The Pollora framework offers a robust and flexible system for creating and managing WordPress themes. This guide will help you understand how to create, customize, and use themes with Pollora.
To generate a new theme, run the following command:
php artisan pollora:make-themeYou'll be prompted to answer several questions to configure your theme. Alternatively, you can pass the configuration as options:
php artisan pollora:make-theme {theme-name} \
--theme-author="Author Name" \
--theme-author-uri="https://author.com" \
--theme-uri="https://theme.com" \
--theme-description="Theme description" \
--theme-version="1.0.0"--theme-author: Theme author name--theme-author-uri: Theme author URI--theme-uri: Theme URI--theme-description: Theme description--theme-version: Theme version--repository: GitHub repository to download (owner/repo format)--repo-version: Specific version/tag to download--force: Force create theme with same name
This command creates a new theme with the necessary folder structure and base files.
A typical Pollora theme has the following structure:
theme-name/
├─ config/
│ ├─ gutenberg.php
│ ├─ images.php
│ ├─ menus.php
│ ├─ providers.php
│ ├─ sidebars.php
│ ├─ supports.php
│ ├─ templates.php
├─ assets/
│ └─ css/
│ └─ app.css
│ └─ fonts/
│ └─ images/
│ └─ js/
│ `└─ `bootstrap.js
│ └─ app.js
├─ views/
│ ├─ example.blade.php
│ ├─ layouts/
│ ├─ parts/
│ ├─ patterns/
│ ├─ home.blade.php
│ ├─ page.blade.php
│ └─ post.blade.php
├─ favicon.png
├─ index.php
├─ package.json
├─ style.css
├─ tailwind.config.js
├─ theme.json
├─ vite.config.json
└─ vite.config.js
Pollora extends WordPress's template hierarchy system to provide a more flexible and powerful theming experience. This system determines which template file should be used for the current request.
The template hierarchy is a list of possible template files arranged from most specific to most generic. The system searches through this list until it finds a matching template file.
Pollora's template system offers several advantages over WordPress's standard template hierarchy:
-
Blade Integration: Templates can be written using Laravel's Blade templating engine, offering features like layouts, components, and directives.
-
Dynamic Registration: Plugins can dynamically register custom template types through the
TemplateHierarchyclass. -
Block Theme Support: The system automatically checks for block theme templates (.html files) when appropriate.
-
Performance Optimization: Templates can be cached for improved performance.
You can access the template hierarchy in your views or controllers through dependency injection:
// In a controller
use Pollora\Theme\TemplateHierarchy;
class PageController extends Controller
{
private TemplateHierarchy $templateHierarchy;
public function __construct(TemplateHierarchy $templateHierarchy)
{
$this->templateHierarchy = $templateHierarchy;
}
public function show()
{
$hierarchy = $this->templateHierarchy->hierarchy();
return view('page', ['templateHierarchy' => $hierarchy]);
}
}{{-- In a Blade view --}}
<div class="debug-info">
<h3>Template Hierarchy</h3>
<ul>
@foreach($templateHierarchy as $template)
<li>{{ $template }}</li>
@endforeach
</ul>
</div>Plugins can extend the template hierarchy for specific content types. You can inject the TemplateHierarchy class into your service providers or use the container to resolve it:
// In a plugin or theme service provider
use Pollora\Theme\TemplateHierarchy;
class ThemeServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
public function boot(TemplateHierarchy $templateHierarchy)
{
// Register a custom template handler for product pages on sale
$templateHierarchy->registerTemplateHandler('product_on_sale', function($queriedObject) {
if (!$queriedObject || !function_exists('wc_get_product')) {
return [];
}
$product = wc_get_product($queriedObject->ID);
if (!$product || !$product->is_on_sale()) {
return [];
}
return [
"product-on-sale-{$product->get_slug()}.blade.php",
'product-on-sale.blade.php',
];
});
// Add the corresponding condition
add_filter('pollora/template_hierarchy/conditions', function($conditions) {
$conditions['is_product_on_sale'] = 'product_on_sale';
return $conditions;
});
}
}The vite.config.js file is automatically generated and configured for your theme. It includes:
- Automatic theme name detection
- Configuration for development and production
- Integration with the Laravel Vite plugin
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import laravel from "laravel-vite-plugin";
import path from 'path';
const isDevelopment = !!process.env.DDEV_PRIMARY_URL;
const port = 5173;
const publicDirectory = path.resolve(__dirname, "../../public");
const themeName = path.basename(__dirname);
// ... (detailed configuration)
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [
laravel(getThemeConfig()),
// ... (other plugins)
],
...getDevServerConfig()
});Pollora themes use Tailwind CSS v4 with the @tailwindcss/vite plugin. No tailwind.config.js or postcss.config.mjs is needed — Tailwind v4 auto-detects source files from the Vite module graph.
