1. The WordPress Theme Review Process
WordCamp Los Angeles
September 15, 2012

2. Konstantin Obenland
WordPress Core Contributor
WordPress Theme Review Team Member
@obenland
en.wp.obenland.it

3. The WordPress.org Theme Repository

4. The WordPress.org Theme Repository 1,600 Themes and counting

5. “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

6. Why Host At The Repository
Enduser Developer
• Convenience • Automatic updates
• Quality • Exposure
• Reliability • Support Forum
• Freedom • Great way to give back!
Source: Bennett, 2011

7. The WordPress Theme Review Team

8. 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
Source: Bennett, 2011

9. The WordPress Theme Review Team
• Four Administrators
• > 50 Reviewers with various levels of
• expertise
• involvement
• activity

10. How The Theme Review Team Works

11. We communicate through...
• The Theme Reviewer mailing list
http://lists.wordpress.org/mailman/listinfo/theme-reviewers
• The Make WordPress Themes blog
http://make.wordpress.org/themes/
• Themes Trac
https://themes.trac.wordpress.org/
• IRC
#wordpress-themes

12. Organization of Theme Trac
• Four priority queues:
• Currently approved Themes
• Tickets older than 2 weeks
• Previously reviewed, but not approved Themes
• New Themes, never reviewed

13. Theme Review
• Tickets are assigned by priority
• Reviewers assign Tickets to themselves
• Issues are noted in a comment
• Tickets are closed as approved/not-approved
• Previously approved tickets, mostly diff-review only

14. Before looking at the code...
• Theme Name
• Author/Theme URI
• License
• Footer Credit Links
• Screenshot

15. Guidelines

16. Guidelines
• Codex:
• Theme Review
• Theme Unit Test
• Theme Development
• Make Themes
• Chip Bennett’s Guide to Reviewing Themes

17. Guidelines cover...
• Doctype Declaration • WordPress-generated CSS Classes
• Theme Namespacing • Theme Template Files
• Language, Favicons • Theme Settings and Data Security
• WordPress Core Fetaures • Privacy, Licensing, Up-Selling
• Template Tags and Hooks • Bundled Resources
• Including Files, Scripts, Styles • Theme Name, Credit Links
• Site Information • and more...

18. Tools

19. Tools
• Data: Theme Unit Test
• Plugins:
• Theme Check
• Debogger
• Log Deprecated Notices
• Monster Widget

20. How To Become A Reviewer

21. How To Become A Reviewer
• Setup a WordPress test environment
• Setup Theme-Trac access
• Join the Theme Reviewers mail list
• Go to the Trac Ticket Request Queue Page, and leave a comment asking to be assigned a Theme
• Perform some test reviews
• Once you have done enough Theme reviews, you will be added to the “Reviewers” group
Source: http://make.wordpress.org/themes/about/howmake.wordpress.org-to-join-wptrt/

22. Thanks!
Questions?

23. References
• Bennett, C. (June 2011). WordCamp KC: The WordPress Theme Repository. http://www.slideshare.net/
chipbennett/wordcamp-kc-the-wordpress-theme-repository