Create a Playground Blueprint for a Community Plugin or Theme

Function: Build
Type: Project
Level: Intermediate

Help theme and pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. contributors get started faster by creating a Playground Blueprint for their project. A Blueprint is a JSONJSON JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML. file that spins up a ready-to-go WordPress instance with the right extensions and content pre-loaded — useful for demos, testing, and reviewing PRs.

Before you start

Complete the common setup first, then:

• Complete: Build a Blueprint for the Gallery
• Setup: You need a text editor and a web browser
• Read: Blueprint Steps API Reference — keep this handy while building
• Connect: Join #playground and introduce yourself

Steps

1. Pick a WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ community-maintained theme or plugin that doesn’t have a Blueprint yet.
2. Check the project’s repository for an existing issue requesting a Blueprint, or open one. Reach out in the team’s SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ channel to let them know you’d like to contribute one.
3. Draft a blueprint.json that installs the extension, adds useful demo content, and configures the site so someone can see it working immediately.
4. Test your Blueprint in Playground. Try different PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/preface.php versions. Does everything install? Does the demo content make sense?
5. Open a PR in the plugin or theme’s repository with your Blueprint and a brief explanation of what it does and why it’s useful.

Contribution checklist

• Your blueprint.json is clean, readable, and uses shorthand syntax where appropriate
• Your PR explains what the Blueprint does and why
• Demo content is useful and makes the Blueprint’s value obvious
• The Blueprint installs cleanly in Playground without errors, tested in at least two PHP versions

What happens next

The plugin or theme maintainer will review your PR. If they’re unfamiliar with Blueprints, your PR description may need to explain what Playground is and how it helps. If you haven’t heard back in a week or so, try reaching out in the team’s Slack channel again.

Once merged, anyone can spin up a working demo with one click. Then pick another project, or help improve the Blueprint tooling in the Playground repository.

Help

Stuck? Check the getting help guide, then ask in #playground.

Further reading:
– Build your first blueprint (refresher on the basics)
– Blueprint Resources API Reference
– Create a demo with Playground (27-minute video walkthrough)