Installation Guide · Webstuffguy Labs

Complete installation instructions for Submittal & Spec Sheet Builder

Quick Installation (Recommended)

The fastest way to install the plugin is through the WordPress admin dashboard.

Step-by-Step

Download the Plugin
- Purchase and download the plugin ZIP file from your account
- Keep the ZIP file – don’t extract it
Upload to WordPress
- Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Click “Choose File” and select the plugin ZIP
- Click “Install Now”
- Wait for upload to complete
Activate
- Click “Activate Plugin” when installation completes
- You’ll see “Submittal Builder” appear in your admin menu
Verify Installation
- Go to WordPress Admin → Submittal Builder → Dashboard
- If you see the dashboard, installation was successful

Time Required: 2-3 minutes

Manual Installation (FTP)

If automatic installation doesn’t work, use manual FTP installation.

Prerequisites

FTP client (FileZilla, Cyberduck, or similar)
FTP credentials for your WordPress site
Plugin ZIP file

Step-by-Step

Extract Plugin ZIP
- Unzip the plugin file on your computer
- You should see a folder named submittal-spec-sheet-builder
Connect via FTP
- Open your FTP client
- Connect to your WordPress site
- Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/
Upload Plugin Folder
- Upload the entire submittal-spec-sheet-builder folder
- Ensure all files transfer successfully
- Check that folder structure is intact
Activate in WordPress
- Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins
- Find “Submittal & Spec Sheet Builder”
- Click “Activate”
Verify Installation
- Check that “Submittal Builder” appears in admin menu
- Visit Dashboard to confirm

Time Required: 5-10 minutes

WP-CLI Installation (Advanced)

For developers and system administrators who prefer command line.

Prerequisites

SSH access to your server
WP-CLI installed
Plugin ZIP file on server or URL

Commands

Navigate to WordPress root and run commands to install from ZIP file or URL, then activate plugin and verify installation.

Server Requirements

Ensure your server meets these minimum requirements before installing.

Minimum Requirements

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
WordPress	6.1+	Latest version
PHP	7.4+	8.0+
MySQL	5.6+	5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+
Memory	128 MB	256 MB+
Upload Size	10 MB	64 MB+
Execution Time	60 seconds	120 seconds+

PHP Extensions Required

The following PHP extensions must be enabled:

mbstring – Required for PDF generation
gd or imagick – Required for image processing
json – Required for API functionality
dom – Required for HTML parsing
libxml – Required for XML processing

How to Check Requirements

Via WordPress:

Go to WordPress Admin → Tools → Site Health → Info → Server

Via WP-CLI:

Use WP-CLI commands to check WordPress updates and PHP version

Via PHP:

Create a file called phpinfo.php in your WordPress root with phpinfo() call. Visit yoursite.com/phpinfo.php to view server info. Important: Delete this file after checking!

Compatibility

WordPress Versions

WordPress Version	Status
6.7+ (latest)	✅ Fully compatible
6.5 – 6.6	✅ Tested and compatible
6.1 – 6.4	✅ Compatible
6.0 and below	❌ Not supported

PHP Versions

PHP Version	Status
8.3	✅ Recommended
8.2	✅ Recommended
8.1	✅ Fully compatible
8.0	✅ Compatible
7.4	⚠️ Works but end-of-life
7.3 and below	❌ Not supported

Page Builders

The [submittal_builder] shortcode works with:

✅ Gutenberg (WordPress Block Editor)
✅ Classic Editor
✅ Elementor (Free & Pro)
✅ Beaver Builder
✅ Divi Builder
✅ WPBakery (Visual Composer)
✅ Oxygen Builder
✅ Bricks Builder

Themes

Compatible with any properly coded WordPress theme, including:

✅ Default WordPress themes (Twenty Twenty-Five, etc.)
✅ Popular theme frameworks (Genesis, Avada, etc.)
✅ Custom themes
✅ Block themes (FSE)

Hosting Providers

Tested and working on:

✅ Managed WordPress Hosts (WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel, Pressable)
✅ Shared Hosting (SiteGround, Bluehost, HostGator)
✅ VPS/Cloud (DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud)
✅ Local Development (Local by Flywheel, XAMPP, MAMP, Docker)

Post-Installation Setup

After successful installation, complete these initial setup steps.

