Help maintain the pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. that checks WordPress themes against directory submission requirements. Every theme submitted to WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ is run through Theme Check, so improvements to this plugin affect thousands of themes.
- Prerequisite: Review a Theme — understand how Theme Check is used before improving it
- Reference: Theme Check repository
- Connect: Join #themes and introduce yourself
Steps
- Set up your environment. Fork and clone the Theme Check repository. Use a local dev environment or WordPress Playground.
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Explore Theme Check. Run it against a theme you have or one from the theme directory. See what it catches and what the output looks like.
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Read an open issue. Pick an open issue and read the full thread. Observe how people communicate. Ignore anything referencing “sniffer” — it’s a deprecated tool no longer in development.
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Test a pull request. Test an open PR using Playground or a local environment. Does it do what it says? Leave a comment with what you found.
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Contribute to an issue. Add something useful — a reproduction, a question, a confirmation. Or file a new issue if you found a bug or missing feature.
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Submit a pull request. Branch your fork and submit a PR. One PR = one change. You won’t have commit access initially — a maintainer will review your PRs.
Contribution checklist
- Comments and issues are specific and useful — test results, reproductions, clear descriptions
- Each PR addresses one change, references the issue, and comes from a branch on your fork
- Tested changes against multiple themes
What happens next
A maintainer will review your PR. If it’s been a week, a polite pingPing The act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” in #themes is fine.
When you’re ready, pick up another issue, settle into a feature area, or review other contributors’ PRs.
Help
Stuck? Check the getting help guide, then ask in #themes.
Further reading:
– Theme review handbook
