KafleG 9:13 am on November 13, 2024
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Nominations Call for the themes team representatives: 2025 Edition

The Themes team is seeking representatives for the year 2025. It’s time to submit your nominations! Please leave a comment in the section below to nominate a team member. Based on the nominations, two or three representatives will be selected for the Themes team.

Currently, @acosmin, @shivashankerbhatta, and me (@kafleg) are the team representatives. 

What are Team Reps?

Team representatives are responsible for acting as the primary communicators on behalf of their team.

In the WordPress open-source project, each team typically has one or two representatives (reps).

Read here to learn more about team reps.

Responsibilities:

  • They represent the team
  • Communication with other teams
  • Post weekly updates
  • Mentor theme reviewers 
  • Transfer themes, suspend or delist themes (if necessary)
  • Conduct team meetings, write meeting agendas and meeting notes 
  • Guide theme authors and reply to their questions 
  • Regularly check themes team email and follow-up etc. 
  • Maintain Theme Check 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.
  • Review Patterns and set live or delist them, etc.

What are the qualifications?

A representative should be an active member of the WordPress Community. Someone reliable and trusted, familiar with WordPress theme development.

How to nominate someone? 

The deadline for nominations is Sunday, December 15, 2024.

Nomination text sample: “I would like to nominate @nominee_wp_username”. Or you can also nominate yourself. You can write “I would like to nominate myself”. 

If you get nominated but if you are not ready for the reps, you can decline it as well.

How Will the Election Work?

If we receive more nominations and are unable to reach a consensus on the representatives, we will hold a vote, similar to an election. If necessary, we will publish a separate post with detailed information about the voting process.

Once the results are in, the new team representative(s) will be announced in a follow-up blog post.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. Happy Nominating!

#themes-team

Ben Dwyer 7:17 am on June 30, 2022  

Create Block Theme

Create Block Theme is a new 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. which makes it easier for theme builders to use the existing Site Editor tools to create new blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. themes.

What does it do?

This is a plugin which provides tools to enable theme builders to create block themes. There are five different ways of using it:

  1. Export: The current theme gets exported as a zip file, along with the user’s changes. This is essentially the same as the export option in the Site Editor
  2. Create a child themeChild theme A Child Theme is a customized theme based upon a Parent Theme. It’s considered best practice to create a child theme if you want to modify the CSS of your theme. https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/advanced-topics/child-themes/
    Creates a new child theme with the currently activated theme as a parent.
  3. Clone the current theme
    Creates a new theme by cloning the activated theme. The resulting theme will have all of the assets of the activated theme combined with the user’s changes.
  4. Overwrite theme files
    Saves user’s changes to the theme files and deletes the user’s changes.
  5. Create blank theme
    Generates an “empty” theme inside of this site’s themes directory.

How do I use it?

This tool is designed to complement the existing tools in the Site Editor. You can build your theme using the Site Editor, and then use this plugin to save your changes in the way that is most convenient for your use case. You can see this in action in Designing a theme in the WordPress Editor by @beafialho.

The Training Team is busy working on a course for Learn WordPress all about creating block themes using the Create Block Theme plugin.

Who is it for?

This plugin is aimed at theme builders – both designers and developers. It is useful for sharing your designs between multiple sites or users. If you’re just building a site for yourself you probably don’t need it.

Note: This is a new tool and it may have unexpected behaviour. It is not advised to use it on a production siteProduction Site A production site is a live site online meant to be viewed by your visitors, as opposed to a site that is staged for development or testing..

Why isn’t this in GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/?

Some features from this plugin (theme export) have made their way from this plugin into Gutenberg. This plugin is aimed at more advanced theme builders, but would be confusing for average users. The best way to make these tools available for people who want them is to put them in a separate plugin which is easy to install.

At the moment the 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. of this plugin is totally separate from Gutenberg. In time we expect more integration with the Site Editor UI, to make it easier to access these features.

How do I contribute to the plugin?

Everyone is encourage to contribute to this plugin in GitHub, by creating pull requests or issues.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who has helped build this great tool:
@onemaggie @pbking @mikachan @mmaattiiaass @jeffikus @jffng @mrdollu @chaosexanima @phillsav

Questions

If you have any questions please ask in the comments.

KafleG 6:09 am on October 23, 2024
Tags: block themes, , ,   

Celebrating 1,000 Block Themes in the themes repository!

I’m happy to share news about a major milestone in the WordPress community: the addition of 1,000 block themes in the themes repository. This showcases the growing popularity of blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.-based design and empowering theme authors.

The Rise of Block Themes

The first block theme to go live was Armando, crafted by Carolina Nymark (@poena).

