Interview about Warp 5.5 – A quick peek inside Warp 5.5

Last week we were asked some questions about our new Warp 5.5 theme framework. This was a part of the research done by Team EaSE for their Joomla! Template Tools Part Three article which is published in the latest Joomla! community magazine issue. We don't want to hold back this interview so everybody can enjoy reading! Here we go:

Why is a framework needed for template development after all?

Each time when you are developing a template you usually deal with the same things, for example you use a certain folder structure to organize your PHP, CSS and Javascript files, or you rely on features like layouts, compression and caching. And because you don't want to start from scratch coding all these features all over again and again, you better use a framework to provide you with a structure how to organize your template files and also a rich toolset to solve your common problems. That way you take your time and focus on the more important individual parts of your template design.

Is your template based on a third party layout system, e.g. one of the grid systems out there?

In our current Warp Framework version 5.5 we do not use a third party layout system. The CSS layout we use, is a composition of all the best-practices we learned about in last year's developing templates. Typically, our layout system evolves over time, and we update it to match the latest web standards and capabilities of modern browsers.

Is your template based on page elements regarding usability and SEO?

Yes, we built in SEO features to improve the overall website search-engine friendliness. First all our template mark up validates to current web standards to provide a clean HTML output with no bloated code. Also, we use graceful-degradation for the template Javascript effects, so if your browser has its Javascript support disabled you are still able to navigate through the website, because the dropdown menu will be working with CSS hovers. Further when using a 3-column-layout we order the websites HTML output in a way that the main component output will always be first followed by the left and right column. That way your websites main content gains importance compared with left or right column.

How does your framework differ from those of your competitors?

When developing the Warp 5.5 theme framework we wanted it to be as modular, flexible and extendable as possible. We also looked at other template frameworks, but we did not find anything that meets our expectations. So we started to design the new framework in a way that every tool or helper as we call them in Warp, is a modular component doing a single task. Like the good' old unix philosophy: "Write programs that do one thing and do it well." Also, we wanted a clean separation between the individual template and the framework. So we extracted the framework from the template, and now the new Warp framework is placed in a separate directory. Applying updates or patches to the framework is easily done now, because all the generic framework source code can be updated independently of the individual template code.

Which products are currently in production release utilizing this framework?

We recently updated all our YOOtheme templates starting from 2009 to use the Warp 5.5 framework, which are 20 Joomla! templates in total.

Can you tell us a little about the team who helped develop it?

Developing the Warp framework involved our whole team at YOOtheme with each one focusing on different aspects of the framework. Basically each team member brings in the in-depth knowledge of a subject like HTML, CSS or Javascript. Bringing all these creative minds together made it possible to build the theme framework like Warp.

What are the obstacles facing novice users of a framework? How should they prepare for a project which uses one?

In general its really easy to install an YOOtheme template which uses the Warp framework because it uses the normal Joomla! extension installer. And within templates settings you can also change the templates options and choose form the preset styles which are included. This is everything pretty easy for also the novice user to get started. Further we have a documentation page which provides all the answers to common questions for beginners.

Are there users whom, in your opinion, should not use a framework for their Joomla project? Why or why not?

We think it's recommended to use a framework for your template development. Basically the framework and its toolset provides a solid foundation which you can build upon, also if you don't use every feature framework has to offer. Even if you design basic template for a micro-site you can benefit from framework features like a layout which is cross-browser compatible by default. Once you have understood how to use the framework you will save some time to build a template for your next website.

Is there any update functionality built into the framework? Either a "click here to update" or a latest version notification?

At the moment we are working on this update notification feature, and we plan on releasing it with our usual Warp framework updates in the next weeks.

What is the future for frameworks? How will you develop yours through future iterations?

As the web standards like HTML and CSS evolve, our Warp framework will progress too. We constantly look through the web for new stuff and innovation regarding frameworks and template design. If we learn about a new feature we will evaluate it and extend our framework to implement it. Right now we have a lot of new ideas we want to add to our framework over the next months. You can follow all our announcements of framework updates on our YOOtheme blog or through our Twitter tweets.

We hope you enjoyed reading. More update on Warp coming soon!