There are several ways to install Bootplate in WordPress as a theme.  Let’s start with the one we recommend.

Install with GitHub Updates

Bootplate is not, as yet, available on the WordPress.org theme repo.  It may be at some point, but it’s not there yet.  Because it’s not there, you would have to manually update Bootplate periodically, and that’s a pain.  There’s a wonderful (and free) WordPress plugin called GitHub Updater which allows you to install and receive automatic theme and plugin updates for stuff securely hosted on GitHub.

Until Bootplate is available on the WordPress.org theme repo, this is the recommended installation process.

Install GitHub Updater

First off, you’ll need to install a snazzy plugin called GitHub Updater.  It’s not allowed on the WordPress.org repo (not surprisingly), so you have to install it manually.  Here’s how.

  1. Download the latest tagged archive (choose the “zip” option).
  2. Unzip the archive, rename the folder to github-updater.
  3. Copy the folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory and upload.
  4. Go to the Plugins screen and click Activate.
  5. Once activated, head over to Settings >> GitHub Updater to finish the setup.

github-updater-screenshot-1

Use GitHub Updater to Install Bootplate

Now that you’ve got GitHub updater plugin installed, you’re ready to install the Bootplate theme.  To enable automatic theme updates via GitHub, you have to actually install the theme using the GitHub Updater plugin you just installed.  Here’s how.

  1. Head over to Settings >> GitHub Updater
  2. Click the Install Theme tab
  3. Enter the URL for Bootplate’s GitHub Repo: https://github.com/jdmdigital/bootplate
  4. Leave “Repository Branch” blank
  5. Remote Repository Host should be “GitHub” (obviously)
  6. Leave the access token blank. Bootplate’s repo is public.
  7. Click the Install Theme button button at the bottom.

github-updater-screenshot-themes

That’s pretty much it. If you get a “Theme Install Failed” error, here’s how to re-install the Bootplate theme framework.

From here, you just head over to Appearance >> Themes, and click Activate on the theme called Bootplate.

If you want to use a child theme, as we suggest, here’s how to setup and install that.

bootplate-active-theme

By the way, GitHub Updater is also the recommended method for installing Bootplate plugins.  Handy to have on hand.

Alternative Installation Methods

There are other ways to install Bootplate.   You could download the latest release from GitHub and do the whole thing via FTP if you’re into that sort of thing.  Or you could do it the WordPress way.

Read more information about how the Alternative Installation method, or move on to Setup.