Sass: @forward

The @forward rule loads a Sass stylesheet and makes its mixins, functions, and variables available when your stylesheet is loaded with the @use rule. It makes it possible to organize Sass libraries across many files, while allowing their users to load a single entrypoint file.

The rule is written @forward "<url>". It loads the module at the given URL just like @use, but it makes the public members of the loaded module available to users of your module as though they were defined directly in your module. Those members aren’t available in your module, though—if you want that, you’ll need to write a @use rule as well. Don’t worry, it’ll only load the module once!

If you do write both a @forward and a @use for the same module in the same file, it’s always a good idea to write the @forward first. That way, if your users want to configure the forwarded module, that configuration will be applied to the @forward before your @use loads it without any configuration.

💡 Fun fact:

The @forward rule acts just like @use when it comes to a module’s CSS. Styles from a forwarded module will be included in the compiled CSS output, and the module with the @forward can extend it, even if it isn’t also @used.

• SCSS

• Sass

• CSS

SCSS

 Syntax

// src/_list.scss
@mixin
 
list-reset
 
{
  
margin
:
 
0
;
  
padding
:
 
0
;
  
list-style
:
 
none
;
}

// bootstrap.scss
@forward
 
"src/list"
;

// styles.scss
@use
 
"bootstrap"
;

li
 
{
  
@include
 
bootstrap
.
list-reset
;
}

Sass Syntax

// src/_list.sass
@mixin
 
list-reset
  
margin
:
 
0
  
padding
:
 
0
  
list-style
:
 
none

// bootstrap.sass
@forward
 
"src/list"

// styles.sass
@use
 
"bootstrap"

li
  
@include
 
bootstrap
.
list-reset

CSS

 Output

li
 
{
  
margin
:
 
0
;
  
padding
:
 
0
;
  
list-style
:
 
none
;
}

Adding a Prefix permalink

Adding a Prefix

Because module members are usually used with a namespace, short and simple names are usually the most readable option. But those names might not make sense outside the module they’re defined in, so @forward has the option of adding an extra prefix to all the members it forwards.

This is written @forward "<url>" as <prefix>-*, and it adds the given prefix to the beginning of every mixin, function, and variable name forwarded by the module. For example, if the module defines a member named reset and it’s forwarded as list-*, downstream stylesheets will refer to it as list-reset.

• SCSS

• Sass

• CSS

SCSS

 Syntax

// src/_list.scss
@mixin
 
reset
 
{
  
margin
:
 
0
;
  
padding
:
 
0
;
  
list-style
:
 
none
;
}

// bootstrap.scss
@forward
 
"src/list"
 
as
 
list-
*
;

// styles.scss
@use
 
"bootstrap"
;

li
 
{
  
@include
 
bootstrap
.
list-reset
;
}

Sass Syntax

// src/_list.sass
@mixin
 
reset
  
margin
:
 
0
  
padding
:
 
0
  
list-style
:
 
none

// bootstrap.sass
@forward
 
"src/list"
 
as
 
list-
*

// styles.sass
@use
 
"bootstrap"

li
  
@include
 
bootstrap
.
list-reset

CSS

 Output

li
 
{
  
margin
:
 
0
;
  
padding
:
 
0
;
  
list-style
:
 
none
;
}

Controlling Visibility permalink

Controlling Visibility

Sometimes, you don’t want to forward every member from a module. You may want to keep some members private so that only your package can use them, or you may want to require your users to load some members a different way. You can control exactly which members get forwarded by writing @forward "<url>" hide <members...> or @forward "<url>" show <members...>.

The hide form means that the listed members shouldn’t be forwarded, but everything else should. The show form means that only the named members should be forwarded. In both forms, you list the names of mixins, functions, or variables (including the $).

• SCSS

• Sass

SCSS

 Syntax

// src/_list.scss
$horizontal-list-gap
:
 
2em
;

@mixin
 
list-reset
 
{
  
margin
:
 
0
;
  
padding
:
 
0
;
  
list-style
:
 
none
;
}

@mixin
 
list-horizontal
 
{
  
@include
 
list-reset
;

  
li
 
{
    
display
:
 
inline-block
;
    
margin
:
 
{
      
left
:
 
-2px
;
      
right
:
 
$horizontal-list-gap
;
    
}
  
}
}

// bootstrap.scss
@forward
 
"src/list"
 
hide
 
list-reset
,
 
$
horizontal-list-gap
;

Sass Syntax

// src/_list.sass
$horizontal-list-gap
:
 
2em

@mixin
 
list-reset
  
margin
:
 
0
  
padding
:
 
0
  
list-style
:
 
none


@mixin
 
list-horizontal
  
@include
 
list-rest

  
li
    
display
:
 
inline-block
    
margin
:
      
left
:
 
-2px
      
right
:
 
$horizontal-list-gap

// bootstrap.sass
@forward
 
"src/list"
 
hide
 
list-reset
,
 
$
horizontal-list-gap

Configuring Modules permalink

Configuring Modules

Compatibility:

Dart Sass

since 

1.24.0

LibSass

✗

Ruby Sass

✗

The @forward rule can also load a module with configuration. This mostly works the same as it does for @use, with one addition: a @forward rule’s configuration can use the !default flag in its configuration. This allows a module to change the defaults of an upstream stylesheet while still allowing downstream stylesheets to override them.

• SCSS

• Sass

• CSS

SCSS

 Syntax

// _library.scss
$black
:
 
#000
 
!
default
;
$border-radius
:
 
0
.25rem
 
!
default
;
$box-shadow
:
 
0
 
0
.5rem
 
1rem
 
rgba
(
$black
,
 
0
.15
)
 
!
default
;

code
 
{
  
border-radius
:
 
$border-radius
;
  
box-shadow
:
 
$box-shadow
;
}

// _opinionated.scss
@forward
 
'library'
 
with
 
(
  
$
black
:
 
#222
 
!
default
,
  
$
border-radius
:
 
0
.1rem
 
!
default
)
;

// style.scss
@use
 
'opinionated'
 
with
 
(
$
black
:
 
#333
)
;

Sass Syntax

// _library.sass
$black
:
 
#000
 
!
default
$border-radius
:
 
0
.25rem
 
!
default
$box-shadow
:
 
0
 
0
.5rem
 
1rem
 
rgba
(
$black
,
 
0
.15
)
 
!
default

code
  
border-radius
:
 
$border-radius
  
box-shadow
:
 
$box-shadow

// _opinionated.sass
@forward
 
'library'
 
with
 
(
$
black
:
 
#222
 
!
default
,
 
$
border-radius
:
 
0
.1rem
 
!
default
)

// style.sass
@use
 
'opinionated'
 
with
 
(
$
black
:
 
#333
)

CSS

 Output

code
 
{
  
border-radius
:
 
0.1rem
;
  
box-shadow
:
 
0
 
0.5rem
 
1rem
 
rgba
(
51
,
 
51
,
 
51
,
 
0.15
);
}