[theme-reviewers] Theme Review Codex Page

[Chip Bennett]

All,

In order to address the complaint that the Theme Review Guidelines are
overly complex, and too long/difficult to read, what would everything think
of creating two versions:

   1. Simplified Guidelines, that list just the requirements
   2. Expanded Guidelines, that go into specific details (listing specific
   features/functions/implementations/etc.)

I'm not really sold on this approach (two pages are more difficult to
maintain than one, single page), but I can see the benefit of a shorter,
less-detailed list of the existing Guidelines. To wit:

Code Quality

   - Themes are required not to have any notices, warnings, errors; or use
   of deprecated functions.
   - Themes are required to utilize current recognized version(s) of (X)HTML
   and CSS.
   - Themes are required to generate no JavaScript errors
   - Themes are required to have a valid HTML document HEAD

Functionality

   - Theme is required to incorporate the following WordPress core
   functionality:
      - Automatic Feed Links
      - Comments
      - Widgets
   - Theme is recommended to incorporate the following WordPress core
   functionality, but is not required to do so. However, if incorporated,
   functionality must support the core WordPress implementation:
      - Navigation Menus
      - Post Thumbnails
      - Custom Header
      - Custom Background
      - Visual Editor CSS

Template Tags and Hooks

   - All template tags and hooks used in a Theme are required to be
   implemented properly, including incorporation of required template tags and
   hooks where appropriate.

Including Files

   - If incorporated into the Theme, standard template files are required to
   be called using the correct template tag.
   - If incorporated into the Theme, custom template files are required to
   be called properly.
   - Themes are required to include all template files called within the
   Theme, rather than relying upon legacy Theme support.

Site Information

   - If incorporated into the Theme, site information is required to be
   called using the correct template tag.

WordPress-Defined CSS Classes

   - Themes are required to support WordPress-defined CSS classes

Theme Template Files

   - Theme is required to include all template files, as specified.

Licensing

   - Themes are required to be 100% GPL-licensed, or use a GPL-compatible
   license.

Theme Name

   - Themes are required to adhere to Theme Name Guidelines

Credit Links

   - Themes are required to adhere to guidelines for appropriate credit
   links

Theme Unit Tests

   - The Theme must meet all the requirements of the Theme Unit Test.

(Or something along these lines. I culled this very quickly from the
existing Codex page.)

Thoughts?

Chip
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