Frequently Asked Questions · Webstuffguy Labs

Quick answers to common questions

General Questions

What is Submittal & Spec Sheet Builder?

A WordPress plugin that allows manufacturers, distributors, and contractors to create professional submittal packets and specification sheets. Users select products from your catalog and generate branded PDF packets instantly.

Key Features:

Product catalog management
Interactive frontend builder
PDF generation with branding
Lead capture (Pro)
PDF tracking (coming soon)

Who is this plugin for?

Primary Users:

Manufacturers (steel, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc.)
Distributors and suppliers
General contractors
Engineers and architects
Sales teams

Use Cases:

Creating submittal packets for construction projects
Generating specification sheets for bids
Building product documentation for compliance
Sales presentations and quotes

How much does it cost?

Free Version:

Core features
Unlimited products
PDF generation
Basic branding

Pro Single Site: $XX/year

All free features
Lead capture
PDF tracking (coming soon)
In-browser autosave
Premium support

Pro Agency: $XXX/year

All Pro features
Up to 5 sites
White-label mode
Custom themes
Priority support

Pricing: Visit /plugins/submittal-spec-sheet-builder/

Do I need coding skills?

No. The plugin is designed for non-technical users:

Visual catalog builder
Point-and-click interface
No code required for basic use
Optional advanced customization for developers

Is it compatible with my theme?

Yes. The plugin works with any properly coded WordPress theme, including:

Default WordPress themes
Popular themes (Astra, Divi, Avada, etc.)
Page builders (Elementor, Beaver Builder, etc.)
Custom themes

If you experience theme conflicts, see Troubleshooting.

Does it work with page builders?

Yes. The [submittal_builder] shortcode works with:

Gutenberg (WordPress Block Editor)
Elementor
Beaver Builder
Divi Builder
WPBakery (Visual Composer)
Oxygen Builder
Bricks Builder

Simply add the shortcode block and insert [submittal_builder].

Technical Questions

What are the server requirements?

Minimum:

WordPress 6.1+
PHP 7.4+
MySQL 5.6+
128 MB memory

Recommended:

WordPress 6.5+ (latest)
PHP 8.0+
MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
256 MB+ memory

Required PHP Extensions:

mbstring
gd or imagick
json
dom
libxml

See Installation Guide for details.

How many products can I add?

No hard limit. The plugin can handle:

Small catalogs: 10-50 products (no issues)
Medium catalogs: 50-500 products (recommended server: 256MB+ RAM)
Large catalogs: 500-5,000 products (recommended: VPS or dedicated hosting, 512MB+ RAM)
Very large catalogs: 5,000+ products (requires optimization, managed hosting)

Performance Tips:

Use caching for large catalogs
Optimize product images
Use quality hosting (VPS recommended for 500+ products)

What file formats do PDFs support?

Generated PDFs:

Format: PDF 1.7
Page size: Letter (8.5″ × 11″) or A4
Orientation: Portrait or landscape
Compatibility: All major PDF readers (Adobe Reader, browser viewers, etc.)

Features:

Clickable table of contents
Page numbers
Embedded fonts
Optimized for printing
Email-friendly file size (~50-150 KB per product page)

Can I import products from CSV or Excel?

Coming Soon. Bulk import feature is planned for a future update.

Current Workaround:

Manually add products via Catalog Builder
Use REST API for programmatic import (developers)

Request Feature:
If you need bulk import urgently, contact support@webstuffguylabs.com.

Does it send data to third parties?

No. All data stays on your WordPress site unless you:

Configure external webhook (optional, Agency feature)
Enable remote analytics (optional, can be disabled)

Privacy:

Lead data stored in WordPress database
PDFs generated on your server
No external dependencies (except license validation)

See readme.txt Privacy section for details.

Is it GDPR compliant?

Yes. The plugin is designed with privacy in mind:

All data stored locally
Lead capture requires user consent (checkbox)
IP addresses hashed (not stored in plain text)
Data export available (CSV)
Data deletion supported

Your Responsibility:

Update privacy policy to mention lead collection
Provide data access/deletion upon request
Follow local regulations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)

Features & Usage

Can users save drafts and return later?

On the same device, yes. A visitor’s selection is remembered in their own browser, so closing the tab by accident or refreshing the page does not lose it.

