Add theme path helper function

No longer applies.

You can also do this:

 print url("$directory/box_bottom.png");

This applies to the current version and goes way back to 4.7 I think. So, I don't see a real need for this patch.

I suggest the following helper function:

/**
 * Returns a relative path from base to a file in the currently 
 * selected theme. Useful for providing relative paths to files 
 * in the theme directory.
 * 
 * @param $path
 *   The path relative to the theme directory.  
 *   
*/
function base_path_to_theme($path) {
  return base_path() . path_to_theme() . "/$path" ;
}

It will avoid themers to repetitively use base_path() . path_to_theme() . $file , and instead use this more succinctly function.

For example:
base_path() . path_to_theme() . '/fix-ie.css'
base_path() . path_to_theme() . '/images/bg.png'

Can be converted respectively to:
base_path_to_theme('fix-ie.css')
base_path_to_theme('images/bg.png')

Find attached the patch.

Patch still applies, with offset

I think helper functions like this are better lived in the template.php file of your theme, and not part of core where they might never be used. Just my thoughts though...

I made a bad call on #2 but I still don't think this needs a function.

Instead, setup the variables within "template_preprocess" so it can be used in any preprocessor or template file. The function calls are cheap and it would be a two line change. The $base_path variable in "template_preprocess_page" should be moved to "template_preprocess" and the $directory variable should be changed to $theme_path. $directory is seldom used since it has little meaning in this context. Not many know that they can use it.

It would end up like this:

print "$base_path$theme_path/fix-ie.css";

// vs. this:

print base_path_to_theme('fix-ie.css');

If we can prevent function calls inside templates, lets not provide another function as a shortcut. Make the variables available instead. If you need to call these paths from theme functions, the two functions "base_path" & "path_to_theme" should be fine.

To me

print "$base_path$theme_path/fix-ie.css";

is still messy (and error prone; why not $base_path/$theme_path?). Could we do:

print "$base_path_to_theme/fix-ie.css";

or similar? one variable to remember rather than two? I leave it to themers' discretion what that variable is best called.

Morbus was throwing around the idea of a base_url() function...

That would work too Webchick but having them separated is useful too so we might need 3 variables. If we stuck to one standard in how paths are used, a single path would be fine. For example, theme_image can't take in the base path while drupal_add_css does. Maybe another thing to tackle.

Did I hear drupal_add_css? #266358: Use $options in drupal_add_css()

Most modules in contrib that implement path lookup helper functions use an optional boolean argument to return the same path prefixed with base_path().

So:

echo path_to_theme();
// returns: "sites/all/themes/mytheme"

echo path_to_theme(TRUE);
// returns: base_path() . "sites/all/themes/mytheme"
// e.g.: "/sites/all/themes/mytheme"

Note that there's also talk of vamping base_path() with hook_file() goodness to make it easy to push files to CDNs or host files externally.

Also, I think instead of using a PHP function for this, it might be nicer to give designers and theme developers a variable. $base_path, $path_to_theme, etc?

For template files, we have $base_path and $directory already. IMHO, that is sufficient and allows for any flexible styling.

However, that "base_path() . path_to_theme()" weirdness not only used in theme.inc, template.php, but also in various modules and theme functions.

how can I call base_path() inside my template.php file???