordpress.org/mailman/listinfo/theme-reviewers
Theme Review Plugins:
Theme Check: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-check/
Log Deprecated Notices: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/log-deprecated-notices/
Debug Bar: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/debug-bar/
FixPress: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/fixpress/
WordPress Beta Tester: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/
More Resources: http://make.wordpress.org/themes/guidelines/resources/
Editorials/Tutorials
Theme Review Editorial: http://www.chipbennett.net/2010/10/20/in-defense-of-the-wordpress-theme-review-guidelines/
Theme Quality Editorial: http://www.chipbennett.net/2010/10/19/in-defense-of-the-wordpress-theme-review-process/
Theme Review Tutorial: http://www.chipbennett.net/2011/04/20/a-guide-to-reviewing-themes-for-the-wordpress-theme-repository/
Settings API Tutorial: http://www.chipbennett.net/2011/02/17/incorporating-the-settings-api-in-wordpress-themes/
37

WordCamp KC: The WordPress Theme Repository

by Chip Bennett on Jun 11, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

Statistics

WordCamp KC: The WordPress Theme Repository — Presentation Transcript