Submitting to theWordPress Theme Directory

#wpmelbAnthony Hortin

@maddisondesigns

What is the Theme Directory?

The Theme Directory is a great place to find free awesome themes.

Each theme has been thoroughly tested by the WordPress Theme Review Team so as to ensure a high level of standard.http://wordpress.org/extend/themes

Theme Review Guidelines

The Theme Review Guidelines are maintained by the Theme Review Team.

It outline standards and practices for WordPress Theme development and design.

Theme Review Guidelines

Code Quality

Themes must not generate any WordPress deprecated-function notices, PHP errors, warnings, or notices, HTML/CSS validation errors, or JavaScript errors.

Theme Review Guidelines

Code Quality

✓ Themes must not use deprecated functions

✓ Themes must not support backward compatibility for more than two prior major WordPress versions

✓ Themes must not have any notices, warnings, or errors when using WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php

✓ Themes must not generate any JavaScript errors

✓ Themes are required to use a ‘theme-slug’ as the textdomain for translation purposes

Theme Review Guidelines

Presentation vs Functionality

Themes must not be used to define the generation of user content, or to define Theme-independent site options or functionality.

Theme Review Guidelines

Presentation vs Functionality

✓ Themes are required to have all public-facing text in English

✓ Theme may optionally incorporate translation/internationalization

✓ Themes are recommended not to implement custom favicon functionality

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Features

Themes are required to support proper WordPress core implementation of all included features.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Features

✓ Theme is required to incorporate the following WordPress core Theme Features:- Automatic Feed Links - Sidebars - Comments

✓ Theme is recommended (but not required) to incorporate the following core features:- Navigation Menus - Post Thumbnails- Custom Headers - Custom Backgrounds- Visual Editor CSS

✓ Theme must not incorporate Admin/feature pointers

Theme Review Guidelines

Template Tags and Hooks

Themes are required to implement WordPress template tags and hooks properly.

Theme Review Guidelines

Template Tags and Hooks

✓ Certain template tags and hooks are required to be included, such as:- wp_title() - wp_head() - wp_footer()

✓ Standard template files are required to be called correctly, such as:- get_header() - get_footer() - get_template_part()

✓ Themes are required to correctly enqueue all stylesheets and scripts:- wp_enqueue_style() - wp_enqueue_script()

Theme Review Guidelines

WordPress-Generated CSS Classes

Themes are required to support WordPress-generated CSS classes.

Theme Review Guidelines

WordPress-Generated CSS Classes

✓ Themes are required to support certain css classes, such as:- .aligncenter - .alignleft - .alignright- .wp-caption - .wp-caption-text - .gallery-caption- .sticky - .bypostauthor

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Template Files

Themes are required to utilise Theme template files properly.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Template Files

✓ Theme is required to include, at a minimum:- index.php - comments.php - style.css

✓ Theme is recommended to include:- 404.php - archive.php - page.php - search.php- single.php - header.php - footer.php - sidebar.php

✓ Theme thumbnail (screenshot.png) is recommended to be 600 x 450px

Theme Review Guidelines

Security and Privacy

Themes are required to implement Theme settings properly, to ensure proper data security, and to ensure end user privacy.

Theme Review Guidelines

Security and Privacy

✓ Themes are required to prefix all options, custom functions, custom variables, and custom constants with theme-slug (or appropriate variant).

✓ Themes are required to validate and sanitize all untrusted data

✓ Themes must not "phone home" without informed user consent

Theme Review Guidelines

Licensing

Themes are required to be licensed fully under a GPL-compatible license.

Theme Review Guidelines

Licensing

✓ Themes are required to be 100% GPL-licensed, or use a GPL-compatible license. This includes all PHP, HTML, CSS, images, fonts, icons, and everything else. All of the theme must be GPL-compatible.

✓ Themes are required to declare their license explicitly

✓ Themes must not clone the design of a past or present web site.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Name

Themes are required to use appropriate Theme Names.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Name

✓ Themes are not to use WordPress in their name

✓ Themes are not to use the term Theme in their name

✓ Themes may use the WP acronym in the Theme name

✓ Themes are not to use version-specific, markup-related terms (e.g. HTML5, CSS3, etc.) in their name.

Theme Review Guidelines

Credit Links

Themes are recommended to use credit links. If used, credit links are required to be appropriate.

