Theme Handbook Update Jan 24th

Friends, Romans, Theme developers, lend me your hooksHooks In WordPress theme and development, hooks are functions that can be applied to an action or a Filter in WordPress. Actions are functions performed when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filters allow you to modify certain functions. Arguments used to hook both filters and actions look the same.…and let us together take “action”.
For those that haven’t heard, I am the editor of the Theme Handbook. I am responsible for  bringing together the different theme topics, to be written by volunteers like you, into a cohesive reference on building a WordPress theme.
With the help of Siobhan, Chip, and many others we have compiled the table of contents for the Theme Handbook.  The Handbook contains five different sections that are split among many different topics:
  • Introduction – Content Management in WordPress, What is a Theme?
  • Theme Basics – Template Files, The LoopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop., Template Tags, Theme Functions, Including CSSCSS CSS is an acronym for cascading style sheets. This is what controls the design or look and feel of a site., Including JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser. https://www.javascript.com/.
  • Theme Functionality – Comments, Sidebars, Navigation Menus, Thumbnails, Image Galleries, AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility), Translation, Misc.
  • Advanced Theme Topics – Best Practices, UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing./UXUX UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think ‘what they are doing’ and less about how they do it., Theme CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings., Theme Options, Security, Child Themes
  • Theme Release – Required Files, Testing, Writing Documentation, Submission Process

Our team is in need of a few more contributors.  Each topic will be written by one or more volunteer contributors.   If you know of anyone that would be interested or perhaps a good fit for an open section please do let me know.

The next steps are to get the current volunteers access to the Theme Handbook site, find volunteers for the unclaimed sections, and get this show on the road.
The next IRC Docs Chat is today at 2100 UTC on #wordpress-sfd.  Hope to see you there.

#handbooks