ericmann/WP-Publication-Archive — pull request #20 by MatthewEppelsheimer (2012-12-12 05:39:23+00:00)
Title: Rudimentary widget to list publications, with helper utility method to query posts

The utility method WP_Publication_Archive::query_publications() may need some explanation. It's used by the widget to query publications before a loop. Why not just write that code directly into the widget? Because in time it can be re-used for front-end display elsewhere in the plugin — possibly to rewrite the shortcode's existing rendering code — and it allows third party plugins and templates a convenience method to write their own custom display code.

If you like this idea, it'll be a more powerful with companion utilities to handles loops, which will accept template callbacks. It will including defaults, but again, allowing third parties to provide their own templates. This is a way out of the problem described here:

I can attack this within the next week, as it'll be useful on some front-burner projects.

… and if this make no sense — because I am admittedly writing quickly in a somewhat brain-fried mode after a long day — hit me up via email or tele and we can chat.