Theme Review Guidelines

Credit Links

✓ Themes may optionally designate Author URI and Theme URI in style.css and are recommended to provide at least one of these two links

✓ Themes may optionally include a public-facing credit link in the Theme footer

✓ Since Themes are GPL (or compatible), Theme authors are prohibited from requiring that these links be kept by Theme users

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Documentation

Themes are required to provide sufficient documentation to explain the use of any custom features or options.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Documentation

✓ Themes are required to provide end-user documentation of any design limitations or extraordinary installation/setup instructions

✓ Themes are recommended to include a readme.txt file

✓ In lieu of a readme.txt file, Themes are recommended to include a changelog, indicating version-to-version Theme changes.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Unit Test

Themes are required to meet all requirements in the Theme Unit Tests.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Unit Test

✓ The Theme must meet all the requirements of the Theme Unit Testhttp://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Unit_Test

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Obsolescence

Themes are required to be kept current once accepted into the Theme Repository.

Theme Review Guidelines

Theme Obsolescence

✓ Themes must be kept current once submitted, approved, and accepted into the Theme Repository.

✓ Any Theme not updated to the current theme review process as of the most recent release of WordPress may be subject to temporary suspension.

Theme Development

Whether you’re developing for the Theme Directory, a client or just yourself...

It pays to have good code.

WordPress provides you with a set of standards to follow.

Theme Development

Theme Development Standards

✓ Use well-structured, error-free PHP & valid HTMLWordPress Coding Standards:http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Coding_Standards

✓ Use clean, valid CSSCSS Coding Standard:http://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/coding-standards/css

✓ Follow design guidelinesSite Design and Layout:http://codex.wordpress.org/Site_Design_and_Layout

Theme Development

Theme Stylesheet

Add information about your theme into your style.css file, in the form of comments./*Theme Name: Twenty ThirteenTheme URI: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/twentythirteenAuthor: the WordPress teamAuthor URI: http://wordpress.org/Description: The 2013 theme for WordPress takes us back to the blog, featuring a full range of post formats, each displayed beautifully in their own unique way. Design details abound, starting with a gorgeous color scheme and matching header images, optional display fonts for beautiful typography, and a wide layout that looks great on large screens yet remains device-agnostic and is readable on any device.Version: 0.1License: GNU General Public License v2 or laterLicense URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.htmlTags: black, brown, orange, tan, white, light, one-column, two-columns, right-sidebar, flexible-width, custom-header, custom-menu, editor-style, featured-images, microformats, post-formats, rtl-language-support, sticky-post, translation-readyText Domain: twentythirteen

This theme, like WordPress, is licensed under the GPL.Use it to make something cool, have fun, and share what you've learned with others.*/

Theme Development

Theme Stylesheet

When specifying your tags in style.css, make sure to only use the allowed tags.http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/tag-filter

Theme Development

Code Formatting

Pretty code makes for happy developers!

Using Sublime Text 2, automatically format your PHP to conform to the WordPress Coding Standardshttps://github.com/welovewordpress/SublimePhpTidy

Bonus Tip:Easily search the WordPress Codex or lookup WordPress functionshttps://github.com/welovewordpress/SublimeWordPressCodex

Theme Development

100% GPL

Themes must be 100% GPL (or GPL-Compatible)

This means ALL images, HTML, CSS, PHP, fonts, icons, JavaScript etc.

Creative Commons is not GPL-Compatible

Oh, one last thing...

✓ All one word!

✓ Uppercase W!

✓ Uppercase P!

Spell “WordPress” correctly!!!

Links to Remember

WordPress Theme Review Teamhttp://make.wordpress.org/themes

Theme Review Guidelineshttp://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Review

Theme Unit Testhttp://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Unit_Test

CSS Coding Standardshttp://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/coding-standards/css

WordPress Coding Standardshttp://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Coding_Standards

Readme.txt format. Similar format to this plugin readme samplehttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/about/readme.txt

Uploading your theme to the Theme Directoryhttp://wordpress.org/extend/themes/upload

Links to Remember

GNU GPL v2.0 Licensehttp://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

GPL-compatible font licenseshttp://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Review#GPL-Compatible_Font_Licenses

GPL-compatible icon setshttp://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Review#GPL-Compatible_Icon_Sets

Theme Check Plugin. Make sure to test your theme before submittinghttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-check

Monster Widget. A quick method of adding all core widgets to a sidebarhttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/monster-widget

That’s all folks!☺

Thanks! Questions?

You can find me here...maddisondesigns.comeasywpguide.com@maddisondesigns