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Theme overview
Build the mental model first — a theme is templates + samples + assets, nothing more. Five minutes, then you know what every later doc is talking about.
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Theme anatomy
Map every file in `themes/default/` to a purpose. After this you can navigate the dir without grep, and you know which files to copy when you fork.
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Create a sample
Add a brand-new sample to the default theme — 11 lock-step beats, ships in 30 minutes. The mechanic transfers identically to your own theme.
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Create a theme
Author a NEW theme dir end-to-end — fork or scratch, both paths covered. Ship in 60 minutes, register with the picker.
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Layout best practice
Lock the patterns that survive the brand-color / hierarchy / padding-cascade gauntlet. Read AFTER you ship a theme so each rule lands as "oh THAT bug — yes."
Outcome A new theme dir + sample registered with the picker, light + dark verified.
Other paths
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Path 2
Extend the engine with custom code
Ship a custom Element, Control, and Widget — the three extension points the engine exposes. By the end, the editor is bent to YOUR domain (not the email-marketing default).
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Path 3
Wire BuilderJS into a real backend
Move from local-only Save to a production stack — MySQL persistence, S3 uploads, session auth, multi-tenant isolation, multi-language locale packs. Three docs, one shippable SaaS shape.
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Path 4
End-to-end — read everything in shipping order
The full sequence — every doc in dependency order. Spend two to three days; you will end with a production-grade theme + extension + backend + locale pack ready to ship to your first paying buyer.