What is Forge?

Forge is a free command-line toolkit for bootstrapping and developing WordPress themes in a tidy environment using front-end languages like Sass, LESS, and CoffeeScript.

How does it work?

Forge creates a neatly organized source folder with clean and simple scaffolding (base template files, SCSS files, and theme options). The source folder is automatically compiled to your local WordPress install(s) as you save changes and work on your theme. When you are ready to distribute your theme Forge will build it to a folder of your choice or bundle the theme up into an easy to install zip package.

Why use Forge?

Forge accelerates development by giving you access to higher-level languages like Sass, LESS, and CoffeeScript. These languages are much quicker and cleaner to code, but still compile to normal CSS and JavaScript. Forge also makes it easy to quickly bootstrap into and a more modular development environment, while still compiling "by the book" WordPress theme code.

Basic setup

  1. Install Forge (requires Ruby and RubyGems):
    $ gem install forge
  2. Create your new theme project:
    $ forge create themename
  3. Link to your WordPress theme folder:
    $ forge link /wordpress/wp-content/themes/my-theme
  4. Watch for changes and start developing!
    $ cd themename
    $ forge watch

See the user's manual for more information.