Theme Release Checklist

Before releasing a theme I use the checklist below to ensure the theme is fully tested and prepared. There's a lot of things to remember and this makes it easier to ensure that I have covered everything I need to.

How To Use

To use the checklist I copy it into the top of my themes functions.php file as a block comment. I then work down the list, one item at a time, deleting the item as it's complete. This gives a quick and easy way to tell how much is left to test.

The Checklist

• test theme with and without Jetpack
• test theme with and without infinite scroll
• delete unused scripts
• delete unused customizer controls
• theme tags
• theme description
• screenshot (880 x 660)
• check custom header size is set correctly (and other custom image sizes are set correctly)
• test custom header, with and without an image
• test responsive styles
• set content_width
• set theme_colors (WordPress.com themes only)
• check custom page template styles
• create rtl.css - https://www.rtl-er.com/
• change google font slugs so they match the font names (in functions.php and wpcom.php)
• theme scan using VIP theme scanner - https://github.com/Automattic/vip-scanner
• test site logo
• update readme.txt
• test hiding header and description through customizer works as expected. Should not hide site logo
• test logo is still visible when you hide the header text
• test custom backgrounds
• check all registered menus are being used
• check sidebar names and that sidebar display conditions match the sidebars they display
• check required accessibility items - https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/accessibility/required/