tools-only WordPress Sage Theme Development
When to Use
Use this skill when working with WordPress theme development using the Sage (Roots) framework. Specific scenarios include:
- Creating new Sage themes from scratch or from composer templates
- Setting up Blade templates, layouts, and reusable components
- Configuring build tools (Bud/Vite) for asset compilation
- Working with WordPress template hierarchy in Blade format
- Integrating Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) with Blade templates
- Debugging theme rendering or asset loading issues
- Optimizing theme performance and following best practices
Instructions
- Theme Setup: Use
composer create-project roots/sageto create new themes - Blade Templates: Place templates in
resources/views/following WordPress hierarchy - Components: Create reusable components in
resources/views/components/ - Build: Run
npm installandnpm run devfor development,npm run buildfor production - ACF Integration: Use
get_field()andhave_rows()directives in Blade templates - Asset Management: Configure Bud entry points in
bud.config.js - Output Escape: Always escape output with
{{ }}or WordPress escape functions
Examples
Create a new Sage theme:
composer create-project roots/sage my-theme
cd my-theme
npm install && composer install
npm run dev
Blade page template:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('content')
<main class="content">
<h1>{{ the_title() }}</h1>
<div class="entry-content">
{{ the_content() }}
</div>
</main>
@endsection
ACF flexible content in Blade:
@if (have_rows('flexible_content'))
@while (have_rows('flexible_content'))
@php the_row() @endphp
@switch(get_row_layout())
@case('hero_section')
@include('components.hero')
@break
@endswitch
@endwhile
@endif
Overview
Sage is a WordPress theme framework by Roots that provides modern development practices including Blade templates, dependency management with Composer, and build tools with Vite/Bud.
Quick Start
Creating a New Sage Theme
Prerequisites: PHP 8.0+, Node.js 18+, Composer
# Create new Sage theme
wp scaffold theme-theme my-theme --theme_name="My Theme" --author="Your Name" --activate
# Or install Sage directly via Composer
composer create-project roots/sage my-theme
cd my-theme
# Install dependencies
npm install
composer install
# Build for development
npm run dev
# Build for production
npm run build
Directory Structure
resources/
├── views/ # Blade templates
│ ├── layouts/ # Base layouts (app.blade.php)
│ ├── components/ # Reusable components
│ └── partials/ # Template partials
├── styles/ # CSS/SASS files
│ └── main.scss # Main stylesheet
└── scripts/ # JavaScript files
└── main.js # Main JavaScript
Blade Templates
Layouts
Base Layout (resources/views/layouts/app.blade.php):
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html {{ site_html_language_attributes() }}>
<head>
{{ wp_head() }}
</head>
<body {{ body_class() }}>
@yield('content')
{{ wp_footer() }}
</body>
</html>
Template Hierarchy Mapping
| WordPress Template | Sage Blade File |
|---|---|
| front-page.php | views/front-page.blade.php |
| single.php | views/single.blade.php |
| page.php | views/page.blade.php |
| archive.php | views/archive.blade.php |
| index.php | views/index.blade.php |
Example Page Template (resources/views/page.blade.php):
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('content')
<main class="content">
<h1>{{ the_title() }}</h1>
<div class="entry-content">
{{ the_content() }}
</div>
</main>
@endsection
Components
Reusable Button Component (resources/views/components/button.blade.php):
@props(['url' => '#', 'text' => 'Click', 'variant' => 'primary'])
<a href="{{ $url }}" class="btn btn-{{ $variant }}">
{{ $text }}
</a>
Usage:
<x-button url="/contact" text="Contact Us" variant="secondary" />
ACF Integration
Displaying ACF Fields
Basic Field:
@while(the_post())
<h1>{{ get_field('hero_title') ?? the_title() }}</h1>
<p>{{ get_field('hero_description') }}</p>
@endwhile
Flexible Content:
@if (have_rows('flexible_content'))
@while (have_rows('flexible_content'))
@php the_row() @endphp
@switch(get_row_layout())
@case('hero_section')
@include('components.hero')
@break
@case('features_grid')
@include('components.features-grid')
@break
@endswitch
@endwhile
@endif
Repeater Field:
@if (have_rows('testimonials'))
<div class="testimonials">
@while (have_rows('testimonials'))
@php the_row() @endphp
<blockquote>
<p>{{ get_sub_field('testimonial_text') }}</p>
<cite>{{ get_sub_field('author_name') }}</cite>
</blockquote>
@endwhile
</div>
@endif
Build Configuration (Bud)
Tailwind CSS Setup
Install Tailwind:
npm install -D tailwindcss
npx tailwindcss init -p
Configure (bud.config.js):
export default async (app) => {
app
.entry({
app: ['@/scripts/main.js', '@styles/main.css'],
editor: ['@scripts/editor.js', '@styles/editor.css'],
})
.assets('images', 'fonts')
.tailwind()
.runtime()
};
Tailwind CSS (resources/styles/main.css):
@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;
@layer components {
.btn {
@apply px-4 py-2 rounded font-semibold transition;
}
.btn-primary {
@apply bg-blue-600 text-white hover:bg-blue-700;
}
}
Advanced Patterns
Conditional Logic
@if (is_front_page())
@include('components.hero')
@elseif (is_singular('post'))
@include('components.post-meta')
@endif
Custom Queries
@php
$args = [
