Using ManageWP

Template Builder

Template builder can be accessed from the Tools section of your ManageWP profile. Hover over your profile image in the upper right-hand corner and click Template Builder.

Basic steps for creating your Template

1. Select the base – it can be either a backup of one of your websites or a clean WordPress installation
2. Select the plugins you want to include
3. Select the themes you want to include
4. Save the template

To start building your template, click the New Template button. At the first screen you need to name your template and select whether you want it to be based on a Clean WordPress installation or on an existing backup of one of your websites. When a backup is used, you have an extra step where you select the website and the date of the backup before proceeding to plugins and theme management.

The clean WordPress option allows you to immediately go to step 2 and add the desired plugins.

Selecting Existing Backup option, on the other hand, gives you the ability to select the website you’d like to use as the base of your template, as well as the exact date and time of the backup. It also gives you an overview or the WordPress version you have installed and the number (and the list) of all plugins that are included in the backup.

Please keep in mind, only the websites that have Premium Backups will appear in the list of sites you can use to create a template.

Adding Plugins

The second screen gives you several options from which you can add plugins as well as the option to remove some of them. On the left-hand side of the screen you will see all the places you can use to add plugins:

1. WordPress repository – pull the plugins directly from WordPress repository
2. Existing websites – add the plugins you have installed on your websites
3. Starred plugins – import the plugins you favorited on WordPress.org
4. External destination – pull your plugins directly from your Dropbox and Envato accounts
5. Upload a zip file – or you can upload a zip file and we will include it in the Template

On the right-hand side you will see a list of plugins added to your template. The list can be edited at any time by clicking Edit icon at the top. By choosing to edit the list of installed plugins, you will see an option to delete the plugin or to choose to have it installed using the latest version available and whether you want to have it activated or just installed. Once you get all the desired plugins in place, scroll down and proceed to Themes.

Adding Themes

The process of adding themes is the same as it was with the plugins. You have the list of places you can get the themes from and the list of themes you selected to be installed. Go through each of the options again and select the themes you need. Then go through the list, and select which theme will be activated by default. When done – click Finish at the bottom of the screen. That’s it – the template has been successfully created.

How to clone from template you just built?

When you access the Template Builder, you will see a list of all Templates you created. Just click the one you’d like to use. On the right-hand side of the screen you have an overview of WordPress version, as well as all plugins and themes that are included in the template you selected. If that’s the one you need, click the Clone button.

From this point, the process is identical to Cloning. Select whether you want to clone the template to a website you already have in your ManageWP account or you’d like to clone it to a new website (or a blank server).