[theme-reviewers] front-page.php and display of blog posts index

[Chip Bennett]

I believe that users and developers would prefer the scenario I propose.

Of course, if I'm wrong, so be it. Hopefully input on the Trac ticket will
provide a good indication.


On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 9:25 PM, Otto <otto at ottodestruct.com> wrote:

> Your case essentially says that front-page.php should not always be
> "the front page", which just makes no sense to me.
>
> What you're arguing for is a return to the way it was before the
> front-page.php file even existed. If the front-page template isn't
> *actually* going to be the front page, then why have it at all?
>
> If the theme wants to give the user the decision in the way you're
> describing, then they should not be creating the front-page.php and
> loading the home.php for the blog-on-front option. Instead, they
> should be creating a normal page.php and then loading a special-case
> for the page-on-front option instead. Or using a Page Template, to
> give the user additional options.
>
> -Otto
>
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 7:54 PM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net> wrote:
> > I disagree completely. (Ahh, just like old times!)
> >
> > Just because a Theme has an awesome static front-page template doesn't
> mean
> > that the user should be forced to use it. Presumably, the rest of the
> Theme
> > is just as awesome as the static front-page template. So, while some
> users
> > may opt to use the Theme with a static front page, other users very well
> may
> > want to use the Theme while displaying the blog posts index as the site
> > front page.
> >
> > There's simply no reason for the Theme to trump user choice here, and in
> > this regard, the discussion very closely resembles the "WordPress-as-CMS"
> > Themes discussion held some time ago. The logical conclusion of that
> > discussion was that there was a trivial difference between supporting
> blog
> > posts and not supporting blog posts (the so-called "CMS" use of
> WordPress),
> > and that "WordPress as CMS" was therefore not a valid special-use/niche
> > case. I believe the same is true for static-page-as-front-page. Just
> because
> > a Theme provides the option doesn't mean that it should be able to force
> > users into using that option.
> >
> > It makes even less sense to force a Theme to use
> "template-front-page.php",
> > and instruct the user to jump through an extra hoop (apply template via
> Page
> > Attributes) beyond the normal static-front-page configuration steps,
> just to
> > make the static front page option truly *optional*. But that's
> essentially
> > what you're arguing for.
> >
> > IMHO, it makes infinitely more sense for WordPress simply to fall back
> > automatically to the home template when the user has specified to display
> > the blog posts index on the site front page.
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 8:22 PM, Otto <otto at ottodestruct.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 3:36 PM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net>
> wrote:
> >> > I've just submitted a core patch that should facilitate Theme display
> of
> >> > the
> >> > blog posts index as the site front page for Themes that define custom
> >> > static
> >> > front page content using front-page.php:
> >> > http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/23669
> >> >
> >> > Essentially, if approved, this patch would modify the template
> hierarchy
> >> > slightly, such that the site front page would use home.php if 'posts'
> ==
> >> > get_option( 'show_on_front' ), and would only use front-page.php if
> >> > 'page'
> >> > == get_option( 'show_on_front' ).
> >> >
> >> > Comments/criticism/other feedback welcome!
> >>
> >>
> >> No, I agree with Michael Fields on that one. The front-page.php file
> >> should be used as the "front page" regardless of what the user has set
> >> to be on the front-page. If this is not desired, then the
> >> front-page.php file should be removed entirely.
> >>
> >> There's basically two use cases here:
> >>
> >> 1. Theme wants to always have the front page look the same way,
> >> regardless of user choice. Solution: Use front-page.php. Done and
> >> done. User choice then only affects the content of that front-page, by
> >> choosing whether to use the blog posts or the content from a static
> >> Page.
> >>
> >> 2. Theme wants user choice to change the look of the front page.
> >> Solution: Don't use front-page.php at all. Use home.php, which will
> >> always be used for the blog posts regardless of location, then provide
> >> a special Page Template (named something other than front-page.php) if
> >> the theme wants to provide a special look for the static-page case.
> >> The user can then choose to use that Page Template or not, as they
> >> desire. Alternatively, you could just use page.php if the pages across
> >> the site are all supposed to look special.
> >>
> >> There's no real good reason I can think of to have front-page.php
> >> check for the blog-on-front case and load home.php instead. If that is
> >> the desired use case, then front-page.php should simply not be
> >> included at all.
> >>
> >> -Otto
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> theme-reviewers mailing list
> >> theme-reviewers at lists.wordpress.org
> >> http://lists.wordpress.org/mailman/listinfo/theme-reviewers
> >
> >
> >
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