We’re thrilled at the reception Bootplate v1.x has received and that has inspired a lot of ideas for an upcoming version 2.0. Here are just a few things we’re thinking about in this next big release.
Faster oEmbed Media
Embedded content with external requests can really slow a site down. This is especially true when the requests cannot be cached and the content would be impossible to host on your own domain such as 3rd-party videos on Youtube or Vimeo. Calling external resources in these instances is unavoidable, but we’re looking into lazy-loading these external resources so the page loads WITHOUT them until they are actually needed.
By “lazy-loading” videos and other heavy embedded media, we’re referring to a process of replacing the embeds with a clickable preview image. Only when that preview image is clicked do those resources begin to load. No click; no load.
Selective Plugin Load
Perhaps the biggest and most exciting idea we have for Bootplate v2 is the concept of selective plugin loading.
Right now, WordPress loads all the assets from all the active plugins on every page–whether they are being used on that page or not. What we want to do is allow Bootplate v2 to deregister ALL the plugin resources and only load those the page actually needs or uses. That would dramatically increase page loading speed for any plugins not pre-integrated.
This is a simple idea, but very complex to actually pull off. It’s a good thing we enjoy a challenge.
Bootplate Login
Maybe this is plugin territory, but we’re beginning to feel that the login page is front-end enough to be a part of the theme framework. To that end, we’re going to be creating a separate section in the theme Customizer to allow Admins to enable and customize the look of the WordPress login page without the need for an additional plugin (though you could use one and just leave this option disabled).
New Blog Layout Option
We love the newspaper layout included in Bootplate v1.x, but we’ve heard a lot of feedback asking for a more traditional layout. Fair enough.
How about something like the layout the blog, Medium, uses?
Yeah. Let’s do that.
New Function Hooks
Though only developers may get excited about this one, it’s a core feature coming in v2 of Bootplate. We will be building in new function hooks allowing theme developers more control over the look and feel of the rendered site without overwriting the template file completely.
Nerdy stuff? Maybe.
More Where that Came From
There are a lot more design and functionality ideas we’re working on than you see here. Stay tuned to the project’s GitHub Issues page for the latest ideas and discussions.