[theme-reviewers] Removing core features

[Chip Bennett]

A slider is just a jquery Plugin, that manipulates user content on the
front end.

SEO features are Plugin territory. SEO is not a matter of visual
presentation for end-users, but rather discoverability and authority for
search-engine indexing. It is also something that is *extremely* sensitive
to change, if SEO configuration changes when the active Theme changes.

As for add_theme_support( 'automatic-feed-links' ) - you'll note that in
the last Guidelines revision, we *downgraded* that from *required* to
*recommended*, for precisely this reason. That Guideline was a relic, and
is being phased appropriately.

There is a lot that can be done functionally within a Theme - but that
functionality needs to correlate directly to content presentation. Go back
to your original example: a slider. That can be done in an entirely
appropriate manner, that does not cross the presentation-functionality
line. For example, a Theme can define Theme-specific, custom post meta data
to designate posts (or pages) as "featured", and then query by that custom
post meta data in a secondary loop, to output the slider content.

Another example of "functionality" (though it truly is presentational, not
functional) is user-customized layouts.

I would much rather see developer time and energy expended in finding
innovative ways to present user content (the API improvements for post
formats in 3.6 alone open up a world of possibilities), than see that time
and energy wasted in arguing for the ability to unhook the WordPress
version meta generator.


On Wed, May 22, 2013 at 9:41 AM, Bryan Hadaway <bhadaway at gmail.com> wrote:

> @Chip - I just don't see any clear way of differentiating
> visual/functional completely in terms of allowed/not-allowed making sense
> and being consistent.
>
> For example, sliders are allowed to be programed into free repo themes. -
> Very visual.
>
> Another example, SEO features can be programmed into free repo themes. -
> NOT very visual.
>
> I tend to agree that it's not a good idea to go too far visually OR
> functionally with a theme or you'll have cookie-cutter and compatibility
> issues.
>
> One thing that really confuses me, is if we can ADD pure functionality
> features to themes like:
>
> add_theme_support( 'automatic-feed-links' );
>
> Why can't we REMOVE or otherwise MANIPULATE those same functions. As far
> as I see it, a theme for all intents and purposes essentially IS a plugin
> for WordPress with lots of functions and some with option panels and so
> forth. The stylesheet is frankly one small aspect in terms of what
> comprises a theme.
>
> Also, I don't suspect this rule will ever change, in fact I think many are
> wanting to move in an even more strict direction. I'm just trying to see if
> I can make sense of it, respectively.
>
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>
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