📚 Elemental Starter Theme Documentation

Complete guide to customization, packaging, and white labeling

📋 Table of Contents

Quick Start Guide
Customizer Options
One-Click Demo Import Setup
Packaging for ThemeForest
White Labeling Guide
Frequently Asked Questions

🚀 1. Quick Start Guide

Installation

Upload the theme folder to /wp-content/themes/
Activate the theme in WordPress Admin > Appearance > Themes
Install required plugins (Elementor, Kirki)
Install recommended plugin (Elemental Widgets Suite)
Go to Appearance > Customize to configure theme settings

Required Plugins

Elementor: For page building
Kirki: Powers the customizer options

Recommended Plugins

Elemental Widgets Suite: 24 premium Elementor widgets
WooCommerce: If building an e-commerce site

🎨 2. Customizer Options

Typography Panel

Body Font: Choose from 1800+ Google Fonts for body text
Heading Font: Separate font for all headings (h1-h6)
Font Sizes: Adjust body and heading sizes
Font Weights: Control heading weight (300-900)
Line Heights: Fine-tune text spacing

WooCommerce Panel (30+ Options)

Shop layout (products per page, columns)
Product card styling (animations, hover effects, shadows)
Product colors (price, sale, ratings)
Sale badge customization (text, colors, gradients)
Single product page options
Cart & checkout styling
Product ratings appearance

⬇️ 3. One-Click Demo Import Setup

💡 Why This Matters:

One-click demo import is essential for ThemeForest and commercial themes. It lets buyers instantly import your demo content!

Step 1: Install Required Plugin

Install the “One Click Demo Import” plugin by ProteusThemes

wp plugin install one-click-demo-import --activate

Step 2: Create Demo Content Files

Export your demo content from WordPress:

content.xml: Tools > Export > All Content
customizer.dat: Customizer Export/Import plugin
widgets.wie: Widget Importer & Exporter plugin

Step 3: Add Demo Import Code

Create a file: inc/demo-import.php

<?php
function elemental_import_files() {
    return array(
        array(
            'import_file_name'             => 'Elemental Demo',
            'import_file_url'              => 'http://your-site.com/demos/content.xml',
            'import_widget_file_url'       => 'http://your-site.com/demos/widgets.wie',
            'import_customizer_file_url'   => 'http://your-site.com/demos/customizer.dat',
            'import_preview_image_url'     => 'http://your-site.com/demos/screenshot.png',
            'preview_url'                  => 'http://demo.your-site.com',
        ),
    );
}
add_filter( 'pt-ocdi/import_files', 'elemental_import_files' );

function elemental_after_import_setup() {
    // Assign menus
    $main_menu = get_term_by( 'name', 'Main Menu', 'nav_menu' );
    set_theme_mod( 'nav_menu_locations', array(
        'primary' => $main_menu->term_id,
    ) );
    
    // Assign front page
    $front_page = get_page_by_title( 'Home' );
    update_option( 'show_on_front', 'page' );
    update_option( 'page_on_front', $front_page->ID );
    
    // Assign blog page
    $blog_page = get_page_by_title( 'Blog' );
    update_option( 'page_for_posts', $blog_page->ID );
}
add_action( 'pt-ocdi/after_import', 'elemental_after_import_setup' );

Step 4: Include in functions.php

require_once get_template_directory() . '/inc/demo-import.php';

Step 5: Test Import

Go to Appearance > Import Demo Data
Click “Import Demo Data” button
Wait for completion (1-5 minutes)
Verify all content imported correctly

💡 Pro Tip:

Host demo files on your own server or GitHub for reliability!

📦 4. Packaging for ThemeForest

🎯 Goal:

Turn Elemental Starter into a commercial ThemeForest theme!

