WordPress offers various plugins which have been created especially for reviewing & testing WordPress themes.
The plugins are developed by most experienced theme reviewers for WordPress and part of the official theme review team.
If you are a theme developer or want to learn more about how to create a theme, these plugins will help you fix any bugs to improve your theme qaulity.
Following are the 3 plugins that are recommended by the WordPress Theme Reviewers Team:
- Theme Check
- Log Deprecated Notices
- Debogger
The guidelines for theme review are:
Code Quality:
Themes must not generate any WordPress deprecated-function notices, PHP errors, warnings, or notices, HTML/CSS validation errors, or JavaScript errors.
Presentation Vs. Functionality:
Since the purpose of Themes is to define the presentation of user content, Themes must not be used to define the generation of user content, or to define Theme-independent site options or functionality.
Theme Features:
Whether implementing required, recommended, or optional features, Themes are required to support proper WordPress core implementation of all included features.
Template Tags and Hooks:
Themes are required to implement WordPress template tags and hooks properly.
WordPress-Generated CSS Classes:
Themes are required to support WordPress-generated CSS classes.
Theme Template Files:
Themes are required to utilize Theme template files properly.
Security and Privacy:
Themes are required to implement Theme settings properly, to ensure proper data security, and and to ensure end user privacy
Licensing:
Themes are required to be licensed fully under a GPL-compatible license.
Theme Name:
Themes are required to use appropriate Theme Names.
Credit Links:
Themes are recommended to use credit links. If used, credit links are required to be appropriate.
Theme Documentation:
Themes are required to provide sufficient documentation to explain the use of any custom features or options.
Theme Unit Tests:
Themes are required to meet all requirements in the Theme Unit Tests
Theme Obsolescence:
Themes are required to be kept current once accepted into the Theme Repository
Theme-Check
This plugin is a awesome theme development tool. It allows you to easily test your theme for all the latest WordPress standards and practices.
Using this plugin, you can execute all the automated testing tools on your theme that WordPress.org uses for theme submissions.
The tests are executed through the admin menu and all results are displayed at once.
This plugin is very useful for theme developers, or anybody looking to make sure that their theme supports the latest WordPress theme standards and practices.
You will find the Theme Check link under the Appearance Menu in Your WordPress admin screens.
Log Deprecated Notices
This plugin is used by the WordPress review team for logging the usage of deprecated files, functions, and function arguments.
Using this plugin you can log the usage of deprecated files, functions, and function arguments. It identifies where the deprecated functionality is being used and provides the alternative if available.
The plugin is for theme developers to help identify where the deprecated functionality is being used and log incorrect function usage.
You find the logs under the ‘Deprecated Calls’ link in the Tools section of your WordPress admin screens.
Debogger
It is used for debugging themes. This plugin is used to detect bugs in your themes, before you submit your theme to WoredPress direcftory.
Using this plugin you can check each page for W3C validation.
After you have installed the plugin, you will find the data displays in your themes footer.
Never forget to enable DE_BUG in your wp-config.php.
There is another plugin called Theme Tester. This plugin allows you to test the new themes, without changing the theme that is visible to the blog visitors.
This plugin allows the owner of a blog to change and test a new WordPress theme.
Until you deactivate and choose your new theme from the Design page, your visitors will not be able to see the new theme.
Once activated a new page called “Theme Tester” is linked from the Design page where you can activate the test. While a theme is activated, you as an administrator can change themes as many times as you want without affecting what themes you regular visitors can see.
Anyone with “switch_themes” capability will see the new theme however, but those users are going to be administrators on your site anyway.
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