As of October 22, 2023, there are 536 block themes live, and since January 1, 2024, that number has risen by an impressive 457. This rapid growth reflects the community’s enthusiasm for block-based design, making it easier than ever to create unique, tailored experiences online.

Celebrating Top Theme Authors

The achievement of 1,000 block themes would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of talented theme authors. Here are the top 10 contributors to the WordPress theme ecosystem:

  1. Automattic – 116 themes
  2. Creta Themes – 41 themes
  3. VW Themes – 39 themes
  4. WPRadiant – 35 themes
  5. pewilliams – 34 themes
  6. CozyThemes – 32 themes
  7. CodeYatri – 30 themes
  8. Catch Themes – 29 themes
  9. Superb Addons – 28 themes
  10. themegrovewp – 27 themes

These authors have played a crucial role in expanding the block theme landscape, offering users a diverse array of styles and functionalities to choose from.

What’s Next for Block Themes?

The themes team would like to see more block themes. We expect an influx of innovative designs and functionalities. Whether you’re a developer, designer, or site owner, the potential of block themes offers exciting opportunities for creativity and customization.

We encourage everyone to dive into the themes repository and explore the vast selection of block themes available. Whether you’re starting a new project or looking to refresh an existing site, there’s a block theme waiting for you.

Join the Celebration!

If you have your favourite block theme, comment below. Or if you’re building any block theme and planning to submit in the WordPress themes repository, we also love to listen to that. Comment down below.

Happy WordPressing!

Thank you @acosmin for collecting the data and reviewing the post.

#block-themes, #block-based-themes, #full-site-editing, #themes-team

KafleG 7:03 am on September 9, 2024
Tags: , ,   

Themes team meeting agenda for September 10, 2024

The Themes Team holds meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays every month. For this month, the first meeting is set to take place on September 10.

Meeting Details:

(You need WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and you need an account to participate. View here how to make a WordPress Slack account.)

Alongside the scheduled agendas, we dedicate time at the end of each meeting for an open floor session, where you are invited to ask questions or share any themes-related updates.

We strongly encourage all members and anyone interested in the themes to join in. If there are specific topics you’d like to see included in the agenda, please don’t hesitate to add them in the comment section below.

Meeting Agendas

  1. Weekly updates
  2. Update 4 letters for min prefix length
  3. Twenty Twenty-Five theme development
  4. WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US 2024
  5. Open Floor

I am looking forward to seeing you at the meeting!

#agenda, #meeting, #themes-team

Maggie Cabrera 10:49 am on May 20, 2024
Tags: ,   

Proposal: changes to the themes team

https://make.wordpress.org/themes/ states:

“The primary focus of the team is to help theme authors transition to blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.-based themes.”

Let’s bring that in with the description of what the team does and their priorities.

The current issues:

  • The name of the team’s SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ channel doesn’t fit anymore: the team is no longer called the Themes Review team, but the slack channel is still called #themereview. This creates confusion for contributors, especially in the context of contributor days and general onboarding.
  • Team competencies have expanded: so far, the main task of the team members has been reviews. With the advent of block themes, the queues have become much shorter, and not many reviewers are needed anymore. Some team members have moved on to participate in theme-related tasks such as creating new default themes, helping maintain past default themes, and also contributing to community themes. Some have created patterns or even moved to focus on easing the gap between classic and block themes with work in the editor itself. All of this combines to focus on helping those creating themes move and grow in using block themes.
  • The need for visibility of an expanded team: If the team’s competencies expand, onboarding new theme members allows for a greater diversity of profiles. We want to collaborate closer with the design team, coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. editor team and empower designers to collaborate and contribute.

What now?

The next steps we recommend are:

  • Rename Slack channel to #themes.
  • Meetings:
    • Continue to have a team meeting focused on theme reviews. This remains an opportunity for theme authors to ask questions about submitting their themes.
    • Begin to have a weekly bug scrub for default themes on Monday afternoons at 14:00 BST.
  • Team reporting:
    • The team will continue to report stats on the number of submitted and closed themes, reviews, and emails…
    • Default theme stats will be reported each month at the end of the month.
  • Team reps:
    • Team reps don’t need to cover all the new areas of focus of the team, but hopefully, this change will encourage people from outside the scope of reviews to volunteer as representatives in the future
  • Encourage contribution days to have theme tables to embrace this new focus.
  • Update the team handbook to reflect the changes.

Let’s discuss this proposal and see what the rest of the missing pieces here are.

This post was a collaborative effort of @acosmin @poena @kafleg @luminuu @desrosj @shivashankerbhatta @karmatosed @onemaggie

Props @chanthaboune for pre-publish review.