There’s not a whole lot happening in docs at the minute so how about folding the Handbooks chat in with the docs chat and having a regular docs chat on Thursdays from 18:00 – 19:00 UTC?
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Siobhan
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Jenny
A reminder for those who haven’t seen it.
Please take a few minutes to fill in the Community Hub Poll as the poll closes Thursday at 00:00UTC.
For more information on the Community Hub, please check out this post.
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Siobhan
Remembering Kim
The project is going to be offering an annual travel scholarship in Kim’s name. This is a really fitting way to remember her, giving other people the same joy that she felt through her participation in the community. You can read more about it here: https://make.wordpress.org/community/2015/01/15/remembering-kim-parsell/
Thanks to @jenmylo, @matt, and everyone else who was involved in arranging it.
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Siobhan
Kicking off helphub
Helphub is a new docs/support/meta project. If you’d like to be involved, you can read and comment on kick-off post here and read the full specifications here.
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Siobhan
Docs Information Architecture
I’ve split the types of people who’ll be approaching the content into two broad groups:
- Users: anyone who uses WordPress, from amatuer bloggers to people setting up a complex multisite installation. WordPress users are a very broad group.
- Developers: anyone who extends WordPress, i.e. with plugins and themes (or the JSON REST API in the future).
Below is a diagram which outlines how I envisage the content in the Codex being split up:
I’ll go through each of these sections.
Use
Knowledgebase
https://wordpress.org/support
Priority: High
Goal: to provide WordPress users with a searchable database of answers to common questions.
Target Audience: WordPress users of all levels and ability.
Example content- How do I add an image?
- How do I activate multisite?
- How do I add a new user?
- Can I change my domain?
- How do I move my plugins folder?
- How do I increase my PHP memory limit?
- What is a permalink?
Status: Helphub spec in draft. To be published soon.
Guides
https://wordpress.org/support
Priority: Low
Goal:To provide barebones guides to specific use-cases for WordPress
Target Audience: WordPress users of all levels and ability, though each individual guide will be tailored towards a specific user level (for example, blogging will be less advanced than the multisite guide
Example Content:- Admin Guide
- Multisite Guide
- Installation Guide
- Blogging Guide
- Troubleshooting Guide
Blog
The blog can be used for release-related documentation or guides relating to a specific event. For example, whenever we anticipate an issue with a release we will publish an article in the Codex. The blog will provide a platform for that.
Extend
http://developer.wordpress.org
Code Reference
https://developer.wordpress.org/reference
Priority: High
Goal: to provide WordPress developers with an automated code reference that includes explanations and user-submitted examples
Target Audience: WordPress developers of all levels and ability.
Example content- Function Reference
- Class Reference
- Hook reference
Status: Live. Still actively developed.
Handbooks
https://developer.wordpress.org/handbook-name
Priority: High
Goal: to provide WordPress developers with guides to extending the platform
Target Audience: WordPress developers of all levels and ability.
Example content- Theme Developer Handbook
- Plugin Developer Handbook
- Intro to developing with WP (including WordPress basics, setting up dev environment)
Status:
- Plugin Developer Handbook – v1
- Theme Developer Handbook – being worked on
- Intro to Developing with WP Handbook – not yet started
Resources
https://developer.wordpress.org/resources
Priority: Low
Goal: to provide WordPress developers with resources
Target Audience: WordPress developers of all levels and ability.
Example content- Dashicons
- Other tools
Status: Dashicons live.
Blog
A blog for publishing useful information for developers, for example information they need to know about a new release, or about changes to developer.wp.org.
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Mike Schinkel
“In the wild” I often see people refer to themselves as “WordPress Developers” who install sites and then install and configure themes and plugins, but who do not actually write any code. So we’ve been avoiding the term “developer” and instead using the terms “WordPress Site Builders” for people who build sites and “WordPress Themers” for people who write mostly write HTML+CSS with some PHP/jQuery sprinkled in, and “WordPress Coders” for people who write PHP/MySQL/Javascript code and build plugins. Something to consider?
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Siobhan
That could get rather complicated when putting together an information architecture for documentation. When we’re breaking down such a large amount of data at the top level it makes sense to break it down into the broadest ways that WP is used.
Besides, we already have developer.wordpress.org, and wordpress-coders.wordpress.org doesn’t work quite so well
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Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)
This.
We could get really nitpicky and point out that WPCOM users are WordPress Users, but they’re user- (they can’t install plugins but they can configure them). We have to start somewhere simple if we want to have a hope of going anywhere.
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Gary Jones
Any consideration of having the PHP (code and inline docs), JS and eventually CSS / Sass coding standards moved to developer.wordpress.org/resources? They are currently in the core handbook, but are for, and used by, plugin and theme developers too. They should be a community resource that core, as a member of the community, also try to adhere to.
