Wordpress theme frameworks

You got to love Wordpress theme frameworks when trying to put together a theme for Wordpress.

There are various reasons to use a framework. As you might know, frameworks provide you with convenience and code that you don’t have to write all over. Robin’s article about CakePHP is about a PHP Framework which will speed up your development.

A few reasons you should use Wordpress Frameworks:

• Save development time
• Have the HTML layout ready to use and valid
• Some SEO included
• No need to make all the template pages yourself
• You won’t forget to put in Wordpress features that quick
• Loops are already written for most pages

I’ve been using theme frameworks to get themes implemented for some time now and I must say I am very pleased with the results. I got the projects up and running in no time! It’s a real life saver if you have little time.

What it does is quite simple: being a basic template for your theme. You’ll only need to style the HTML and adjust anything in it.

It’s just a theme with nothing in it but HTML, template tags and some basic styling ready. You’ll have to download the theme, adjust it, upload it and use it in Wordpress. It’s as simple as that! No need for any special installation on your server or anything.

The following Wordpress theme frameworks are quite famous:

• Sandbox
  The framework I’ve been using for a while now. Must say I am very pleased with how it’s put together.
  Uses very strong HTML and is really easy to adjust.

• Thematic
  Has a bit more going on with styling than Sandbox and might make it easier for beginners to work with. Great integration of widget areas and implementations of various plugins. Looks nice too!

• Hybrid
  Even more themed than Sandbox and Themematic. Easy to configure and gets a beginner going in minutes! Really nice to try out and build your next theme on.

Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with theme frameworks in the comments. I’d love to hear your stories!