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How to Check, package and release your WordPress Theme created with Pinegrow?

Categories: WordPress Tutorials

Okay, you think your WordPress theme is done and you would like to share it with the world.

But, prior to the release, our best advice is that you now proceed with a complete check-up!

While Pinegrow natively generates fully valid WordPress themes, there are still some items that you should check before zipping your custom theme folder and consider it is done.

Here is our – not exhaustive – checklist:

Do a run-through using a Theme Unit Test

The idea of the Theme Unit Test is to fill your local WordPress setup with a massive amount of dummy content (Posts, Pages, Categories, Tags, Typography tests, Menus, Categories, Tags, Galleries, Featured Images and so on) and verify that your theme fulfill most of the use cases for a real life use.

While the use of the full set of WordPress features is not systematic in all the themes (for example, maybe your theme don’t have a blog section), It is always useful to confront your work with situations you might not have considered (or forgotten).

Visit a demo of a WordPress website loaded with wptest theme unit test: http://wptest.io/demo/

There are several Theme Unit tests available:

  • https://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Unit_Test
  • http://wptest.io/
  • https://github.com/WPTRT/theme-unit-test

You can find an example about how to import sample content in WordPress here.

Check for JavaScript errors

A theme is meant to deal nicely with the WordPress ecosystem and while often invisible, JavaScript errors can cause big issues with some plugins.

error_console

We consider that checking potential JavaScript errors through the use of your browser developer tools is a mandatory step.

Learn how to proceed: https://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Your_Browser_to_Diagnose_JavaScript_Errors

Validate HTML and CSS

Validating your HTML and CSS can sound boring and superflous, but its a great way to :

  • Debug your HTML/CSS
  • Check whether your theme is built in accordance with Web standards
  • Ease future maintenance

And it’s also a good sign of professionalism for your users and … customers.

Read more:

  • https://codex.wordpress.org/Validating_a_Website
  • https://validator.w3.org/docs/why.html

Test in all your target browsers

A website can be accessed through many different types of devices, systems and browsers.

Testing your theme with the major browsers and devices, including mobiles (phones, tablets …) is definitely needed before the public release.

Add extra informations to your styles CSS

In addition to CSS styles information for your theme, style.css provides details about the Theme in the form of comments.

You can learn more on that particular topic in our tutorial about How to Customize styles.css Header

Read more:

  • https://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development#Theme_Stylesheet

Add a screenshot to your theme

Pinegrow export does not automatically add a screenshot to your theme and so, when you install it in your WordPress, that part remain empty and not really attractive.

See our video tutorial about How to create a screenshot for your WordPress Theme.

theme_screenshot

 

Read more:

  • https://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development#Screenshot

 

Create the theme Package (ZIP)

When everything is ready and thoroughly tested, the final step is to ZIP your local custom theme folder (see our documentation about How to setup Pinegrow for WordPress theme development) so you have a standard theme package that you can release and/or install elsewhere like any other WordPress theme.

Pro Tip: If you work on MacOS, be sure that you exclude all the specific files from the ZIP archive (.DS_Store).

You can use Keka, the macOS file archiver and set “Exclude Mac resource forks” so you can create an archive that looks clean in non Mac systems, as Linux or Windows.

Submit your theme to the official WordPress theme directory

While you can directly use your theme on your own website, release it directly to your customer or through commercial Marketplaces, you can also decide to push it to the WordPress theme Directory.

theme_directory

The entry ticket is free but there is a deep set of requirements and so you should definitely make sure that you run your theme through the theme check plugin.

The theme check plugin is an easy way to test your theme and make sure it’s up to spec with the latest theme review standards. With it, you can run all the same automated testing tools on your theme that WordPress.org uses for theme submissions.

Read more:

  • https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/required/theme-check-plugin/
  • https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/
  • https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/required/


Last updated on May 10, 2017 at 4:38 pm


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  • Contents

    • Do a run-through using a Theme Unit Test
    • Check for JavaScript errors
    • Validate HTML and CSS
    • Test in all your target browsers
    • Add extra informations to your styles CSS
    • Add a screenshot to your theme
    • Create the theme Package (ZIP)
    • Submit your theme to the official WordPress theme directory
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