Plugin Architecture/Design Pattern – is better to use a private Observer/Mediator Pattern for plugin subclasses or WP add_action?

I’m wondering if i should refactor my plugin using a ‘private’ Observer/Mediator pattern ie. collect all relevant add_actions to my parent class only and baking up a pattern to notify/forward subclasses of events, reducing the impact of my plugin to WP event ques. The event queue is fundamental to WP, so it’s pretty fast and … Read more

How to create a new theme from scratch?

An alternative to a “skinnable” theme framework like Carrington (which indeed is awesome) is to integrate a design you’ve done from scratch. This is how I learned how to create custom WordPress themes. Note: this is a hacky method that involves lots of experimentation. But if you’re like me, and learn best when you’re playing … Read more

How do you present WordPress to a designer who is afraid?

Why not just ask them to estimate how much it will cost to change the layout for 600+ pages. And then ask them if they think their customer will pay for that, versus a designer using WordPress. One important thing to point out is that Dreamweaver is a tool on your computer for creating the … Read more

What is the design pattern for WordPress Core?

Spaghetti with meatballs The term “spaghetti with meatballs” is a pejorative term used in computer science to describe loosely constructed object-oriented programming (OOP) that remains dependent on procedural code. It may be the result of a system whose development has included a long life cycle, language constraints, micro-optimization theatre, or a lack of coherent coding … Read more