Getting Started

Quick start guide

1. Install and activate the Creatista theme.
2. Configure Jetpack plugin that comes with the theme: connect it to wordpress.com or use it in a test mode (mode details under Installation section).
3. Turn on all needed Jetpack features via Jetpack → Settings.
4. Set up the front page.
5. Add projects via Jetpack Portfolio.
6. Add your portfolio/individual projects to the front page.
7. Customize website identity (logo, tagline), and menus.
8. Add your projects to inner site pages.
9. Set up the blog.

Installation

To instal the Creatista theme, follow these steps:

1. In your WordPress admin panel, go to Appearance → Themes and click the Add New button.
2. Click Upload Theme, Browse and Choose File; then select the theme’s ZIP file. Click Install Now.
3. Click Activate to use your new theme.
4. Install required plugins (you’ll be offered to install them).
5. Configure Jetpack plugin – connect it to wordpress.com via WordPress dashboard. Primarily, you’ll need this plugin to add and showcase your portfolios. If you don’t want to connect your site to wordpress.com for some reason, enable Developer mode by adding define( ‘JETPACK_DEV_DEBUG’, true); to your config.php file. Alternatively, to use the Developer mode, you may install the Jetpack Dev Mode plugin. You’ll be able to use portfolios in either mode.

Note: we strongly recommend using child theme creatista-child that comes in the theme package (downloadable files) for your custom modifications. This will help you keep your content despite main theme updates.

Import sample data

Choose the most suitable option: import sample data from .sql file (if it’s a fresh installation without custom content and you just want to make your site look like our demo) or xml file (if you have content on your website that you do not want to lose and you only need to add sample data of the theme portfolio).

You should be able to find manual-install zip archive that comes in the theme package (downloadable files). You’ll be working with it in any of the following cases.

Import sample data from xml file

1. Install WordPress if you have not already done that.

2. Add the theme via FTP or by uploading it via WordPress Dashboard.

3. Activate the theme and install required plugins (Jetpack).

4. Connect Jetpack to WordPress.com (it’s free). Activate other Jetpack modules like ‘Contact Form’ following this URL your_website_url/wp-admin/admin.php?page=jetpack_modules (replace your_website_url with your domain name).

6. Navigate to Dashboard → Tools → Import and click on the ‘Run Importer’ link.

You may need to install WordPress importer first by pressing ‘Install Now’ under WordPress label.

7. Click ‘Browse’ button and select creatista.wordpress.theme.xml

8. Click ‘Upload file and import’.

9. Select ‘Download and import file attachments’.

10. Click ‘Submit’.

11. Wait until the import is complete.

12. Navigate to Dashboard → Settings → Reading Settings.

13. Proceed to other theme settings in the documentation.

Import sample data from sql file

1. First, you need to upload media files to your server. For this try to connect to your server (where WordPress is installed) using any FTP client (e.g. Filezilla, Cyberduck, Transmit) or File Manager – service on your hosting control panel. Then navigate to your site root folder/wp-content/ and upload directory from manual_install that is called /uploads

2. After that you should find creatista.sql file in the package with sample data and open it with file editor like Notepad++, Coda, Atom, etc. and use ‘Search and Replace’ option.

Find: your_website_url_here

Replace with: https://your-site.com (add your website URL address without a trailing slash)

Click Replace all and save changes.

Note: By default WordPress table prefix is wp_. If there is custom table prefix in your database, you need to replace it in SQL file, too. You can find your WordPress table prefix in wp-config.php file at the site root folder on the server. In the example below you can see custom table prefix mp_

Example: $table_prefix = ‘mp_’;

So once you found your table prefix, copy it and open creatista.sql file with file editor and use ‘Find and Replace’ option again:

Find: wp_

Replace with: custom_table_prefix_ (note there is underscore _ at the end)

Click Replace all

After that:

Find: _custom_table_prefix(note there is underscore _ at the beginning)

Replace with: _wp

Click Replace all

Save the changes and proceed to the next step.

3. Connect to PhpMyAdmin tool – usually it can be found in your hosting account or cPanel. Once you are in PhpMyAdmin interface, you should click on the database name in the left sidebar and find Import tab at the top. Click Import and upload the edited creatista.sql file. After the message about successful import you can go and check your site.