Required Files & Structure

your-theme-package/
├── your-theme/          (Main theme folder)
├── documentation/       (HTML or PDF docs)
├── demo-content/        (XML, WIE, DAT files)
├── plugins/            (Bundled plugins)
│   ├── elemental-widgets.zip
│   ├── kirki.zip
│   └── elementor.zip (link only, can't bundle)
├── screenshot.png      (1200x900px)
├── item-description.txt
└── README.txt

Step-by-Step Preparation

1. Rebrand the Theme

Update style.css theme header
Find & replace “elemental-starter” with “your-theme-slug”
Update theme name in all files
Create new screenshot.png (1200x900px)

2. Add TGM Plugin Activation

Include TGM Plugin Activation class to recommend plugins:

require_once get_template_directory() . '/inc/class-tgm-plugin-activation.php';

function elemental_register_required_plugins() {
    $plugins = array(
        array(
            'name'     => 'Elementor',
            'slug'     => 'elementor',
            'required' => true,
        ),
        array(
            'name'     => 'Elemental Widgets Suite',
            'slug'     => 'elemental-widgets',
            'source'   => get_template_directory() . '/plugins/elemental-widgets.zip',
            'required' => false,
        ),
    );

    tgmpa( $plugins );
}
add_action( 'tgmpa_register', 'elemental_register_required_plugins' );

3. Create Documentation

Installation guide
Customizer options explained
How to import demo content
Widget usage guide
FAQ section
Changelog

4. Prepare Demo Content

Create demo pages with Elementor
Add sample posts, team members, testimonials
Set up menus
Configure customizer settings
Export all content (XML, WIE, DAT)

5. Package Everything

ZIP your theme folder
Include documentation (HTML/PDF)
Add demo content files
Bundle compatible plugins
Create item description
Add licensing information

💰 Pricing Guide:

Basic Theme: $49-$59
With Widgets Suite: $69-$79
Premium Package: $89-$99

🏷️ 5. White Labeling Guide

⚠️ IMPORTANT:

You MUST preserve GPL licensing and give credit to original authors. You can rebrand, but must remain open source!

What You CAN Change

✅ Theme name and description
✅ Theme slug and text domain
✅ Author name (add yourself as author)
✅ Author URI (your website)
✅ Screenshot and branding
✅ Add your own features
✅ Modify any code
✅ Sell commercially

What You MUST Keep

⚠️ GPL license declaration
⚠️ GPL license URI
⚠️ Original author credit (in readme/comments)
⚠️ Open source requirement

Step-by-Step Process

1. Update style.css Header

/*
Theme Name: Your Amazing Theme
Theme URI: https://your-site.com/themes/amazing-theme
Description: Premium WordPress theme built on Elemental Starter framework
Author: Your Name, Based on Elemental Starter by CursorWP
Author URI: https://your-site.com
License: GNU General Public License v3 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
Text Domain: your-theme-slug
*/

2. Find & Replace Text Domain

elemental-starter → your-theme-slug
elemental_starter → your_theme_prefix
Elemental_Starter → Your_Theme_Name

3. Add Attribution (GPL Requirement)

In your README.md or documentation, add:

## Credits

This theme is based on Elemental Starter by CursorWP.
Original: https://github.com/cursorwp/elemental-starter
License: GPL v3 or later

We thank the original authors for their excellent work!

✅ Good News:

Elemental Starter already meets ALL ThemeForest code requirements!

❓ 6. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this theme for client projects?

Yes! Use it on unlimited client sites. The GPL license allows commercial use.

Can I sell this theme?

Yes! You can sell it on ThemeForest or your own site. Just maintain GPL licensing and give attribution.

Do I need Elementor Pro?

No! The theme works perfectly with free Elementor. However, Elemental Widgets Suite adds 24 premium widgets!

Can I remove the CursorWP credit?

From the frontend: Yes! From the code/documentation: Please keep attribution in comments or README as GPL best practice.

How do I add more customizer options?

Edit inc/customizer/sections.php to add new Kirki panels, sections, and fields. Follow the existing pattern!

Can I use this with Gutenberg?

Yes! The theme is builder-agnostic. It works with Elementor, Gutenberg, or any page builder.

🚀 Ready to Build?

Start customizing your Elemental Starter theme today!

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💜 Support Elemental Starter

Elemental Starter is Donationware and is Free as in Free Beer for the Global WordPress Community!

Please consider donating to support the Vibe Coding efforts of CursorWP!

Every donation helps us create more awesome free themes and plugins! 💙