It is not stored on the server, so it cannot be resumed on another device or browser, shared by URL, or handed to a colleague.

Can I track when someone views a PDF?

Not yet. PDF tracking is in development and is not in the current release. When it ships it will show:

View count per PDF
Timestamps of each view
Recipient information
Engagement analytics

Available in: Pro and Agency licenses

See PDF Tracking Guide for details.

Can I customize the PDF appearance?

Yes. Customization options:

Upload logo
Set brand colors
Company information
Custom footer text

Pro Features:

PDF themes (Engineering, Architectural, Corporate)
Custom watermarks (DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, etc.)
Approval signature blocks

See Branding Guide for details.

Can I add a watermark to PDFs?

Yes (Pro feature). Add custom diagonal watermarks across all PDF pages.

Common uses:

DRAFT – For review copies
CONFIDENTIAL – Sensitive documents
FOR REVIEW ONLY – Preliminary submittals
PRELIMINARY – Early-stage documents

How to enable:
Settings → Branding → PDF Watermark (Pro only)

Available in: Pro and Agency licenses

Can I add approval signature blocks?

Yes (Pro feature). Add a 3-column approval table at the end of each product sheet.

Includes fields for:

Approved By (name)
Title (role)
Date

Use cases:

AHJ approval
Engineering sign-off
Code compliance
Quality assurance

How to enable:
Frontend Builder → Review page → Check “Include Approval Signature Block”

Available in: Pro and Agency licenses

Can I collect user information before download?

Yes (Pro feature). Lead capture form collects:

Name
Email (required)
Company
Phone
Project details

Available in: Pro and Agency licenses

Export: Leads exportable as CSV from admin dashboard.

Can customers request multiple PDFs?

Yes. Users can generate unlimited PDFs:

No restrictions on number of PDFs
Each PDF generates unique download link
PDFs auto-delete after retention period (default: 24 hours)

Can users share PDFs?

Yes. Users can:

Download PDF to device
Email as attachment
Share temporary download URL
Share tracking URL (Pro) for view analytics

Note: Temporary URLs expire after retention period (default: 24 hours).

Does it work on mobile devices?

Yes. The frontend builder is fully responsive:

Works on phones and tablets
Touch-friendly interface
Optimized for small screens
PDF generation works on mobile (may be slower)

Best Experience: Desktop or tablet for selecting large numbers of products.

Can I have multiple builder pages?

Yes. You can create multiple pages with [submittal_builder] shortcode:

Different pages for different audiences
Customize per page (using filters)
No limit on number of builder pages

Example Use Cases:

Public page for customers
Private page for sales team
Page per product category

Pricing & Licensing

What’s included in the free version?

Free Version Features:

Unlimited products
Product catalog builder
Frontend builder interface
PDF generation
Basic branding (logo, colors)
Search and filtering
Table of contents
Summary table

Not Included in Free:

Lead capture
PDF tracking (coming soon)
In-browser autosave
White-label mode
Custom PDF themes
Priority support

How do Pro licenses work?

Pro Single Site:

License key for 1 WordPress site
All Pro features unlocked
1 year of updates and support
Renew annually for continued updates

Pro Agency:

License key for up to 5 WordPress sites
All features including white-label
Priority support
1 year of updates and support

Activation:

Purchase license
Install plugin on site
Enter license key in Settings → Pro
Click “Activate License”
Pro features enabled immediately

Do I need to renew my license?

For Updates & Support: Yes, annual renewal required.

After License Expires:

Plugin continues working
Pro features remain active
No updates available
No support access

Renew To:

Get plugin updates
Receive new features
Access support
Maintain compatibility with WordPress updates

Can I upgrade from Free to Pro?

Yes. Easy upgrade process:

Purchase Pro license
Enter license key in existing installation
Pro features unlock immediately
All data preserved (products, settings, etc.)
No reinstallation needed

Can I transfer my license to a new site?

Yes.

Steps:

Deactivate license on old site (Settings → Pro → Deactivate)
Install plugin on new site
Activate license on new site
License transfers immediately

Note: Single Site license can only be active on 1 site at a time. Agency license supports 5 sites.

Do you offer refunds?

Yes. 30-day money-back guarantee:

Request refund within 30 days of purchase
No questions asked
Full refund issued

Contact: support@webstuffguylabs.com

Troubleshooting

PDF generation is failing. What should I do?

