To install the ForumPress theme you must have WordPress already installed on your server. Please consult the WordPress installation guide or your web host provider for help with this.
Theme Installation
Once you have completed your purchase, you can download the theme package installation zip file at the end of the checkout. You can re-download it at any time from your Launch and Sell account or with the details sent in your purchase email.
When you have downloaded ForumPress.zip, you can install the theme in two ways:
- WordPress Upload (recommended): In the WordPress admin panel navigate to Appearance > Add New Themes > Upload. Go to browse and select the zipped theme folder. Press install now and the theme will be uploaded and installed.
- FTP Upload: Using your FTP program upload the un-zipped theme folder into the /wp-content/themes/ folder of your WordPress installation.
Once the theme is uploaded, you need to activate it. Go to Appearance > Themes and activate your new theme.
Using ForumPress Welcome Setup
The ForumPress welcome screen appears on first activation and helps configure the theme, so you can get started quickly and easily.
At the end of the setup process, your site will look similar to the ForumPress demo, without the need to import any files.
Enter your ForumPress License Key
Enter your theme license key found in your purchase email, or from the License section in your Launch and Sell account.
Install Sample Content
On this screen you can choose what content from the ForumPress demo you want to recreate on your site. It is recommended you leave all options ticked, the content will then be created automatically and can be managed from the WordPress dashboard.
Complete Setup
That’s it, from the final screen you can then view your site and there are quick links to start adding/editing your own articles or customizing the site with your own logo and colors.
Configure the Navigation Menu
To setup your custom navigation menus, goto Appearance > Menus or from the live Customizer Menus panel. Give your menu a name and build it up using the available items on the left. You can add a variety of menu items including pages, categories and custom links. To see all available menu items, you may need to click the screen options tab at the very top of the screen and configure your options.
Once you have built and saved your menu, simply select the theme location(s), in ForumPress the menu is in the site footer.
Configure the Widgets
This theme features three Widgetized areas, which allow you to drag ‘n’ drop WordPress widgets which can be accessed from Appearance > Widgets.
To use a widget in one of these areas, drag it from the Available Widgets panel on the left into one of the boxed areas on the right.
Individual widget options can then be set, as shown in the screenshot below, including the title of the widget and what content appears.You need to ensure that your layout is set to show the sidebar from Appearance > Customize, otherwise the widget area will not be displayed.
Using your New ForumPress Theme
With the initial setup done, you can add/edit content. Change colors and layout (see the customizer options in the section below), and craft your forum site.
Customizer Setting
You can customize various visual aspects of the theme using the WordPress Live Customizer. Go to Appearance > Customize. Take some time to look through the options and customize them for your site.
The main options for the theme can be found in the Theme panel, which is then divided into various sections:
- Special Pages
- Login Page
- Lost Password Page
- Register Page
- New Topic Page
- Header
- Site Logo
- Footer
- Copyright Text
- Social Media Links
- Sidebars
- Forum List Sidebar Position
- Topic List Sidebar Position
- Topic Sidebar Position
- Styling
- Link Color
- Link Color (hover)
- Site Width
- Typography
- Body Font
Enabling Automatic Updates and Support
Enable automatic updates for your theme from Appearance > ForumPress Theme License and enter the code from your download receipt (also available in Your Launch and Sell Account page). Click Save and then Activate License to activate automatic updates and support.
When a new version is available it will show as Update Available from the Appearance > Themes view.