The package.json includes the necessary dependencies:
{
"devDependencies": {
"@tailwindcss/vite": "^4.2.3",
"tailwindcss": "^4.2.3",
"vite": "^8.0.9"
}
}The Vite plugin handles everything — add it in vite.config.js:
import tailwindcss from '@tailwindcss/vite';
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [
tailwindcss(),
// ...
],
});Your main CSS file uses a single import:
/* resources/assets/app.css */
@import "tailwindcss";Tailwind v4 automatically scans all project files (HTML, PHP, JSX, Blade templates) for utility classes and generates only the CSS needed.
Block CSS files (style.css, editor.css) support Tailwind via two directives:
@import "tailwindcss" source(".")instyle.css— imports Tailwind scoped to the block's directory. This generates utility classes found in the block's JSX files, ensuring they work both on the frontend and in the block editor.@reference "tailwindcss"ineditor.css— gives access to@applywithout generating utilities (editor-only styles typically use@apply, not utility classes in JSX).
/* resources/blocks/hero/style.css */
@import "tailwindcss" source(".");
.wp-block-my-theme-hero {
@apply relative py-24 px-8 overflow-hidden;
}See blocks.md for detailed examples of Tailwind usage in Gutenberg blocks.
Pollora's ThemeManager offers several useful methods for managing themes:
Theme::load($themeName): Loads a specific themeTheme::getAvailableThemes(): Retrieves the list of available themesTheme::active(): Returns the name of the active themeTheme::parent(): Returns the name of the parent theme (if it's a child theme)Theme::path($path): Generates the full path to a file in the active themeTheme::asset($path, $assetType = ''): Retrieves the URL for a theme asset
The framework provides an intuitive way to manage and reference theme assets through the Asset facade. The Asset facade ensures you can easily retrieve URLs for assets in the active theme's container.
You can reference theme assets with the following examples:
use Pollora\Support\Facades\Asset;
// Get the URL for an image in the theme
$logoUrl = (string)Asset::url('assets/images/logo.png'); // the string cast is necessary to return the url
// Get the URL for a CSS file in the theme
$styleUrl = (string)Asset::url('assets/css/app.css');
// Get the URL for a JavaScript file in the theme
$scriptUrl = (string)Asset::url('assets/js/app.js');Although the framework defaults to the active theme's container, you can explicitly specify it using the from('theme') method for clarity:
use Pollora\Support\Facades\Asset;
// Explicitly specify the "theme" container
$logoUrl = (string)Asset::url('assets/images/logo.png')->from('theme'); // the string cast is necessary to return the url
$styleUrl = (string)Asset::url('assets/css/app.css')->from('theme');
$scriptUrl = (string)Asset::url('assets/js/app.js')->from('theme');You can reference theme assets directly in your Blade templates, with or without specifying the container explicitly:
<img src="{{ Asset::url('assets/images/logo.png') }}">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ Asset::url('assets/css/app.css') }}">
<script src="{{ Asset::url('assets/js/app.js') }}"></script>Or, explicitly specify the theme container:
<img src="{{ Asset::url('assets/images/logo.png')->from('theme') }}">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ Asset::url('assets/css/app.css')->from('theme') }}">
<script src="{{ Asset::url('assets/js/app.js')->from('theme') }}">Language files should be placed in the lang/ folder of your theme. Pollora will load them automatically.
Commands needs to be run inside the theme folder.
