Build it your way.
Know how it works.

1. Requirements & dependencies

The theme declares WordPress 6.4+ and PHP 7.4+ compatibility. These are minimum theme requirements, not a recommendation to run an outdated server. Use a maintained PHP version that also meets your installed WooCommerce and Elementor requirements. Review the setup wizard’s environment results before importing.

HTTPS, working file permissions and outbound requests are needed for online installation, updates and optional image downloads. Hosting limits affect imports and uploads.

2. Install & run the setup wizard

1. Back up an existing site. Extract the full download and locate the installable theme ZIP.
2. Open Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme, upload that ZIP and activate BoppiPaw. Do not upload the outer documentation bundle as a theme.
3. Open BoppiPaw → Setup Wizard. Review the environment, optional child theme, page editor, plugins, demo and site settings steps.
4. Use BoppiPaw → Plugins to install/update and activate required plugins. Verify the resulting status rather than assuming a click completed the operation.
5. Configure the site title, logo and menus, then follow the import tutorial.

The wizard remains available after setup. Permanent admin pages also let you change each area without rerunning an import.

Use a child theme for PHP/template customizations. The release directory is boppipaw. When migrating an older development directory, verify the child theme’s Template header before activating it.

3. License & activation

Open BoppiPaw → License to view status and activate/deactivate this site. A valid purchase code is used for authenticated updates and protected downloads. Ordinary storefront use and Theme Settings are not locked behind activation.

1. Enter your own valid purchase code when available and choose the appropriate environment offered by the form.
2. Check the returned activation status.
3. Use the account/site-management link on the License screen to manage connected sites. Review the old activation before moving a production installation.

Activation limits and support entitlements follow your purchase and the license service’s response. Installing the theme is not evidence of a marketplace purchase or approval.

4. Tutorial: import a prebuilt website

BoppiPaw Original, Cat Living, Dog Outdoor and Pet Studio include Gutenberg and Elementor import data. A demo is starting content, not a configured trading business.

1. Use a test site or take a full database-and-files backup. Imports can change the homepage, menus, options and builder assignments.
2. Choose the primary editor in setup or Theme Settings → Page Builders → Editor workflow. Activate required plugins.
3. Open BoppiPaw → Prebuilt Websites. Select a design and read its offered import modes. Design structure only and full-content modes do not import the same amount of data.
4. Decide whether to enable Download original demo images. Leave it unchecked for placeholders without contacting the image server. Demo photos are not embedded in the installable ZIP.
5. Start the import and follow progress. If interrupted, use the available resume action instead of repeatedly starting new imports. Keep the original image choice when resuming.
6. Check the imported homepage, menus, images, products and Header/Footer Builder default assignments on desktop and mobile.
7. Replace sample copy, prices, contacts and policies. Configure WooCommerce currency, taxes, shipping and payments yourself.

Theme updates do not automatically overwrite existing demo pages. Reimporting is a separate content operation.

5. Pages & editor workflow

Gutenberg and Elementor can coexist on different pages. Keep a saved page in the editor that created it; changing the primary editor does not convert existing data.

1. Open Pages and edit the intended page. Use BoppiPaw Builder Page for a full-width builder canvas.
2. Search the Gutenberg inserter or Elementor widget panel for BoppiPaw components. Core must be active for custom components.
3. Edit images, content and links in component controls. Product-driven sections also require published products and a suitable query/category.
4. Review tablet/mobile spacing, typography and visibility before publishing.

Enable Elementor for posts/products under Theme Settings → Page Builders → Elementor when needed. Builder descriptions do not replace WooCommerce price, stock and variation fields.

6. Tutorial: build a header

1. Open BoppiPaw → Header Builder. Create a layout or duplicate one before major changes.
2. Arrange top, main and bottom rows across left, center and right columns. Configure row colors/heights and layout width/sticky behavior.
3. Add logo, main menu, search field/icon, account, wishlist, compare, cart, text, button or HTML Block elements. Configure their content and links.
4. Switch to mobile layout. Keep it compact; do not duplicate every desktop control. Mobile navigation is supplied separately.
5. Save and apply the site default. Check the storefront with an open menu and after scrolling.

Use the builder’s export/import workflow to transfer configurations. Reselect destination media/block references where needed. A page, post or product can override the default in its Header & Footer panel.