Common Solutions:

Check server requirements (PHP version, memory, execution time)
Enable WordPress debug mode and check error logs
Try generating with fewer products to isolate issue
Increase PHP memory limit to 256MB
Increase execution time to 120 seconds
Contact support with error messages

See Troubleshooting Guide for detailed solutions.

Products aren’t showing on the frontend. Why?

Common Causes:

Products not fully configured (missing hierarchy levels)
Specifications not filled in (models need specs)
Cache not cleared (try hard refresh)
JavaScript error (check browser console)
Shortcode missing or misspelled

See Troubleshooting Guide for solutions.

My logo isn’t appearing in PDFs. How do I fix this?

Solutions:

Re-upload logo via Settings → Branding
Check file format (PNG or JPG, under 2MB)
Verify logo saved (success message should appear)
Clear cache and regenerate PDF
Check file permissions on uploads folder

See Branding Guide.

How do I get support?

Free Version:

WordPress.org Forum: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/submittal-spec-sheet-builder/
Documentation: Full docs available

Pro Version:

Email Support: support@webstuffguylabs.com
Priority Response: 24-48 hour response time
Advanced Assistance: Technical troubleshooting, customization help

Before Requesting Support:

Check Troubleshooting Guide
Search FAQ
Enable debug mode and note error messages
Gather system info (WordPress version, PHP version, etc.)

Advanced Questions

Can I customize the plugin with code?

Yes. Developer-friendly features:

REST API for programmatic access
WordPress hooks (actions and filters)
Template overrides
JavaScript API
CSS customization

See Developer Resources for details.

Can I white-label the plugin?

Yes (Agency feature). White-label mode removes:

Plugin branding from PDFs
Plugin name from admin interface
“Generated by” footer text
Plugin metadata

Available in: Agency license only

Can I integrate with my CRM?

Yes. Integration options:

Webhook (Agency): POST lead data to external URL
REST API: Programmatically access data
WordPress Hooks: Trigger custom actions on events
Export CSV: Manually import to CRM

Popular Integrations:

Zapier (via webhook)
Make (formerly Integromat)
Custom APIs
Email forwarding

Can I sell this plugin to my clients?

Yes (with Agency license).

Allowed:

Install on client sites (up to 5)
White-label branding
Charge clients for setup/configuration
Include in website packages

Not Allowed:

Resell plugin itself
Distribute plugin files publicly
Exceed 5 site activation limit

Questions? Contact support@webstuffguylabs.com for commercial use inquiries.

Does it work with WooCommerce?

Not directly. The plugin is standalone and doesn’t integrate with WooCommerce product catalog.

Possible Workaround (Developer):

Use WordPress hooks to sync WooCommerce products
Custom development required
Contact for custom integration quote

Can I translate the plugin?

Yes. The plugin is translation-ready:

POT file included in /languages/ folder
Use Loco Translate or Poedit
All strings are translatable

Languages:
Currently available: English (en_US)

Contribute Translations:
If you create a translation, share it with us for inclusion in future releases!

Roadmap & Feature Requests

What new features are coming?

Planned Features:

Bulk CSV/Excel import
Product categories with images
Advanced search filters
Custom fields per product type
Email templates customization
Analytics dashboard improvements

Timeline: Features added based on user demand and development priorities.

Can I request a feature?

Yes! We welcome feature requests:

WordPress Forum: Post in support forum with “Feature Request” tag
Email: support@webstuffguylabs.com
Provide Details: Use case, expected behavior, priority

Popular Requests Get Priority: Features requested by multiple users are implemented first.

Is there a demo site?

Coming Soon. A demo site is being prepared where you can:

Test the frontend builder
Generate sample PDFs
Explore admin interface
Try Pro features

Interim Solution: Install on local development site (Local by Flywheel, XAMPP, etc.) to test before purchasing.

Still Have Questions?

Documentation

Browse the complete documentation:

Getting Started
Installation Guide
User Guide
Admin Settings
Troubleshooting
Developer Resources

Contact Support

Free Users:

WordPress.org Forum: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/submittal-spec-sheet-builder/

Pro Users:

Email: support@webstuffguylabs.com

Include in Support Request:

WordPress version
PHP version
Plugin version
Description of issue
Steps to reproduce
Error messages (if any)
Screenshots (helpful)