If you subscribe to the “Get All Themes” package for 2008, you will have received a quick overview of what the next Graph Paper Press theme release will entail. Here is the quick message that I sent to subscribers:
The next theme release at Graph Paper Press is a theme framework. The theme allows you to enable or disable more than 6 homepage layouts and features including a slideshow, a slider gallery, a magazine layout plus more.
That is just a start, to be honest. The great thing about WordPress is that there is a HUGE developer community that is continually pushing the envelope of what “themes” can be capable of. Theme frameworks, which are basically extra functions that you can use when developing a theme, are the lastest buzz word to hit WordPress. Frameworks are nothing new, however, when it comes to web design and development. Blueprint, which I use in all my themes, is a CSS framework. WordPress is a PHP framework just as JQUERY is a javascript framework.
But how does a theme framework benefit the end-user (you)? Theme frameworks will make your blog more configurable from the theme options, more forward compatible with future releases of WordPress, and easier for you to switch site styles.
What features would you like to see in the latest theme release?