7. Tutorial: build a footer

1. Open BoppiPaw → Footer Builder, enter a name, select Gutenberg or Elementor and choose Create footer.
2. Build its reusable HTML Block: logo, introduction, navigation, contacts, social links and newsletter entry point. Make link columns readable on mobile.
3. Publish, use Preview, then Use as default. A draft alone does not replace the live footer.
4. Check multiple pages and their Header & Footer overrides.

Templates can be duplicated, exported and trashed. Imported files create a new draft, not an automatic live replacement. Image URLs may remain, but attachment, menu and nested-block references need checking on another site. Import only templates you trust.

Use Use original theme footer for the fallback. Source/block selection is also in Theme Settings → Footer → Footer content. An active Elementor Theme Builder footer takes priority.

8. Tutorial: menus & Mega Menu

1. Create a menu under Appearance → Menus, add pages/categories and assign its location.
2. Create and publish an HTML Block for the rich panel. Add clear category links and optional promotional content in your editor.
3. Expand the intended top-level menu item, select the block using its BoppiPaw Mega Menu controls and save the menu.
4. Check desktop hover/focus, parent and panel links, then mobile expandable navigation. Do not expect a wide desktop panel to fit unchanged on a phone.

Keep meaningful normal menu items/children. After transfer, check block references and publication status on the destination site.

9. Preserve the Original design

Original uses dedicated reusable sections and an Original canvas workflow to retain its frontend composition while supporting editor-based content and import. Use BoppiPaw → Original Templates and supplied components instead of rebuilding its overlapping hero as unrelated generic columns.

Choose the matching editor version, retain the section structure and edit exposed controls. Image proportions and transparent edges affect the composition; preview both desktop and mobile.

Updating the theme does not automatically replace an existing legacy Original homepage. Back up its page and settings before deliberately adopting an editor-based template.

10. Colors, typography & branding

Start in Theme Settings with the logo, identity preset, brand colors, page background, supporting surfaces, body font and display font. “Brand orange” and “Brand green” identify color roles; choose your own colors.

Theme backgrounds apply to theme-rendered archives, forms and surfaces. Builder sections may have independent colors and typography. If shop/account pages differ from the homepage, review global theme settings. If only one section differs, inspect its local controls.

Enable Elementor theme color/font inheritance where appropriate and remove unintended widget overrides. Explicit widget styling is not automatically replaced by global settings. Use a high-contrast footer logo and configure WordPress Site Icon separately.

11. Tutorial: a compact mobile storefront

1. Simplify mobile Header Builder rows. Keep essential controls; add a separate search row only when useful.
2. Find Mobile navigation under Theme Settings’s header/navigation settings and enable mobile bottom navigation.
3. Select up to five items from Shop, Menu, Wishlist, Compare, Account and Cart. Choose whether to show labels. Disabled store features are omitted automatically.
4. Remove unnecessary duplicate header shortcuts. Test open menus, notices, review dialogs and product actions at narrow widths.
5. Reduce large headings/padding in your editor. Use responsive visibility controls for an alternate mobile section where available instead of squeezing a desktop-only composition into a phone.

The bottom bar appears below 992px and is hidden on cart and checkout pages. It is website navigation, not a native app.

12. Products, cards & filters

1. Create products with prices, inventory, descriptions, featured images, galleries, categories and attributes. Configure variations in WooCommerce for variable products.
2. Under Theme Settings → WooCommerce → Shop catalog, select among 11 card presets, desktop columns, products per page and second-image-on-hover behavior.
3. Review Product page settings for layouts, gallery thumbnails, related products and benefit text. Individual products can override supported layouts.
4. Prepare real catalog data before filtering. Category, price, in-stock, sale and brand controls depend on catalog data; brands require the product-brand taxonomy and terms.
5. Test combinations, sorting, empty results and reset. Mobile filters use a left-side drawer. Builder grids can use their own queries and are not automatically the shop archive.

Replace sample shipping/returns/safety claims with your own terms. Benefit text does not configure shipping rules or certify products.

13. Wishlist, comparison & quick view

Enable these under Theme Settings → WooCommerce → Shop catalog. Keep WooCommerce and supporting Core functionality active.

• Wishlist: save from cards and revisit the dedicated wishlist page. Check guest and signed-in behavior.
• Comparison: select up to four products and open the side-by-side comparison page. Populate product attributes to make comparison useful. Test removal and clearing.
• Quick view: inspect a product from its card. Test simple and variable products separately; required choices still apply.