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Siobhan
I can see the virtue in having them in both places, but obviously we don’t want to keep them in two places as we have to maintain them twice. Let me ask around and see what other people think.
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Gary Jones
I’d rather see them just in the developer resources section, and a signpost left in the core handbook that expresses “Hey, core generally follows the community code standards, which you can find _here_, but core has the following differences: …”
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Normalize
Hi, I’m new, but I want to help. (I’m also on slack.) I’ve done a lot of tutorials for users of my own sites, so hopefully there’s a place to put that to use.
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Siobhan
RIP Kim Parsell
It is with great, great sadness that I write this post. Last weekend, the docs team was struck by some truly tragic news: Kim Parsell, one of our most beloved members, died at home in Ohio.
Kim has been an integral part of the docs team for the past few years, and to say that she will be missed is an understatement. Kim was such an important part of both the docs team and the wider project. She worked hard to improve WordPress’ documentation, spearheading the inline docs efforts with @drewapicture. She was a Recent Rockstar in WordPress 3.7, and has been a contributing developer since WordPress 3.9.
But she’ll be remembered for much more than her achievements in documentation and code. The first time I met Kim was at the very first docs meetup in Cincinnati in 2013. The first thought that struck me was “wow, that lady can talk!”. And talk she did: she was open, and welcoming, and big-hearted. She shared so much of herself, and listened when others wanted to share with her. She had such incredible warmth. I will always remember the last time I saw her – when she gave me a tight, tight hug, when we said goodbye in San Francisco. She was a great hugger.
I hope, that despite our grief, that we can reflect with gladness on the last few years of Kim’s life. She has been part of a community that she loved and that loved her, a community that gave her joy. From her remote corner of Ohio, she made friendships across the world. She flourished in the WordPress community, and became part of something that made her happy. I am proud to have played a small part in her happiness, just as she played a part in mine.
Kim was not someone to get knocked down easily. She was tenacious, and she was a fighter. So the docs meeting will continue as usual, this Thursday, and rather than letting this knock us down we will keep doing what we do, and in doing so keep her spirit alive.
RIP Kim. We will miss you.
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Marcus
That’s really sad to hear… whilst I never had any direct contact with her, could not help but come across the various contributions she made that added value to so many people’s lives including myself. Thoughts go out to her family and friends.
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Jeff Chandler
Thank you for everything you did Kim not only to make WordPress better, but making the people surrounding the project better as well. I’ll miss you.
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Dougal Campbell
So sad. I didn’t know Kim terribly well, but we had conversed online, and she was always such an upbeat person. I know she is missed by many.
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Eric Amundson
Thanks for the great post, Siobhan.
I’m so glad to have known Kim and was always impressed with her humble demeanor, relentless contributions, and driving participation in WP docs. She was a terrific role model, and always patient, helpful, drama-free, and wonderful to work with.
I can still hear her voice and can’t believe she’s gone. She’ll always be a WordPress Rockstar to me.
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Graham Armfield
This is really sad news Siobhan.
I never knew Kim, but I did meet her at WCSF in October. She came across as a thoughtful and generous person, happy to share her knowledge and time with anyone.
A great community is made by such great people.
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Maria
I am so sorry to hear this news. Siobhan, you described Kim perfectly. Her contributions will never be forgotten.
Thank you Kim for the chance to getting to know you, you will be missed!
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Timothy Bowers
Although I didn’t know Kim, it’s always sad when this world loses the light of truly remarkable and great person. My thoughts are with the friends and family in these sad times.
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Jose Castaneda
Really well said, Siobhan! She was a great hugger and greater person for inspiring and motivating others.
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suzettefranck
Hello everyone in the docs team and friends of Kim,
I reached out to Kim’s son, Gary on facebook, and I have set up a website to remember her by at http://wpmom.org. If anyone would like to help or contribute content or photos to this effort, please reach out to me, my email is hello (at) suzettefranck.com or @suzette_franck on twitter or @suzettefranck on Slack.
I loved Kim and I always saw her being active with WordPress documentation and contributing, but I only met her twice in person, at the last two WCSF, so I am sure there are people that have some wonderful memories of Kim that they would like to share. For now, I am trying to link to all the wonderful posts that people have been putting out so far.
My mother died a few days before this Christmas, and Kim tweeted me sending me hugs and prayers to my family, which I was deeply touched by since I did not know her super well. When I heard the news that she had passed, I was completely heartbroken, like everyone else, but I wanted to do something to pay tribute to her and I couldn’t find that anyone had started a page, so I did.
I would love any thoughts or suggestions that anyone has, as you all knew her better than I.
