> This page is for Developer.

> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.bigcommerce.com/_mcp/server.

# Best Practice

Plan: Stencil Developer

Lesson 2 of 31 · 5 min

**Before you begin this course, complete the checklist below:**

* Complete Stencil Core course
* Install [Stencil CLI](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/cli/install)
* Make sure you have a fresh copy of Cornerstone
* Review [Stencil Utils](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/utils/reference)
* Review  [Theme Objects > Template Object Reference > Models](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/themes/context/object-reference/schemas)

> **Info**
>
> Please do not build on top of a theme you have already been working on.

**Code Exercise Examples**

You can use the code examples provided in this course as you work through the hands-on exercises. We have made it easy to copy and paste the code examples if you are in a rush, but it is best practice to type the code into your Cornerstone theme to fully process the code.

## Resources

* [BigCommerce Developer Documentation](/developer/docs/integrations)
* [HTML | Rendering HTML with AJAX](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/themes/javascript/customizing-template-javascript)
* [CSS](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/themes/templates)
* [Handlebars.js](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/getting-started/tech-stack#handlebars-overview)
* [BigCommerce Handlebars Fork](https://github.com/bigcommerce/paper-handlebars)
* [YAML Front Matter | Using Front Matter](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/getting-started/tech-stack#yaml-front-matter-overview)
* [JavaScript](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/themes/javascript/customizing-template-javascript)
* [Stencil Utils Reference](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/utils/reference)
* [BigCommerce Developer Tools & Resources](/developer/docs/overview/tools-and-sdks)
* [Stencil CLI Installation ](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/cli/install)
* [Global Objects and Properties](/developer/docs/storefront/stencil/themes/context/object-reference/schemas)