# CraftForge – Installation Guide

## Requirements

- WordPress 6.0 or higher
- PHP 7.4 or higher
- MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+

## Recommended Plugins

- **Elementor** (free or Pro) – page builder
- **WooCommerce** – e-commerce functionality
- **One Click Demo Import** – import demo content
- **Contact Form 7** or **WPForms** – contact forms

## Installation

### Method 1: WordPress Admin Upload

1. Download the `craftforge.zip` theme package.
2. Go to **Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme**.
3. Choose the ZIP file and click **Install Now**.
4. Click **Activate**.

### Method 2: FTP Upload

1. Extract `craftforge.zip` on your computer.
2. Upload the `craftforge` folder to `/wp-content/themes/` via FTP.
3. Go to **Appearance → Themes** and activate **CraftForge**.

## After Activation

1. **Set Up Menus:** Go to **Appearance → Menus** and assign menus to:
   - Primary Menu (header navigation)
   - Footer Menu
   - Mobile Menu
2. **Set Front Page:** Go to **Settings → Reading** → select "A static page" → choose your Home page.
3. **Configure Customizer:** Go to **Appearance → Customize → CraftForge Theme** to set:
   - Hero section content
   - Theme colors
   - Social media links
   - Footer settings
   - Portfolio display options
4. **Install Recommended Plugins:** A prompt will appear for recommended plugins; install as needed.
5. **Import Demo Content:** If One Click Demo Import is installed, go to **Appearance → Import Demo Data**.

## Widget Areas

The theme provides these widget areas:

| Area | Location |
|------|----------|
| Primary Sidebar | Blog sidebar |
| Shop Sidebar | WooCommerce pages |
| Footer Column 1–4 | Footer widget areas |

## Custom Post Types

CraftForge registers two custom post types:

- **Portfolio** (`/work/`) – showcase your projects
- **Services** (`/services/`) – list your service offerings

## Page Templates

| Template | Use Case |
|----------|----------|
| Full Width | Blank canvas for Elementor |
| About | Team and company information |
| Contact | Contact form with office details |
| Services | Services listing from CPT |
| Portfolio | Filterable portfolio grid |

## Troubleshooting

- **Permalinks not working?** Go to **Settings → Permalinks** and click "Save Changes" to flush rewrite rules.
- **Images look stretched?** Regenerate thumbnails using the "Regenerate Thumbnails" plugin.
- **Missing fonts?** Check that your server allows external requests to `fonts.googleapis.com`.