Theme API: Helpers, naming and API friendliness

[ErisDS]

As it stands there are a few inconsistencies and oddities with the set of core helpers that we have on offer:

• 1. Some helpers require double taches {{ and some require triple {{{ - triple taches are used to indicate that the content should not be escaped, but for helpers which always render HTML, the non-escaping should be managed with handlebars.SafeString()
• 2. The nav and pagination helpers require that an object be passed to them, it is always the same object with the same name. As handlebars gets given the context, it should always have reference to the object and not require it to be passed. However, the current implementation obscures the context and prevents this.
• 3. There should be a common way to override these defaults (i.e. a way to turn off using SafeString and to pass in a different object for the helper to use)
• 4. Handlebars has support for async helpers, but we don't use it.
• 5. We've got the concept of helpers which compile and use a template, which is awesome, but the code is being duplicated - I'd like to make this available as a core feature where we can simply register a name, a function and a template name and everything else is done
• 6. Themes should be able to override the template, and our core template helper should pick that up and use it instead in Theme API: themes should be able to override templates used by helpers #294
• 7. It might be nice to make template helpers also be block helpers - or is having 2 ways to override a little nuts? Pagination example for this is below.
• 8. {{content_html}} is horrible... content should be come content_raw and content_html should become content - big breaking change alert! - to be done in 0.2: Theme API: Rename content fields #253
• 9. We should introduce a {{content}} helper, which will override the content property (the html) and allow us to give the user options like length, or num words, or some such. Theme API - content helper #254
• 10. Would be good to start keeping a list of, and raising issues for, other helpers we need such as post link, author, tags, etc
• 11. Helpers need more test coverage - they're one thing we're exposing to users, so it would be good to ensure we can't break them or change their functionality without knowing about it.
• 12. single.hbs - should be post.hbs (Ghost + Casper)

Example for 7. is on it's way

This is a big-arse issue I'm using for keeping track of Theme API related stuff, expect to see sub issues in the near future.

[ErisDS]

I have 1, 2 and 5 done in a branch

[ErisDS]

No more of this needs looking at right now, punting to 0.4

[JohnONolan]

All looks done to me - at least in the context of September 2013. Suggest close and move future work to new issues

[ErisDS]

Agreed, there are things left to do but we're significantly further forward than we are and this issue doesn't really make sense anymore.