What is the WordPress.org Theme Review process and why should you be using it for your client theme development.

1. Developing Client Themes for
Theme Review
WordCamp YEG 2011
http://get10up.com @curtismchale

2. Topics

3. Topics
• Theme Review

4. Topics
• Theme Review
➡ What is a Theme Review

5. Topics
• Theme Review
➡ What is a Theme Review
➡ How do you do one

6. Topics
• Theme Review
➡ What is a Theme Review
➡ How do you do one
• Client Themes

7. Topics
• Theme Review
➡ What is a Theme Review
➡ How do you do one
• Client Themes
➡ Why use the Theme Review Process?

8. Topics
• Theme Review
➡ What is a Theme Review
➡ How do you do one
• Client Themes
➡ Why use the Theme Review Process?
➡ How do we differ?

9. Topics
• Theme Review
➡ What is a Theme Review
➡ How do you do one
• Client Themes
➡ Why use the Theme Review Process?
➡ How do we differ?
➡ Taking it a Step Further

10. Theme Review

11. Theme Review

12. Theme Review
• History

13. Theme Review
• History
➡ Theme Reviews were started in June 2010

14. Theme Review
• History
➡ Theme Reviews were started in June 2010
➡ What was it like before June 2010?

15. Theme Review
• History
➡ Theme Reviews were started in June 2010
➡ What was it like before June 2010?
➡ buggy themes that didn’t function well and were ugly

16. Theme Review

17. Theme Review
• Malicious Code or link spam

18. Theme Review
• Malicious Code or link spam
• Bogus attribution link requirements

19. Theme Review
• Malicious Code or link spam
• Bogus attribution link requirements
• No encrypted code

20. Theme Review
• Malicious Code or link spam
• Bogus attribution link requirements
• No encrypted code
• 100% GPL or GPL compliant code

21. Theme Review
• Malicious Code or link spam
• Bogus attribution link requirements
• No encrypted code
• 100% GPL or GPL compliant code
➡ Apache License 2.0, Artistic License 2.0, Berkely Database License

22. Theme Review
• Malicious Code or link spam
• Bogus attribution link requirements
• No encrypted code
• 100% GPL or GPL compliant code
➡ Apache License 2.0, Artistic License 2.0, Berkely Database License
➡ http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html

23. Theme Review
• Malicious Code or link spam
• Bogus attribution link requirements
• No encrypted code
• 100% GPL or GPL compliant code
➡ Apache License 2.0, Artistic License 2.0, Berkely Database License
➡ http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html
• WordPress best practices

24. Setting up for a Theme Review

25. WordPress Installs

26. WordPress Installs
• Current version of WordPress

27. WordPress Installs
• Current version of WordPress
• next beta/alpha version of WordPress

28. WordPress Installs
• Current version of WordPress
• next beta/alpha version of WordPress
➡ check for future compliance

29. WordPress Installs
• Current version of WordPress
• next beta/alpha version of WordPress
➡ check for future compliance
➡ wp_editor function

30. WordPress Installs
• Current version of WordPress
• next beta/alpha version of WordPress
➡ check for future compliance
➡ wp_editor function
• set WP_DEBUG to true

31. WordPress Plugins

32. WordPress Plugins
• Theme Check

33. WordPress Plugins
• Theme Check
➡ runs the same checks the theme uploader does

34. WordPress Plugins
• Theme Check
➡ runs the same checks the theme uploader does
➡ gives you a place to start your review with

35. WordPress Plugins
• Theme Check
➡ runs the same checks the theme uploader does
➡ gives you a place to start your review with
➡ any items that are ‘required’ are cause for non-approval of theme

36. WordPress Plugins

37. WordPress Plugins
• Log Deprecated Notices

38. WordPress Plugins

39. WordPress Plugins
• Debug Bar

40. WordPress Plugins
• Debug Bar
➡ adds debug menu to the admin bar

41. WordPress Plugins
• Debug Bar
➡ adds debug menu to the admin bar
➡ shows queries, debug notices, cache

42. WordPress Plugins
• Debug Bar
➡ adds debug menu to the admin bar
➡ shows queries, debug notices, cache
➡ add Debug Bar Extender for even more

