Templates, Plugins, & Blocks: Oh My! Creating the theme that thinks of everything

TEMPLATES & PLUGINS & BLOCKS, Oh my! Creating The Theme
That Thinks Of Everything

@marktimemedia I Design & Build DIGITAL INTERFACES HI, I’M MICHELLE.
Rockstar at saying stuff. Adorable badass. Carefully curated spontaneity. Master suitcase packer. Accidental fitness buff. likely not coffee

@marktimemedia WHAT THIS TALK WILL NOT BE

@marktimemedia VISUAL DESIGN LESSONS

@marktimemedia THEME CODING LESSONS

@marktimemedia WHAT THIS TALK WILL BE

@marktimemedia HOW TO PLAN FOR THE UNKNOWN

@marktimemedia HOW TO STYLE THE MOST CONTENT WITH THE LEAST
WORK

@marktimemedia WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A THEME?

@marktimemedia SUPPORT ALL CONTENT Content is meant to change Content
will never be perfect Themes should account for any future decision that is possible

@marktimemedia SUPPORT ALL DEVICES Design breakpoints/context changes based on screen
size, not device Keep accessibility in mind (contrast, resizing, navigation, focus, semantics, etc)

@marktimemedia SUPPORT ALL ELEMENTS All semantic HTML should be styled
All WordPress content types should be styled All added elements should be styled

@marktimemedia Post Types Metadata Plugins & Functions Third-Party Integrations One-to-one
Relationships One-to-many Relationships

@marktimemedia LIMITATIONS of traditional themes

@marktimemedia CONTENT IS DYNAMIC AND INTERACTIVE

@marktimemedia UNIQUE CONTENT CAN BE SMALLER THAN PAGES

@marktimemedia HOW IT WORKS IS NOT DEPENDENT ON WHAT IT
SAYS

@marktimemedia EXPERIENCES SHOULD BE CUSTOMIZABLE

@marktimemedia Patterns Systems Iterating Prototyping Maintaining Scaling

@marktimemedia THE IDEA

@marktimemedia Reorderable, reusable elements that combine to build unique content

@marktimemedia Content dictates layout rather than layout dictating content

@marktimemedia Elements can exist within any context or location

@marktimemedia Seamless functional and stylistic integration

@marktimemedia

@marktimemedia EMBRACE THE CASCADE

@marktimemedia Style cascade: LEVERAGING CSS

@marktimemedia Abstract your styling for the broadest use case

@marktimemedia ITCSS https://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/ manage-large-css-projects-itcss-101517528 https://www.xfive.co/blog/itcss-scalable-maintainable-css-architecture/

@marktimemedia reset > global variables > html elements > utility
classes > block-level classes > template-level classes > overrides

@marktimemedia Structural cascade: LEVERAGING ATOMIC DESIGN

@marktimemedia Abstract your structure for the broadest use case

@marktimemedia ATOMIC DESIGN BRAD FROST

@marktimemedia

@marktimemedia ATOMS THE SMALLEST BUILDING BLOCKS

@marktimemedia http://zqsmm.qiniucdn.com/data/20110511083224/index.html

@marktimemedia http://demo.patternlab.io

@marktimemedia MOLECULES UNIQUE COMBINATIONS OF ATOMS

@marktimemedia ORGANISMS MOLECULES COMING TOGETHER ALLOW ACTION

@marktimemedia TEMPLATES ORGANISMS TOGETHER BECOME LAYOUTS

@marktimemedia PAGES TEMPLATES WITH SPECIFIC CONTENT

@marktimemedia

@marktimemedia GUTENBERG & The Block Model

@marktimemedia the_content() From the blob to the block

@marktimemedia

@marktimemedia At the core of Gutenberg lies the concept of
the block. From a technical point of view, blocks both raise the level of abstraction from a single document to a collection of meaningful elements, and they replace ambiguity—inherent in HTML—with explicit structure. developer.wordpress.org

