It can be tricky to develop a bbPress theme if you are not very familiar with CSS and HTML. This is made more difficult by the need to copy theme files to remote FTP server so you can test them. Even if you’re a pro this can be time consuming!

You can save some time if you develop and test your themes directly on your own computer rather than a remote server. Many will find that the recipe for setting up an adequately configured HTTP server with PHP and MySQL involves a mixed bag of ingredients - including newt’s eyes!

Pre-configured Apache (HTTP) / MySQL (database)/ PHP stacks have been available for a long time on the Linux platform. These are also available on Windows and Mac OSX. My personal favourites are:

• Apache2Triad (Windows); and
• MAMP (Mac OSX).

These systems provide all you need to install development installations of bbPress on your own computer! Apache2triad has configuration pages that run through your browser. It also includes simple status bar tools for starting, stopping and restarting the apache server. MAMP includes a control panel application and a dashboard widget for managing your apache installation. Both systems include phpMyAdmin which makes setting up a MySQL database for you test site a breeze!

I have historically used a mix of Linux servers on my local network for development sites. I have recently started using the professional MAMP Pro on my MacBook for this purpose. This allows me to take my development projects on the road. MAMP Pro provides more advanced configuration than the standard MAMP package provides.

Before switching to the Mac I used to take development projects on the road using apache2triad. I once spent 12 hours developing a website using apache2triad whilst on a day ferry crossing to Tasmania.

Note:
I also recommend that you setup some form of mail server on your local network if this is not otherwise available. This is essential if you need to test the e-mail notifications used by bbPress. Setting up a mail server is not for the faint-hearted and is beyond the scope of this discussion.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 at 1:05 am and is filed under tools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.