43. WordPress Plugins
• FixPress
➡ fixes the WordPress galleries for valid HTML and styles
➡ cleans up the comments for XHTML validation

44. Testing Data

45. Testing Data
• Theme Unit Test

46. Testing Data
• Theme Unit Test
➡ posts with stupid long titles

47. Testing Data
• Theme Unit Test
➡ posts with stupid long titles
➡ images of all alignments with and without caption

48. Testing Data
• Theme Unit Test
➡ posts with stupid long titles
➡ images of all alignments with and without caption
➡ post formats

49. Testing Data
• Theme Unit Test
➡ posts with stupid long titles
➡ images of all alignments with and without caption
➡ post formats
➡ nested comments

50. Testing Data
• Theme Unit Test
➡ posts with stupid long titles
➡ images of all alignments with and without caption
➡ post formats
➡ nested comments
➡ ...

51. What are we looking for exactly?

52. Malicious Code

53. Malicious Code
• no use of base_64 in themes

54. Malicious Code
• no use of base_64 in themes
• no exploits of any kind

55. Malicious Code
• no use of base_64 in themes
• no exploits of any kind
• sadly themes are still submitted

56. Link Spam

57. Link Spam
• SEO links in footer, headers....

58. HTML/XHTML/CSS

59. HTML/XHTML/CSS
• theme should validate

60. HTML/XHTML/CSS
• theme should validate
• browser prefixing is okay

61. HTML/XHTML/CSS
• theme should validate
• browser prefixing is okay
• really just covering high level stuff

62. HTML/XHTML/CSS
• theme should validate
• browser prefixing is okay
• really just covering high level stuff
• FixPress

63. PHP/JS Errors

64. PHP/JS Errors
• clean an quite

65. PHP/JS Errors
• clean an quite

66. Deprecated Functions

67. Deprecated Functions
• we see this lots

68. Deprecated Functions
• we see this lots
• lots of online tutorials use old bad
practices

69. Deprecated Functions
• we see this lots
• lots of online tutorials use old bad
practices

70. Using the WordPress Way

71. Using the WordPress Way
• using the built in WordPress functionality

72. Using the WordPress Way
• using the built in WordPress functionality
➡ post formats

73. Using the WordPress Way
• using the built in WordPress functionality
➡ post formats
➡ post thumbnails

74. Using the WordPress Way
• using the built in WordPress functionality
➡ post formats
➡ post thumbnails
➡ changing header images

75. Using the WordPress Way
• using the built in WordPress functionality
➡ post formats
➡ post thumbnails
➡ changing header images
➡ wp_editor

76. Using the WordPress Way
• using the built in WordPress functionality
➡ post formats
➡ post thumbnails
➡ changing header images
➡ wp_editor
➡ usually move from recommendation to required over a version

77. Prefixing

78. Prefixing
• properly prefixing functions

79. Prefixing
• properly prefixing functions
➡ another tutorial mess

80. Prefixing
• properly prefixing functions
➡ another tutorial mess
➡ prevent conflicts with other code in child themes or plugins

81. Prefixing
• properly prefixing functions
➡ another tutorial mess
➡ prevent conflicts with other code in child themes or plugins
➡ twenty_ten is a common failed prefix

82. Prefixing
• properly prefixing functions
➡ another tutorial mess
➡ prevent conflicts with other code in child themes or plugins
➡ twenty_ten is a common failed prefix
• Franks Photo

83. Prefixing
• properly prefixing functions
➡ another tutorial mess
➡ prevent conflicts with other code in child themes or plugins
➡ twenty_ten is a common failed prefix
• Franks Photo
➡ sfn_frph_function_name(){}

84. Text Domain

85. Text Domain
• internationalization

86. Text Domain
• internationalization
• again lots of themes use ‘twentyten’ as their
text domain

87. Documentation

88. Documentation
• NOT how to use WordPress or core
WordPress functionality

89. Documentation
• NOT how to use WordPress or core
WordPress functionality
• is there anything unique that may need
more explanation?