@marktimemedia From a user perspective, blocks allow any kind of
content, media, or functionality to be directly added to their site in a more consistent and usable way. The “add block” button gives the user access to an entire library of options all in one place. developer.wordpress.org

@marktimemedia HTML elements > block & template parts > single
blocks > block patterns > block templates > core/custom templates

@marktimemedia ATOMS h1-h6 Paragraphs Links Code, Pre Separators Buttons

@marktimemedia ATOMS Settings Colors Gradients Font Sizes Image Sizes

@marktimemedia MOLECULES Ordered & Unordered Lists Tables, Headers, & Footers
Quote + Citation Image + Captions

@marktimemedia MOLECULES Image + Captions Video, Audio More, Page Break
Navigation Button Groups

@marktimemedia ORGANISMS Gallery Media + Text

@marktimemedia ORGANISMS Groups Columns Cover Images

@marktimemedia ORGANISMS Dynamic Blocks Reusable Blocks Custom Blocks

@marktimemedia TEMPLATES Post Type block templates Standard Page templates Standard
WordPress templates

@marktimemedia THE FUTURE of block editing

@marktimemedia Block Patterns https://developer.wordpress.org/ block-editor/developers/block-api/block-patterns/

@marktimemedia

@marktimemedia Block Template Parts https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/developers/ themes/block-based-themes/

@marktimemedia Gutenberg Experiments

@marktimemedia Whole Site Editor https://wptavern.com/themes-of-the-future-a-design-framework-and- a-master-theme

@marktimemedia WHAT IS A THEME IN THE AGE OF BLOCKS?

@marktimemedia Global styling for core blocks and content

@marktimemedia Curating Block Editor options

@marktimemedia Including block patterns & templates

@marktimemedia Detailed styling to target specific plugins

@marktimemedia Support recommended block libraries

@marktimemedia RESOURCES

@marktimemedia Resources • Block Editor https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/ • Atomic Design http://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com/
• Style Guides http://styleguides.io/tools.html • Style Prototype http://sparkbox.github.io/style-prototype/ • “Ish” variable viewport tool http://bradfrost.com/demo/ish/ • HTML Elements http://zqsmm.qiniucdn.com/data/20110511083224/index.html • My block plugin: https://github.com/marktimemedia/mtm-blocks

@marktimemedia Modular design • https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/getting-started-with-modular-front-end- development • https://room34.com/philosophy/modular-design/ • https://www.crema.us/blog/atomic-design-systems
• https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/pattern-patter/ • http://alistapart.com/article/language-of-modular-design • https://airbnb.design/building-a-visual-language/ • https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2013/08/other-interface-atomic-design-sass/ • https://blog.alexdevero.com/atomic-design-scalable-modular-css-sass/ • https://blog.prototypr.io/atomic-design-in-practice-does-it-work-9655bacb49d7

@marktimemedia The future of themes • https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2020/03/18/block-based-themes-meeting- notes/?mc_cid=8b1c91717b&mc_eid=ad2f6116f3 • https://wptavern.com/where-gutenberg-went-wrong-theme-developer-edition
• https://wptavern.com/key-takeaways-from-the-first-future-of-themes-meeting • https://twitter.com/carolinapoena/status/1255324873137762306 • https://matiasventura.com/post/thoughts-on-themes/ • https://richtabor.com/block-patterns/

@marktimemedia QUESTIONS? Here’s how to get in touch: Michelle Schulp
[email protected] @marktimemedia michelleschulp.pink bit.ly/themes-plugins-blocks-2020 WHERE TO FIND ME NEXT: NOW: General Q&A Twitter & WP Slack ONLINE: Fitness & Freelance, Meetups, WordCamp MSP IN PERSON: Maybe someday?

Templates, Plugins, & Blocks: Oh My! Creating t...

Templates, Plugins, & Blocks: Oh My! Creating the theme that thinks of everything

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