Confirm imported wishlist/compare pages and navigation links exist. A manually created page containing only a title is not a configured collection page. Test AJAX add-to-cart feedback and card layout after adding a product.

14. Reviews & customer media

Enable review/rating rules in WooCommerce, then configure Theme Settings → WooCommerce → Product reviews: images/videos, attachment count, file-size limits and deletion with reviews. Server upload limits still apply.

1. Submit a test review using a customer permitted by your WooCommerce rules.
2. Moderate it in WordPress and confirm that counts, rating summary and list agree with approved data.
3. Test invalid uploads and long forms on mobile, including scrolling, validation and closing the dialog.

Do not present sample ratings or marketing testimonials as verified reviews. Accuracy and moderation remain the merchant’s responsibility.

15. Journal, blocks & sliders

Use WordPress Posts for the journal, with featured images, excerpts and categories. Select the posts page in Settings → Reading; adjust its introduction in Theme Settings. Replace sample articles before launch.

HTML Blocks supply reusable footer/menu content. Publish before assigning. Slides supplies slider content; edit images, text and links and select the appropriate slider in the page component. Check mobile cropping and text placement.

Core owns these custom content types and components. Changing themes does not convert them to ordinary pages. Keep Core active to retain access to its registered content types; back up data before removing plugins.

16. Newsletter & cookie information

Under Theme Settings → Content & Pages → Newsletter, enable the popup and configure delay, image and copy. Use the subscriber-list link to inspect Core records. A button linking to #bp-newsletter can open signup. Automatic popups are suppressed on checkout and account pages.

Subscriber collection is not a complete email-campaign service. Arrange your mailing workflow and suitable signup wording separately; test records and feedback before inviting subscriptions.

Enable the Cookie notice and assign a published privacy policy in Settings → Privacy if needed.

17. SEO & translation

Theme Settings includes fallback titles/descriptions, indexing, social sharing and organization schema. WordPress supplies canonical URLs/sitemaps and WooCommerce supplies Product schema. Supported SEO-plugin detection suppresses overlapping theme metadata; inspect the final page for duplicates when configuring another SEO system.

Theme and Core include translation templates with separate text domains: boppipaw and boppipaw-core. Translate both through the standard WordPress workflow. Pages, menus, products and builder text need separate translation. Translation-ready does not mean automatically translated or a complete multilingual commerce solution.

18. Backups & template transfer

Export before importing/resetting. Check cross-site IDs and URLs even when a visual template imports successfully.

19. Update safely

1. Back up files/database, read release notes and test on staging.
2. Use authenticated WordPress updates when offered, or upload the official installable package manually and review its replacement confirmation.
3. Update the matching Core package through the supported plugin workflow. Verify version and active status.
4. Clear relevant caches, regenerate Elementor assets if needed and check key storefront interactions.

Keep customizations outside parent-theme files. Updates do not automatically reimport demos, replace published builder content or configure merchant services.

20. External services & images

License activation and authenticated downloads contact the Ryncode licensing service. Plugin installation/updates contact their providers. See bundled PRIVACY.md for service and data details.

The installable theme includes placeholder demo imagery and local branding/interface assets. Optional original-image download contacts boppipaw.ryncode.com and saves assets to your media library. The importer verifies its supported manifest and file hashes. Leaving the option unchecked avoids that image-server request.

Online preview imagery is not embedded in the customer theme ZIP. Use images you are entitled to publish and review bundled asset credits/license information.

21. Troubleshooting

22. Before you launch

• Replace sample branding, contacts, policies, products and claims; verify every menu/footer link.
• Check plugins, builder assignments and applicable licenses.
• Review homepage, shop, product, search, account, wishlist, compare, cart and checkout on desktop and a real phone.
• Test filtering, sorting, variations, cart updates, empty states, reviews and newsletter submissions.
• Configure and independently test payments, shipping, taxes, transactional email and refunds with your providers.
• Publish business policies and configure any required consent solution.
• Check HTTPS, cache exclusions, backups, restore access, indexing and image sizes.
• Remove test records appropriately; disable coming-soon/test settings only when ready.

A successful import is not a complete launch acceptance test. Hosting, extensions, content and merchant configuration affect the final store.