Introduction to DustPress
We wanted to create a framework that makes developing WordPress themes less messy. Mixing PHP and HTML makes the code hard to read and error-prone as well.
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So, why another theme framework for WordPress?
WordPress generally makes modifying the PHP logic a hard task, because it is scrambled amidst the HTML markup in the template. By separating the PHP logic from the templates, all of the abovementioned problems go away. We also wanted to speed up our own PHP development and make code collaborating easier.
How does it differ from similar frameworks, such as Timber? Can you give us some examples?
DustPress automates a lot of stuff that developers normally have to struggle with on a daily basis. For example in Timber, you need to manually gather all the data you want to use in an object, and then call the render function. In DustPress, all you have to do is define a class structure with methods that gather the data, and the framework takes care of the rest, choosing a corresponding template and rendering it to the user.
DustPress uses the DustJS templating language as its base. It’s very easy to use and easily extendable. It is originally written in JavaScript, so you can use the same templates within your JS if you like. DustPress is built with dynamic content and AJAX in mind. It offers a unique DustPress.js library to interact with you PHP methods easily without having to define endpoints or writing the AJAX calls manually.
What are the best features of DustPress? What would make me invest my time to learn it?
The best feature of DustPress is its clear, structured code. Separating PHP and HTML is worth investing some time in and you’ll also learn more standardized coding conventions in the process. DustPress also makes it easy to write modular and reusable code, which also saves time for you in the future.
The basics of DustPress are also very easy to learn. If you already have a basic knowledge of how WordPress themes work, you can get into developing DustPress very quickly.
For this blog, we interviewed Miika Arponen, a co-creator of DustPress.