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Ustimenko Alexander
So sad
With sympathy from Russia.
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Eric Amundson
Contributor Meetup – December 20th
The South Sound WP Meetup’s next monthly WordPress Contributor Meetup is tomorrow, Saturday, December 20th from 9AM to 12PM PST (17:00 UTC).
We need all experience levels – this isn’t just for coders. We need writers, screenshot-takers, editors, readers, and of course, developers. If you show up, we’ll find a way you can help.
Questions
How do I join in person?
Venue and directions are on the Meetup listing.
What if you’re not in the Seattle/Tacoma area?
We’ll use Slack for team communication while we’re at the meetup, so if you’re joining from another state, country, or stratosphere you can participate as long as you’ve got a good internet connection.
If you don’t already have a Slack account, go to https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and signup for an account. Once you log in, join us in the #docs channel.
How long is this Contributor Meetup?
From 9am – 12pm PST (17:00 – 20:00 UTC).
How do I join you?
- Show up in person or on Slack in #docs
- You can join the South Sound WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com (optional)
- RSVP for meetups that interest you and ask any questions you have
- We’ll help you get started contributing to Docs.
I hope to see you there.
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Kim Parsell
Today’s Docs Office Hours
We’ll be holding office hours at our normal time today.
This will be the last weekly office hours for the Docs team for 2014. The next two Thursdays are both holidays, so the next time we get together will be on January 8, 2015. That will also be our monthly team chat, so mark your calendars.
Hope to see you there!
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Drew Jaynes (DrewAPicture)
Would you like to talk about which pages in the handbooks/Codex will need still need updating following the 4.1 release? I won’t be there for the first part of the office hours today.
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Kim Parsell
Yes, that would be a good topic to discuss today.
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Drew Jaynes
@kpdesign has been working day and night to get the 4.1 version article filled up leading up to this week’s release. She could really use some help getting it into shape.
In particular, the Under the Hood section could use a bit of work by folks who have more intimate knowledge of core. These would be people like @ipstenu, @sewmyheadon, @dh-shredder, @boonebgorges and others who have helped out in the past.
If you think you know someone from the core team who could lend a hand, please please point them this way.
Some items may also need to simply be reorganized from section to section. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
We’re primarily working off of two checklists:
Anything checked off has already been added to the version page in some form, or skipped for brevity.
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Boone Gorges
I made some minor edits to the Highlights and General sections, and broke Query and Comments improvements into their own sections. Next I’m going to take a look at some of the query-related Codex pages to see what kind of improvements they need.
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Boone Gorges
https://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/WP_Query now has some text describing the new nested syntax for tax, meta, and date queries.
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Elio Rivero
Added Customizer section:
Core Weekly Posts Checklist #29947 #29983 #29572 #29529 #30031
Trac Revision Logs @30760 @30714-
Drew Jaynes (DrewAPicture)
Great, thanks! I’ve checked those items off for you.
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Kim Parsell
Thanks @DrewAPicture, @boonebgorges and @eliorivero for your help – it is most appreciated!
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Elio Rivero
You’re welcome @DrewAPicture and @kpdesign, I deeply appreciate your work.
Added more to customizer and finished its block in this checklist
Core Weekly Posts Checklist #26061 #29324 #29165 #30225 #30223
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Drew Jaynes (DrewAPicture)
Thank you again, I’ve marked those off for you
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Siobhan
Devhub update 16th December
Apologies for my lack of updates of late. Meetings have been going on in Slack, but I’ve not been good at writing up the notes.-
This week we discussed:
- parser – @coffee2code will be running the parser after 4.1 lands tomorrow. Re-parsing will reveal some new goodies, such as the Used by/Uses information
- explanations – @drew has a patch to scott to review. Once explanations land we’ll start testing them.
- design – jan, who’s on the dot org team at automattic will be redesigning devhub in the new year
- related content – we discussed #174 – link to generally related functions/classes. We’ll return to it next week after the Used by/Uses information lands.
- plan for 4.1 parsing – @coffee2code will run the parser tomorrow shortly after release. Please be available in the devhub room in case we have issues (especially you @Rarst )
Committed this past week:
- Introduced get_summary() and used it. Abstracted the fact the summary (aka short description) is stored in post_excerpt, primarily to force display of special characters.
- Displayed function/method return types in the same style as parameter types (parenthesized, italicized)
- Italicized parameter types in the display of the method signature
- Enabled display of inline source code for classes
- Moved formatting-related code into dedicated include file
Drew Jaynes 5:36 pm on February 17, 2015 Permalink | Log in to Reply
👍 Makes sense to me.
Samuel Sidler 9:21 pm on February 26, 2015 Permalink | Log in to Reply
We mostly made this official today. Yay!