Theme Checklist is a new plugin by Greg Priday of SiteOrigin. The plugin provides a checklist of items to go through before submitting a theme to the WordPress theme directory. Once activated, you’ll find the checklist under Tools > Theme Checklist. Theme developers check off each item that successfully passes a test. Themes need to pass all tests before they can be accepted into the WordPress theme directory.

If a test doesn’t pass, you can select the X and a small text area appears allowing you to write and save notes to that item. There are a total of 31 different tests ranging from Code Quality to Security. Each item has a link that takes users to a page on Themechecklist.org with more information. Theme Checklist also contains the ability to import or export tests enabling users to collaborate on testing themes in different environments.

I used Theme Checklist to review the WP Tavern theme and it passed with flying colors.

Theme Checklist Is An Alternative Learning Experience

Although the plugin is not an exact match, Priday will do his best to keep the checklist in line with the official WordPress.org Theme Review Guidelines. “My goal is to make a kind of Dummies Guide to The Theme Review Guidelines” Priday said. “I’ve generally found that the theme review guidelines are really difficult for new theme developers to understand. I’ve tried to make something that makes all the requirements easier to understand.”

Theme Checklist is not meant to be a replacement for the Theme Check plugin. Instead, it’s a collection of the most common snag points witnessed by Priday in the theme review queue. According to Priday, the queue has a five-week backlog. He hopes Theme Checklist helps decrease the queue and gets more theme developers to pass the initial review.

I understand why the theme review guidelines need to be thorough and specific. It’s the WordPress.org theme directory and they help create a consistent user experience. Plugins like Theme Checklist provide an alternative learning experience to accomplish the same goal. However, it has to remain on par with the official guidelines or else it could end up doing more harm than good.

Theme developers, is this a tool you see yourself using? What other tools do you use to increase the likelihood of passing a review on the first try?