Remove all IM fields from core.

[ShaneF]

Due to the Contact Method fields not being used by the majority of themes, and the current list of Contact Methods is lacking many of the networks certain cultures use.

Perhaps it's best that they be removed entirely, and relied upon the Theme and/or Plugins to add the contact methods which suit the Culture group to be added.

Attached patch removes current contact methods from the profile page, Does not affect the underlying database.

From this discussion here:  http://wordpress.org/support/topic/343567

If I may be so bold as to ask, why? :-)

Or, why not adding identi.ca too? (Or identi.ca only, since we should be supporting open solutions, and identi.ca runs on a platform that supports federated microblogging.)

And what about Facebook?

In my opinion, this is not core material.

The Twitter explosion potentially warrants its inclusion in core, but that filter was added in 2.9 and makes it extremely easy:

function add_twitter_as_contact_method( $user_contactmethods ) {
   return array_merge( $user_contactmethods, array( 'twitter' => 'Twitter' ) );
}
add_filter( 'user_contactmethods', 'add_twitter_as_contact_method' );
...
the_author_meta('twitter');

A lot of people use twitter and from what I am reading on twitter itself is that this should be nativity supported, not have to work because of a plugin.

Again.. not all users can do this and know how even though there is a thing in codex. But people look for that all the time. Why not just add it?

In my opinion, All IM fields should be striped from core. Its impossible to cater for everyone, whilst not over-doing it.

Every culture group and country prefer different networks, in the past, there were a limited selection so it was fine, Today, You might as well include FaceBook, Myspace, Orkut, Tagged, Bebo, Windows Live Spaces (different from MSN AFAIK?).. All those mentioned are supposably more common than Twitter world wide, which i agree with.

Agree. Patch has nothing. Plugins/Themes will have to provide those in the user_contactmethods filter for them to be added.

Replying to ShaneF:

Agree. Patch has nothing. Plugins/Themes will have to provide those in the user_contactmethods filter for them to be added.

If we are to do this, it needs to be backwards compatible. People currently using the core fields will suddenly find their data inaccessible.

The easiest way to be backwards compatible, and to raise awareness of the user_contactmethods filter, is to leave them in. Of course, if this new filter isn't documented in the Codex, it should be.

I know we hate core options, and I'd definitely like to see a (core/canonical?) plugin to step up and manage these. Perhaps I'll do it...

Replying to nacin:

I know we hate core options, and I'd definitely like to see a (core/canonical?) plugin to step up and manage these. Perhaps I'll do it...

Go for it. In this case I would agree this is the proper thing for a canonical/core plugin.

Since this patch will break backwards compability, what now? Drop it? Core-Plugin it prior to delete? Add a filter-function that provides the (current) default one so that it can be removed by other plugin authors?

How to deal with changes that break backwards compability?

what now? Drop it? Core-Plugin it prior to delete?

My opinion is to just drop the thing, and let a plugin be developed before next release, By then, should at least have the canonical plugins ideas worked out a bit.

I'll write the plugin to make it happen if need be.

For a plugin stub, see this  plugin code, it might be of use.

We need this to be backwards compatible, or at least have a core plugin tied to all of it. dd32 and I have talked about this, and I can begin to work on something at some point.

Moving it out of 3.0 as we're not going to satisfy those requirements now.

Replying to dd32:

In my opinion, All IM fields should be striped from core. Its impossible to cater for everyone, whilst not over-doing it.

Every culture group and country prefer different networks, in the past, there were a limited selection so it was fine, Today, You might as well include FaceBook, Myspace, Orkut, Tagged, Bebo, Windows Live Spaces (different from MSN AFAIK?).. All those mentioned are supposably more common than Twitter world wide, which i agree with.

A better idea would be to remove them by default from the core and then provide an admin page where all known ones are listed that allows a user to select the ones they want and add them. "Known" ones could be added with each new version much like known places for import/export are added.

Replying to mikeschinkel:

A better idea would be to remove them by default from the core and then provide an admin page where all known ones are listed that allows a user to select the ones they want and add them.

Decisions, not options.

I'm with Dion in thinking that we should work toward removing these at some point. If someone proposed IM fields as a new feature today we'd probably say plugin territory. Can we do a check of themes/plugins in the directory to see who's using those fields, give them a 6 month advance notice that it will be leaving, and then just break backwards compat in this case to sub with a plugin?

+1 to ripping it out and replacing with a plugin.

Replying to jane:

Replying to mikeschinkel:

A better idea would be to remove them by default from the core and then provide an admin page where all known ones are listed that allows a user to select the ones they want and add them.

Decisions, not options.

Then rip them out and allow them to be added via a plugin. Or, what @andrea_r said.