Applying a Blueprint
This tutorial walks through applying a blueprint to your site from start to finish. Blueprints install a complete site layout in one session — header, footer, pages, templates, categories, sidebars, and theme options all applied together.
Before You Start
Blueprints require an active internet connection when first loading the gallery — the list is fetched from the Sanil remote server. After the first load, the list is cached locally so the gallery works offline.
Applying a blueprint overwrites your current header, footer, theme options, and any pages you choose to map. A snapshot of your current site state is captured automatically before anything changes, so you can restore if needed.
Step 1 — Open the Blueprints Page
Go to WordPress Admin → Blueprints in the left menu.
The gallery loads the list of available blueprints from the remote server. Each card shows the blueprint name, category badge, and thumbnail. A category filter bar at the top lets you narrow the list by type (news, business, portfolio, etc.).
If a previous blueprint was applied, a Restore Previous Blueprint button appears in the top-right corner. This restores your site to the state it was in before that install.
Step 2 — Click Apply on a Blueprint Card
Clicking Apply on a card opens the Pre-flight screen. This screen runs compatibility checks before the wizard opens:
| Check | What it verifies |
|---|---|
| Plugin version | Your installed plugin meets the blueprint's minimum version |
| Theme version | Your installed theme meets the blueprint's minimum version |
| Header preset | The header style bundled with this blueprint exists in your plugin |
| Footer preset | The footer style bundled with this blueprint exists in your plugin |
| Content presets | The single post and archive styles exist in your plugin |
Each check shows a pass or fail status. The Proceed to Install button stays disabled until every check passes.
If a check fails: the message next to it explains what is missing (for example, "Header preset modern-news not found — please update the plugin"). Update the plugin or theme as indicated, then close the modal and try again.
If the previous install was incomplete: a warning section appears at the bottom of the pre-flight screen. You can click Restore Previous State to undo the partial install and start clean, or tick the checkbox to acknowledge the partial state and continue anyway.
Step 3 — Configure Pages in the Wizard
After all pre-flight checks pass, clicking Proceed to Install opens the wizard.
The wizard has one step: Pages. For each page the blueprint wants to create, you choose what happens to it on your site:
- Create new page — a brand-new WordPress page will be created with this blueprint's page builder content.
- Map to existing page — choose one of your current published pages from the dropdown. That page's existing page builder content will be replaced with the blueprint's content.
When you choose "map to existing page", an inline confirmation message appears:
This will overwrite the current page builder content for [page name].
You must acknowledge this before you can proceed past that row.
Every page in the blueprint must have a choice before the Proceed to Apply button becomes enabled. There is no way to skip a page.
Step 4 — Apply the Blueprint
Clicking Proceed to Apply on the wizard transitions to the Progress Screen. This screen applies each layer of the blueprint in sequence and shows real-time status for each one:
| Layer | What gets applied |
|---|---|
| Header | Sets the active header preset and its settings |
| Footer | Sets the active footer preset and its settings |
| Theme Options | Applies colors and typography from the blueprint |
| Content Presets | Sets the single post and archive preset styles |
| Layout Templates | Inserts any layout templates the blueprint needs |
| Pages | Creates new pages or overwrites mapped existing pages |
| Categories | Creates any demo categories that do not already exist |
| Sidebars | Replaces widget content in each sidebar |
Each layer shows a spinner while running, then a checkmark when done. If a layer fails:
- The snapshot is restored automatically — your site returns to its pre-install state.
- The error message is shown on the Progress Screen.
- A Try Again button closes the progress screen and returns you to the wizard (step 1) so you can attempt the install again.
Step 5 — Done
When all layers complete, the Success Screen appears. It shows a summary of what was applied and provides quick-action links:
- Visit Site — opens the frontend.
- Edit Pages — goes to the WordPress Pages list.
- Theme Options — goes to the Theme Options admin page.
The Restore Previous Blueprint button remains available from the gallery at any time if you want to undo this install.
Restoring a Previous Blueprint
If you want to undo a blueprint install after it has completed, click Restore Previous Blueprint in the gallery (top-right corner, visible only when a snapshot exists). This restores:
- The header and footer preset and their settings.
- Theme Options (colors and typography).
- Content preset assignments.
- Page builder data for any pages that were overwritten during the install.
- Sidebar widget content.
Restored pages are not deleted — only their page builder data is reverted. Newly created pages (action: create new) are left in place since the snapshot does not capture them.
After restoring, the Restore button disappears because the snapshot is consumed.