Project Setup
Configure layout and global styles for ForgeUI
Project Setup
ForgeUI assumes a clean, predictable project structure with a single global entry point.
The goal of the setup is not flexibility for its own sake, but clarity.
A clear structure makes components easier to understand, extract, and evolve over time.
ForgeUI works best when the surrounding project is intentionally minimal.
Layout structure
A typical ForgeUI setup includes:
- global styles
- a root layout
- shared providers
This structure mirrors how most modern React and Next.js applications are organized and avoids unnecessary indirection.
Root layout as the foundation
The root layout is responsible for:
- defining global structure
- applying fonts and base styles
- mounting shared providers
By keeping this responsibility centralized, ForgeUI components remain:
- predictable
- easy to test
- easy to extract into other projects
If global behavior is scattered across multiple files, it becomes harder to reason about component behavior.
Shared providers
Shared providers should be introduced carefully.
Common examples include:
- theme providers
- motion or animation context
- documentation or layout providers
ForgeUI encourages keeping the provider tree:
- shallow
- explicit
- documented
This avoids hidden dependencies that make components difficult to reuse elsewhere.
Styling strategy
ForgeUI relies on Tailwind utility classes and avoids hidden styling abstractions.
If something affects styling, you should be able to see it directly in the markup.
This approach:
- improves traceability
- reduces debugging time
- makes overrides predictable
Global styles
Global styles should be minimal.
Typical global styles include:
- CSS resets
- base typography rules
- CSS variables for tokens
ForgeUI avoids placing component-specific styles in global files.
Component styles should live as close as possible to the component itself.
Component-level styling
Most styling decisions are made at the component level using utility classes.
This keeps:
- layout decisions local
- visual intent explicit
- overrides straightforward
Rather than relying on cascading styles, ForgeUI favors direct application of utilities so visual behavior is easy to audit.
Explicit styling scales better than implicit inheritance.
Avoiding hidden abstractions
ForgeUI avoids styling abstractions that:
- hide where styles come from
- require jumping between files to understand behavior
- make refactoring risky
While abstractions can reduce repetition, they often increase cognitive load when debugging or extending components.
ForgeUI accepts a small amount of verbosity in exchange for clarity.
Practical setup guidelines
When setting up a project with ForgeUI:
- keep the root layout simple
- introduce providers only when necessary
- avoid global styles that affect specific components
- prefer explicit utilities over implicit rules
These guidelines help maintain consistency as the project grows.
Scaling the setup
As applications grow, additional structure may be introduced.
This can include:
- grouping related components
- extracting shared layout patterns
- introducing application-level tokens
ForgeUI does not prevent these changes.
It aims to ensure that early decisions do not block later evolution.
Final thought
Project setup sets the tone for everything that follows.
A clean, intentional setup:
- reduces friction
- improves collaboration
- makes UI systems easier to maintain
ForgeUI works best when the surrounding structure is as disciplined as the components themselves.