How To Make A WordPress Theme Without PHP

Making a custom WordPress theme can be a tough task, as it requires both CSS/XHTML and PHP knowledge. As a result, some people just resort to using and modifying free themes. And while this approach does work, it doesn’t allow as much flexibility as would be realized by creating a custom theme.

Recently, we stumbled across an alternative called the Sandbox theme, provided by plaintxt.org, a supplier of several WordPress themes.

Why Sandbox?

Since Sandbox is just another free theme, you might be wondering why we are suggesting it. Well, that’s just it. Sandbox is not just another theme… it’s special. It is actually a blank slate. And all that you need to customize this theme is knowledge of CSS.

According to plaintxt.org, "The Sandbox is a powerful tool available for WordPress theme designers and developers. The Sandbox can be easily designed just with CSS, so beginners will feel comfortable not bothering with PHP." Better still, it features valid markup.

So, Who Uses The Sandbox?

Some people don’t know where to begin with the Sandox. After all, in its initial state, it is the definition of minimalism. However, once styled, it can be anything. And we’ve searched around the web, and found some great implementations of this theme. Unfortunately, we don’t have permission to feature these websites here, but you can see some implementations by going to the sandbox forum.

For more information on creating WordPress themes, check out the official documentation at WordPress.org.