Requirements
Architect works with the free version of Elementor. You don’t need Elementor Pro.
Options:
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|
| WordPress | 6.2 or later |
| PHP | 7.4 or later |
| Elementor (free) | 3.0 or later |
Note: If Elementor is missing, or its version or your PHP version is too old, Architect shows a notice in the WordPress admin and stays inactive until you fix it.
Installation
- Make sure Elementor is installed and active.
- Go to Plugins > Add New, search for Architect – Complete Theme Builder for Elementor, then click Install Now and Activate.
- To install a downloaded copy instead, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, choose the ZIP file and activate it. Releases are available on GitHub.
Tips:
- There is no settings page to configure. Architect adds its template types to Elementor’s template library.
- If Elementor Pro is active, Architect steps aside. See If Elementor Pro Is Active.
Create Your First Template
This example builds a header. The same steps work for every template type.
1. Add a New Template
Go to
Templates > Saved Templates > Add New.
Details: Elementor opens its new template window. Choose the template type, give the template a name and click
Create Template.
Options:
| Template Type | Use it for |
|---|
| Header | The top of your pages, such as a logo and menu. |
| Footer | The bottom of your pages. |
| Single | The layout of a single post, page or other post type. |
| Archive | The layout of a list page, such as the blog, a category, an author or the search results. |
| Popup | A pop-up window shown on top of the page. |
2. Build the Template
The template opens in the regular Elementor editor. Add widgets, containers and dynamic tags as you would on any page.
Details: Architect adds widgets and dynamic tags made for each template type. For a header, try the
Navigation Menu widget and the
Site Logo and
Site Title dynamic tags. For a single template, use the Post widgets such as Post Title, Featured Image and Post Content. For an archive, use Archive Title, Posts Loop and Archive Pagination.
3. Choose Where It Appears
Open the
Conditions tab in the editor panel and go to
Display Location.
Details: A new template doesn’t appear anywhere until you set a location.
Options:
| Setting | Description |
|---|
| Display On | Choose one or more places where the template appears, such as Entire Site. |
| Do Not Display On | Choose places to leave out. Use it to make exceptions. |
Tips:
- For a site-wide header, set Display On to Entire Site.
- You can also open the Display Location settings from the Publish dropdown in the editor’s top bar.
- The full list of locations is described on the Display Locations page.
4. Publish
Click
Publish.
Details: If the template has no Display Location, Architect reminds you with the message “No Display Location Set”. Choose
Set Display Location to go back and set it, or
Save Anyway to publish without one.
5. Check the Result
Visit your site to see the template. To review all your templates at once, go to
Templates > Saved Templates.
Details: The
Display Location column shows where each template appears. It says
Not set if there is no location, and lists exclusions after
Except:.
How Templates Are Applied
Architect checks the Display Location of your published templates on every page load and chooses which ones to show.
Options:
| Template Type | How many can show at once |
|---|
| Header | One. |
| Footer | One. |
| Single or Archive | One. Architect uses one content template per page. |
| Popup | Every popup whose Display Location matches the page. |
Tips:
- If two templates of the same type match a page, only one is used: the most recently created. Architect doesn’t compare how specific each location is. Use Do Not Display On to keep templates from overlapping.
- Where no header template applies, your theme’s own header is used. The same goes for the footer.
- Templates that aren’t published, or have no Display Location, never appear.
If Elementor Pro Is Active
Elementor Pro has its own theme builder, so Architect steps aside to avoid conflicts.
Details: When Elementor Pro is active, the theme builder, popups, Display Conditions, Custom CSS and Custom Attributes come from Elementor Pro. Architect’s widgets and dynamic tags stay available. The WordPress admin shows a notice explaining this.
Get Involved
Architect is open source, and its development depends on the people who use it.
Details: If something doesn’t work on your theme or setup, or you’d like to see a feature added, open an issue on
GitHub. Pull requests are welcome too. Features that aren’t in the plugin yet, such as WooCommerce widgets, are good candidates for contributions.
Next Steps
- Display Locations: every place a template can appear, and how to combine and exclude them.
- Header & Footer Templates: replace your theme’s header and footer.
- Single Templates and Archive Templates: control how posts and lists look.
- Popup Builder: pop-ups with triggers, animations and frequency limits.
- Element Display Conditions: show or hide any widget by custom field.