'post_type' => 'service',
'posts_per_page' => 6,
];
$query = new WP_Query($args);
@endphp
@if ($query->have_posts())
@while ($query->have_posts())
@php $query->the_post() @endphp
<article>
<h2>{{ the_title() }}</h2>
</article>
@endwhile
@php wp_reset_postdata() @endphp
@endif
Theme Customization
functions.php additions:
// Custom image sizes
add_image_size('hero-lg', 1920, 1080, true);
// Custom post types
add_action('init', function() {
register_post_type('service', [
'label' => 'Services',
'public' => true,
'has_archive' => true,
'supports' => ['title', 'editor', 'thumbnail'],
]);
});
References
- Sage Documentation: See SAGE.md for complete framework reference
- Blade Templates: See BLADE.md for advanced Blade patterns
- Bud Configuration: See BUD.md for build tool configuration
- ACF Integration: See ACF.md for ACF field examples
Troubleshooting
Build issues:
# Clear cache
npm run clean
# Rebuild
rm -rf node_modules public
npm install
npm run build
Blade not compiling: Check public/manifest.json exists after build
AC fields not showing: Verify field names match exactly (case-sensitive)
Best Practices
Blade Template Organization
- Use components for reusable UI elements: Create blade components in
resources/views/components/for buttons, cards, and other repeated elements - Keep layouts minimal: Base layouts should only contain structural HTML; delegate styling to components
- Leverage Blade directives: Use
@include,@each, and@componentfor better code organization - Avoid inline PHP: Use
@phpblocks sparingly; move complex logic to Composers or service classes
ACF Field Management
- Group related fields: Use ACF field groups to organize fields logically by content type
- Use field keys for references: When referencing fields programmatically, use field keys (e.g.,
field_12345678) for reliability - Implement fallback values: Always provide default values for optional fields to prevent empty output
- Cache expensive queries: Use WordPress transients for complex ACF queries on high-traffic pages
Asset Management
- Use Bud for asset compilation: Let Bud handle versioning and optimization instead of manual asset management
- Minimize HTTP requests: Combine CSS/JS files where appropriate using Bud's entry points
- Optimize images: Use WordPress image sizes and lazy loading; consider WebP conversion
- Cache busting: Bud automatically handles cache busting via manifest.json
Code Organization
- Use Composers for data: Move data retrieval logic from templates to Sage Composers (
app/View/Composers/) - Separate concerns: Keep business logic in service classes, presentation in Blade templates
- Follow WordPress coding standards: Maintain consistency with WordPress PHP coding standards
- Use type declarations: PHP 8.0+ allows typed properties and arguments for better code quality
Security Considerations
- Escape all output: Use
{{ }}(Blade auto-escapes) or WordPress functions likeesc_html(),esc_url() - Validate ACF input: Sanitize and validate custom field inputs on the backend
- Nonce verification: Always verify nonces for form submissions
- Capability checks: Use
current_user_can()before privileged operations
Constraints and Warnings
Version Requirements
- PHP 8.0+ required: Sage 10 requires PHP 8.0 or higher; earlier versions are not supported
- Node.js 18+ required: Build tools require modern Node.js; older versions may cause compilation errors
- WordPress 6.0+ recommended: While Sage works with WordPress 5.x, version 6.0+ is recommended for full feature support
- Composer required: Dependency management requires Composer; manual installation is not supported
Build Tool Limitations
- Hot reload limitations: Bud's hot reload may not work correctly with some WordPress multisite configurations
- Production builds required for testing: Some features work differently in development vs production; always test with
npm run buildbefore deployment - Manifest.json dependency: Theme relies on
public/manifest.json; missing this file breaks asset loading
Common Pitfalls
- Template hierarchy confusion: Sage uses Blade files but follows WordPress template hierarchy; ensure file names match WordPress expectations
- Direct file access: Do not access Blade files directly via URL; they must be rendered through WordPress
- Plugin conflicts: Some caching and security plugins may interfere with Bud's hot reload or asset serving
- Theme updates: Updating Sage via Composer may overwrite customizations; use child themes for extensive modifications
Performance Considerations
- ACF Repeater performance: Large repeater fields can impact page load; consider pagination or alternative storage for large datasets
- Blade compilation overhead: First load after cache clear compiles all templates; use OPcache in production
- Asset bundle size: Monitor compiled asset sizes; large bundles affect page load performance
- Database queries: Use Query Monitor plugin to identify and optimize expensive queries in theme templates
Deployment Constraints
- Build step required: Production deployments must run
npm run build; raw source files cannot be served - Environment-specific configuration: Bud configuration may need adjustment for different deployment environments
- File permissions: Ensure
public/directory is writable during builds; incorrect permissions cause build failures