If you’re a theme designer, or just an aspiring one, and you want to develop WordPress-based sites, then you really need a basic core theme. Here’s why:
In this article you’re using the Notes Blog Core theme (by yours truly) as an example. You can use it as your own basic core theme to build upon, whether you do this by hacking the theme directly to fit your needs, or by applying the child theme concept to it; this is up to you. The theme is free to use in just about any way you like, from personal sites to a basis for commercial projects.
Should you not want to use Notes Blog Core you can either create your very own basic core theme from scratch (or copy and paste your way, with sensibility of course), or find a theme framework that fits you. There are several to choose from online, and a quick search will give dozens of promising hits. What you do need to be wary of is the license, since you want to be able to use your basic core theme any way you like without paying for every setup or something like that. If your core theme of choice is a premium theme, there is most likely a developer’s license that gives you these rights, but if you’re reading this article, chances are you’re better offspending some time creating your very own core theme.
So what should the core theme do then? Well, everything you think you need on a regular basis, and absolutely nothing more. The last thing you want is a bloated core theme that may look good in itself, or perhaps suit one kind of WordPress site, but be entirely overkill for others. It is a better idea to keep an extras library with stuffyou won’t need all the time, from custom code to small code snippets and template files, and deploy these things only when needed. After all, you want the final theme to be as tight as possible, without being hard to maintain. To sum up:
Say you’re the generous kind and want to share your brilliant core theme, or a variant of it at least, with the general public. Good for you, that’s very much in line with the open source spirit. But if you’re gonna do it, then let’s make sure you do it right!
Releasing a theme to the WordPress community is always appreciated. As of WordPress 2.8, the offi cial theme directory offers theme installation from within the WordPress admin interface, which makes it all the more interesting to host your theme there. That way, the WordPress site will also make sure that sites use the latest version of the theme, and should they not the option to upgrade automatically through the admin interface will present itself. That is assuming you keep your theme up-to-date in the directory, of course.
When you release a theme, it should, of course, be fully functional, preferably validated, and not a complete copy of someone else’s work. See the theme checklist below for more on what you should consider before releasing your theme.
It may be tempting to sell your theme. Commercial (or premium, as they are sometimes called) themes are a reality, and there are licenses for sale with support programs, as well as other solutions that work around the GPL license that WordPress carries. Why should that matter to you and the theme you want to sell? Well, since WordPress is licensed under GPL, that means everything relying on WordPress is also covered. This is rocky ground to say the least, and you should consider how you license your theme carefully. It may also be good to know that the directory on wordpress.org only accepts themes compatible with the GPL license, which has sparked a mass conversion of premium themes to GPL.
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05172010
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