MaxCast (WordPress Theme) Documentation by “Daison”
“MaxCast (WordPress Theme)”
Updated: August 2024
By: Daison
Thank you for purchasing my theme. If you have any questions that are beyond the scope of this help file, please feel free to contact me here. Thanks so much!
Table of Contents
- How to Install
- Required Plugins
- Home Page Setup
- Customizer (Editing Theme)
- Featured Images
- Widgets
- Sources and Credits
- Elements Not Included In Download
A) How to Install - top
- Log in to the WordPress Administration Panel.
- Select the Appearance panel, then Themes.
- Click Add New button
- Click Upload Theme.
- Locate maxcast.zip on your machine using the "Choose File" button.
- Click "Install Now"
B) Required Plugin - top
This theme requires one plugin namely MaxCast Theme Plugin for theme specific features.
You will be prompted to install this plugin.
Using Contact Form 7 (Recommended Plugin)
After installing Contact Form 7 go to Contact > Add New. Give your form a title, go to the mail tab to see if you are using the right email address and then click the save button. More information about the plugin can be found here: Docs
- Copy the generated shortcode, Paste it in your contact page.
MailChimp for WordPress (Recommended Plugin)
More information about the plugin can be found here: MailChimp for WordPress
C) Home Page Setup - top
First you have to create the homepage.
- Add New Page: Go to pages and select "Add New".
- Give It A Title: Give the new page a title, Something like "Homepage".
- Template: From the Template drop down list select "Home Page".
- Publish: You are almost there, Now click the "Publish" button.
The last few steps.
- Settings: Go to "Reading".
- Static Page: Select the option illustrated in the image below.
- Front Page: Select the page you created above, I called my page "Homepage" (This is the title of the page you created above)
- Save Changes: Click the "Save Changes" button.
D) Customizer (Editing Theme) - top
After activating the theme go to Appearance > Customize or click the "Customize" button highlighted below, to start customizing the theme.
The Site Identity panel is first. All settings are explained below.
- Logo: Here you can upload your logo.
- Site Title: The name of your website, this will be used if no logo is uploaded. It is also used for SEO reasons, so give your site a title whether you have a logo or not.
- Tagline: Your site's tagline.
- Site Icon: Also known as a favicon, this is the small icon displayed in the browser tab.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
The Menus panel is second. All settings are explained below.
- Create a menu, give it a name and assign it to the "Main Navigation Menu" to display it in the header or assign it to the "Footer Navigation Menu" to display it in the footer.
- Menu Name: The name you gave to your menu.
- Menu Locations: Select where you would this menu displayed, here we're displaying the same menu in both the header and footer.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
The Header Elements panel is third. All settings are explained below.
- Header Search Form: Use this setting to show or hide the search form displayed in the header.
- Sticky Header: This is for sticking the header to the top of the page while scrolling.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
The Basics panel is fourth.
In the Basics panel you'll find the Design section. All settings are explained below.
- Homepage: Select a layout for the homepage.
- Post Page: You can choose the post page layout here.
- Accent Color: Choose the theme's main color used by links and buttons.
In the Basics panel you'll also find the Featured Categories section. All settings are explained below.
- Select a category: Select a category in the featured area on the homepage, this category will also be used by the featured carousel on the homepage layout three.
- Carousel Posts Number: Enter the number of posts you would like to display in the featured carousel.
- Order Posts: Order featured carousel posts by date, randomly or by title.
In the Basics panel you'll also find the Staff Picks section. All settings are explained below.
- Section Category: Select a category for the Staff Picks section displayed on homepage layout one only.
- Order: Order staff picks section posts by date, randomly or by title.
In the Basics panel you'll also find the Favorites section. All settings are explained below.
- Favorites Heading: A heading for the favorites section displayed on all homepage layouts.
- Section Category: Select a category for the Favorites section.
- Order: Order favorites section posts by date, randomly or by title.
In the Basics panel you'll also find the Recent Posts section. All settings are explained below.
- Recent Posts Heading: A heading for the Recent Posts section.
- Recent Posts Number: Enter the number of recent posts you would like to display on the homepage.
In the Basics panel you'll also find the Related Posts section. All settings are explained below.
- Related Posts Section Heading: A heading for the related posts displayed on the single post page.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
In the Basics panel you'll also find the Newsletter Subscription section. All settings are explained below.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
The Footer panel.
In the Footer panel you'll find the Social Media & Footer Logo section. All settings are explained below.
- Footer Logo: Use this to upload a logo that will be displayed in the footer.
- Social Media Links: Paste links to your social media profiles. These links will be used by the icons in the footer. Icons will not be displayed if no link is provided.
In the Footer panel you'll also find the Copyrights Text section. All settings are explained below.
- Copyrights Text: Enter your copyrights text here. Leave empty for theme to generate the text for you.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
The Header Elements panel. All settings are explained below.
- Sidebar Widgets: Widgets displayed in the sidebar of all pages that have a sidebar.
- Hidden Sidebar Widgets: This is for widgets in the hidden sidebar, displayed when the burger menu icon in the header is clicked. The burger menu icon will not be displayed if no widgets are added to this section.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
The Homepage Settings panel. All settings are explained below.
- Your homepage displays: Select a static page here if you want your homepage to look like the demo.
- Homepage: Select the homepage you created here if it's not selected already.
- Posts page: Select a page to display your posts (This is optional)
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
The Homepage Settings panel. All settings are explained below.
Don't forget to save your settings by clicking on the "Publish" button.
E Featured Images - top
Featured Images
If you installed MaxCast on a website that already has content, your thumbnails will probably not look good. This is how you fix them.
- Step 1: Download, install and activate "Regenerate Thumbnails" this is a WordPress plugin.
- Step 2: In the admin go to Tools > Regen Thumbnails, and then click the "Regenerate All Thumbnails" button.
The above steps should make your thumbnails work with the theme.
F) Widgets - top
This theme comes with three widgets and two widgetized areas.
These are the widgets:
- Facebook Like Box:
This is for displaying a Facebook Like Box, You can use your own App ID or the default one.
- Promola Popular Posts:
This is for displaying popular posts with thumbnails.
- Promola Recent Posts:
This is for displaying recent posts with thumbnails.
G) Sources and Credits - top
I've used the following resources.
- Photos from Unsplash
- MailChimp for WordPress By ibericode
- Contact Form 7 By Takayuki Miyoshi
- Font Awesome By Dave Gandy
- Fonts by: Google Fonts
H) Elements Not Included In Download - top
- None of the photos used in the preview are included with this download, Use the links provided above to download and find out more about the licence usage for those photos.
Once again, thank you so much for purchasing this theme. As I said at the beginning, I'd be glad to help you if you have any questions relating to this theme.
Daison