[wp-hackers] Better approach for post formats

[Otto]

On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 11:20 AM, Andrés Sanhueza
<peroyomaslists at gmail.com> wrote:
> The whole idea was clearly inspired by Tumblr. Hence, I think that by
> justifying the adding of new PHP tags for post formats should be
> something like actually changing the post UI by hiding or showing the
> relevant fields required for each kind of format, such as showing
> different metaboxes for quote (one for the actual quote, other for the
> credit), for status (hiding the title one), for video (one metabox for
> the raw code or oEmbed link and the other for custom text) and the
> like. It may probably look better as a tab at the top of the post
> panel. The Tumblr template "API" can give you some ideas
> http://www.tumblr.com/docs/en/custom_themes

The original idea for post formats wasn't even code, it was just going
to be a codex page about a post format taxonomy.

It's unlikely that core will be tackling a UI shifting pattern for
post formats for at least another couple of versions, simply because
themes *are* doing it differently and no common standard has emerged
yet. Until there's a common and accepted pattern, anything core does
would just be disagreed with by most theme authors.

Even your own ideas of what fields to use are non-standard. Many
people only put "status" in the title field. I see that a fair amount,
actually, and have had to make plugin changes to accommodate people
who do that.

Themes don't have to support post formats, and most don't support but
a few of them. This is why it's optional and granular.

> I proposed this in WordPress ideas based on some post of Matt in the
> Dev blog and, despite the support, it was marked as a theme issue :(

It *is* a theme issue. Theme authors have to come together and decide
on standards too. Core can't impose them all the time.

-Otto