90. Documentation
• NOT how to use WordPress or core
WordPress functionality
• is there anything unique that may need
more explanation?
➡ Install WP Cycle to get the gallery we show in the preview

91. Frontend Display

92. Frontend Display
• NOT an aesthetic judgement

93. Frontend Display
• NOT an aesthetic judgement
➡ we don’t care what it looks like

94. Frontend Display
• NOT an aesthetic judgement
➡ we don’t care what it looks like
• needs to support standard content in the
Theme Unit Test data

95. Frontend Display
• NOT an aesthetic judgement
➡ we don’t care what it looks like
• needs to support standard content in the
Theme Unit Test data
➡ stupid long titles

96. Frontend Display
• NOT an aesthetic judgement
➡ we don’t care what it looks like
• needs to support standard content in the
Theme Unit Test data
➡ stupid long titles
➡ no titles

97. Frontend Display
• NOT an aesthetic judgement
➡ we don’t care what it looks like
• needs to support standard content in the
Theme Unit Test data
➡ stupid long titles
➡ no titles
➡ huge site names

98. Child Theme Readiness

99. Child Theme Readiness
• Themes should use the following as
appropriate

100. Child Theme Readiness
• Themes should use the following as
appropriate
➡ get_template_part

101. Child Theme Readiness
• Themes should use the following as
appropriate
➡ get_template_part
➡ locate_template

102. Child Theme Readiness
• Themes should use the following as
appropriate
➡ get_template_part
➡ locate_template
➡ get_stylesheet_uri/get_stylesheet_directory

103. Child Theme Readiness
• Themes should use the following as
appropriate
➡ get_template_part
➡ locate_template
➡ get_stylesheet_uri/get_stylesheet_directory
➡ get_template_uri/get_template_directory

104. Security

105. Security
• escape user input

106. Security
• escape user input
➡ esc_attr, esc_html, wp_kses, esc_textarea....

107. Client Themes

108. Clients

109. Clients
• clients break things

110. Clients
• clients break things
• Theme Review helps make sure

111. Clients
• clients break things
• Theme Review helps make sure
➡ we use current WordPress best practices

112. Clients
• clients break things
• Theme Review helps make sure
➡ we use current WordPress best practices
➡ our themes are secure

113. Clients
• clients break things
• Theme Review helps make sure
➡ we use current WordPress best practices
➡ our themes are secure
➡ all possible data types display properly

114. Deviate from Review

115. Deviate from Review
• text domain and internationalization

116. Deviate from Review
• text domain and internationalization
• .git/.svn directories

117. Deviate from Review
• text domain and internationalization
• .git/.svn directories
• tags

118. Going Further

119. Inline Documentation

120. Inline Documentation
• page template documentation

121. Inline Documentation
• page template documentation

122. Inline Documentation

123. Inline Documentation
• Function level PHP docblock

124. Inline Documentation
• Function level PHP docblock

125. Plugin Territory

126. Plugin Territory
• Does this functionality need to live beyond
this specific site design?

127. Plugin Territory
• Does this functionality need to live beyond
this specific site design?
➡ CPT’s like a portfolio on your site

128. Plugin Territory
• Does this functionality need to live beyond
this specific site design?
➡ CPT’s like a portfolio on your site
➡ taxonomies, slideshows, google analytics...

129. Resources
• http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Review
• http://www.chipbennett.net/2011/04/20/a-guide-to-reviewing-themes-for-the-wordpress-theme-
repository/
• http://codex.wordpress.org/Data_Validation
• http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/debug-bar-extender/
• http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/debug-bar/
• http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/fixpress/
• http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/log-deprecated-notices/
• http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/

130. Developing Client Themes for
Theme Review
WordCamp YEG 2011
http://get10up.com @curtismchale