[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #2479: theme functions.php should override pluggable-functions.php

[WordPress Trac]

#2479: theme functions.php should override pluggable-functions.php
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 Reporter:  technosailor                         |       Owner:  anonymous
     Type:  defect (bug)                         |      Status:  reopened
 Priority:  normal                               |   Milestone:
Component:  Administration                       |     Version:  2.0.1
 Severity:  normal                               |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  functions.php pluggable-functions    |
  2nd-opinion                                    |
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Changes (by tomauger):

 * cc: tomaugerdotcom@… (added)
 * keywords:  functions.php pluggable-functions => functions.php pluggable-
     functions 2nd-opinion
 * status:  closed => reopened
 * resolution:  wontfix =>


Comment:

 Okay, I'm reopening this sucker. Considering this ticket is in the 4-digit
 range and is from 6 years ago, I think it's worth re-opening the
 discussion because I think our collective understanding of the role of
 themeing and themes within the WordPress architecture has evolved
 considerably since those arguably 'purer' early days.

 Consider this use-case:

 I'm developing a one-off CMS solution for a customer, with a lot of custom
 metadata, customization of the Admin back-end, the login/authentication
 process, the works. And of course, there's the design component - that's
 where the theme part comes in. Fact is, these are simply **not** reusable
 components - they will never apply to another client, they will never be
 put under GPL and open sourced, and they are most certainly not to be
 distributed / installed on other WordPress deployments.  At best there are
 some best practices I will leverage on future projects, but that will be
 strictly a reference / copy-paste job.

 This does not sound like a use case for plugins to me. The theme is
 installed, maybe a child theme of Twenty Eleven, maybe a standalone, its
 functions.php calls in a boatload of includes, each handling a different
 aspect of the CMS in question. Then the theme template files use custom
 'template tags' that are defined in the includes. I don't want to have
 theme files with dependencies on some plugin or other being activated,
 etc. It just doesn't make sense to build complexity into the system. Sure,
 I can put it in the must-use plugins folder, but that still feels like a
 hack - right now, _everything_ that has to do with the customizations made
 for this project are contained in `wp-content/themes/my-theme/`. I don't
 also want to have to consider searching for stuff in some plugins folders
 as well.

 Don't get me wrong. I love plugins and I use them and write them. And I do
 use plugins in conjunction with this sort of highly customized theme
 development _when_ the plugin is third-party and represents best practices
 far beyond what I could possibly roll out in a reasonable timeframe. But
 when I need to modify core functionality for a one-off scenario, I turn to
 action hooks, filter hooks, and I'd like to be able to rely on pluggable
 functions for the user and authentication side of things too.

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2479#comment:3>
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