-
Install dependencies:
yarn # or 'npm install' -
For development, use:
yarn dev # or 'npm run dev' -
For production, build the assets with:
yarn build # or 'npm run build'
- Use the provided folder structure to organize your code
- Take advantage of TailwindCSS for rapid and consistent CSS development
- Use the
ThemeManagermethods for efficient theme management - Consider parent theme compatibility when developing
- Leverage the template hierarchy to create structured and maintainable views
For a comprehensive guide on asset management (registering scripts, styles, containers, and Vite integration), see the dedicated Assets documentation.
Use the Asset facade to register and manage theme assets:
use Pollora\Support\Facades\Asset;
// Register a script
Asset::add('theme-app', 'assets/js/app.js')
->toFrontend();
// Register a style
Asset::add('theme-style', 'assets/css/app.css')
->toFrontend();
// Get an asset URL
$logoUrl = Asset::url('assets/images/logo.png');These macros ensure that your asset references are consistent with your theme's configuration and take advantage of Vite's asset handling capabilities.
To register custom functionality for your theme, you can create service providers in the config/providers.php file:
<?php
// config/providers.php
return [
// Your custom service providers
App\Providers\ThemeServiceProvider::class,
App\Providers\EventServiceProvider::class,
];Then, in your service provider, you can extend the template hierarchy using dependency injection:
<?php
namespace App\Providers;
use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
use Pollora\Theme\TemplateHierarchy;
class ThemeServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
public function register()
{
// Register any theme-specific services
}
public function boot(TemplateHierarchy $templateHierarchy)
{
// Register template handlers
$templateHierarchy->registerTemplateHandler('featured_post', function($post) {
if (!$post || !has_term('featured', 'post_tag', $post)) {
return [];
}
return [
'featured-post.blade.php',
'post-featured.blade.php',
'single-featured.blade.php',
];
});
// Add the corresponding condition
add_filter('pollora/template_hierarchy/conditions', function($conditions) {
$conditions['is_featured_post'] = 'featured_post';
return $conditions;
});
// Define the conditional function
if (!function_exists('is_featured_post')) {
function is_featured_post() {
return is_single() && has_term('featured', 'post_tag');
}
}
// Use the template hierarchy to share data with views
add_action('template_redirect', function() use ($templateHierarchy) {
// Share the template hierarchy with all views
view()->share('templateHierarchy', $templateHierarchy->hierarchy());
});
}
}For performance optimization, you can cache the template hierarchy:
// In a service provider
public function boot(TemplateHierarchy $templateHierarchy)
{
// Cache the hierarchy for performance (set to true)
add_action('template_redirect', function() use ($templateHierarchy) {
$shouldCache = config('wordpress.template_caching', false);
$templateHierarchy->finalizeHierarchy($shouldCache);
}, 999);
}You can change the order in which templates are checked:
add_filter('pollora/template_hierarchy/order', function($hierarchyOrder) {
// Example: Give higher priority to is_author condition
if (($key = array_search('is_author', $hierarchyOrder)) !== false) {
unset($hierarchyOrder[$key]);
array_unshift($hierarchyOrder, 'is_author');
}
return $hierarchyOrder;
});During development, you might want to see which templates are being checked:
// In a development-only service provider
public function boot(TemplateHierarchy $templateHierarchy)
{
if (config('app.debug')) {
add_action('template_redirect', function() use ($templateHierarchy) {
// Force refresh the hierarchy to ensure it's up to date
$hierarchy = $templateHierarchy->hierarchy(true);
// Add debug information to footer
add_action('wp_footer', function() use ($hierarchy) {
echo '<div class="debug-hierarchy" style="background:#f1f1f1;padding:15px;margin-top:30px;border-top:1px solid #ddd;">';
echo '<h3>Template Hierarchy</h3>';
echo '<ol>';
foreach ($hierarchy as $template) {
echo '<li>' . esc_html($template) . '</li>';
}
echo '</ol>';
echo '</div>';
}, 999);
});
}
}Pollora supports WordPress block theme templates. When using a block theme, the template hierarchy automatically includes HTML templates from the block theme structure:
// For a regular PHP template like 'page.php'
// These templates will be checked:
// - page.blade.php (Blade variant)
// - page.php (PHP variant)
// - wp-templates/page.html (Block theme variant)