Theme Directory Requires a theme.json Spacing Scale
Unnamed pixel soup will bounce. Patterns that travel between themes need a shared idea of ‘large.’
August 10, 2026·Sam Calder
Archives: Themes
Query Loop Patterns Gain a No-Hero Default
A plain list of titles and dates ships next to the cinematic cards. Teachers and newsrooms asked for the boring one.
July 31, 2026·Riley Cho
Twenty Twenty-Seven Ships With Fewer Patterns on Purpose
The next default theme cuts the pattern library nearly in half. The remaining ones are built to be finished, not screenshotted.
July 27, 2026·Sam Calder
Fluid Typography Caps Land in theme.json
A maximum size so a heading cannot become a billboard on a TV. Clamp() with a ceiling, documented.
July 17, 2026·Sam Calder
Block Themes Hit a New Accessibility Milestone in the Directory
More than half of newly submitted block themes now meet accessibility-ready criteria on first review. Theme developers say the block markup did more of the work than they expected.
July 11, 2026·Sam Calder
Classic Theme Authors Publish Honest Block Migration Guides
A cluster of popular classic themes now document how to leave. That is rarer than a changelog that says “improved performance.”
July 9, 2026·Riley Cho
Header Template Parts Get a Skip-Link Checklist
Review volunteers now have a one-page test for the first tab stop. Overlay menus are the usual failure.
July 3, 2026·Riley Cho
theme.json v3 Tightens the Spacing Scale
A smaller, named spacing scale is replacing the anything-goes pixel soup. Designers who loved 13 unique paddings will need a meeting.
June 25, 2026·Sam Calder
Commercial Theme Shops Publish Unminified theme.json
If reviewers cannot read it, they cannot ship it. A few shops stopped treating tokens as a trade secret.
June 21, 2026·Sam Calder
Theme Directory Draws a Harder Line on Encrypted PHP
IonCube and friends are out. If reviewers cannot read it, it does not ship. A few commercial authors are loudly surprised.
June 11, 2026·Riley Cho
Dark Style Variations Must Pass Contrast on Buttons
A pretty dark homepage that fails the primary button is no longer accessibility-ready on a technicality.
June 9, 2026·Riley Cho
FSE Starter Kits Drop jQuery from the Front
A new generation of starters ships without a library the block editor does not need. Classic leftovers have to justify themselves.
May 29, 2026·Sam Calder
Hybrid Themes Keep a Narrow, Useful Lane
Not every site needs a full block theme tomorrow. Hybrid setups — block templates on a classic backbone — are getting clearer docs.
May 28, 2026·Sam Calder
Pattern Directory Flags Full-Page Patterns That Lock Colors
A pattern that hard-codes a brand palette cannot pretend to be global. Reviewers get a label. Users get a warning.
May 18, 2026·Riley Cho
Style Variations Gain Per-Template Overrides
A variation can now shift a single template without forking the whole theme. Magazine sites with a dark homepage and a light article will cheer.
May 9, 2026·Riley Cho
Child Themes of Block Themes Get Clearer Docs
When to fork templates, when to use a variation, and when you are just scared. The handbook finally says it in that order.
May 6, 2026·Sam Calder
Theme Unit Tests Expand for Navigation Overlay
A fixture for open, close, escape, and the page behind the menu. Overlay navs that were ‘good enough’ have a new exam.
April 24, 2026·Riley Cho
A Contrast Checker Lands in the Site Editor
Pick a text color that fails WCAG and the editor will tell you before a reviewer does. It is not a full audit. It is a seatbelt.
April 22, 2026·Sam Calder