1. Configure Branding (5 minutes)

Submittal Builder → Settings → Branding

Required Settings:

Upload logo (PNG recommended, 300×100px)
Set brand color (hex code or color picker)
Add company name
Add contact information

Optional Settings:

Footer text
Website URL
Additional branding elements

2. Create Builder Page (2 minutes)

Option A: Auto-Create (Easiest)

Submittal Builder → Settings → Frontend → Click "Auto-Create Builder Page"

Option B: Manual Creation

Pages → Add New → Title: "Spec Sheet Builder" (or your choice) → Add block → Shortcode → Enter: [submittal_builder] → Publish

3. Add Test Products (5 minutes)

Submittal Builder → Catalog Builder

Follow the Product Management Guide to add your first products.

Quick Test Structure:

Add 1 category
Add 1 product
Add 1 type
Add 2-3 models with specifications

4. Generate Test PDF (2 minutes)

Visit your builder page (frontend)
Select 2-3 test products
Click “Continue” or “VIEW →”
Add test project name
Click “Generate PDF”
Download and review PDF

Check For:

Logo appears correctly
Brand color applied
All selected products included
Specifications display properly

Upgrading from Free to Pro

If you’re upgrading from the free version to Pro or Agency license.

Step-by-Step

Install Pro Version
- Follow standard installation steps above
- WordPress will recognize it as an update
Enter License Key
- Go to Submittal Builder → Settings → License
- Paste your license key
- Click “Activate License”
- Verify status shows “Active”
Pro Features Unlocked
- Lead Capture
- PDF Tracking (coming soon)
- In-browser autosave
- White-Label Mode
- Brand Themes
- And more
Your Data Remains
- All products preserved
- Settings retained
- Generated PDFs remain accessible

Troubleshooting Installation

“The plugin does not have a valid header”

Cause: Plugin ZIP file corrupted or incorrect folder structure.

Solution:

Re-download plugin ZIP from your account
Don’t extract before uploading
Ensure ZIP contains plugin folder with correct structure

“Upload: Failed to write file to disk”

Cause: Server permissions issue or disk space full.

Solution:

Check disk space on server
Verify /wp-content/uploads/ folder permissions (755)
Contact hosting support if issue persists

“Fatal error: Maximum execution time exceeded”

Cause: PHP execution time too low for plugin installation.

Solution:

Increase max_execution_time in php.ini to 120 seconds
Or use manual FTP installation method
Contact hosting support for assistance

“The plugin requires PHP 7.4 or higher”

Cause: Server running outdated PHP version.

Solution:

Contact hosting provider to upgrade PHP
Or upgrade via hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk)
Test site after upgrade to ensure compatibility

Plugin installs but doesn’t appear in menu

Cause: Permissions issue or theme conflict.

Solution:

Ensure you’re logged in as Administrator
Try a different browser/clear cache
Temporarily switch to default WordPress theme
Deactivate other plugins to check for conflicts

Multisite Installation

Special instructions for WordPress Multisite networks.

Network Activation

To enable plugin across all sites:

Network Admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins → Network Activate "Submittal & Spec Sheet Builder"

Per-Site Activation

To enable plugin on specific sites only:

Site Admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins → Activate "Submittal & Spec Sheet Builder"

License Notes:

Pro Single Site: Activates on 1 site only
Pro Agency: Activates on up to 5 sites
Each site requires separate license activation

Security Considerations

File Permissions

After installation, verify permissions:

Plugin folder: 755
Plugin files: 644
Uploads folder: 755
Generated PDFs: 644 (temporary, auto-deleted)

Security Hardening

Recommended:

Keep WordPress, PHP, and plugin updated
Use strong admin passwords
Install security plugin (Wordfence, Sucuri, etc.)
Enable HTTPS (SSL certificate)
Regular backups

Plugin Security:

All inputs sanitized and validated
REST API endpoints use nonces and capabilities
PDF files use temporary, non-guessable URLs
No sensitive data stored in database

Uninstallation

If you need to remove the plugin completely.

Standard Removal

Plugins → Installed Plugins → Deactivate "Submittal & Spec Sheet Builder" → Delete

What Gets Removed:

Plugin files
Generated PDFs (temporary files auto-cleaned)

What Remains:

Product catalog data (database)
Settings (database)
Lead capture data (database)

Complete Removal (Including Data)

To remove all plugin data from database:

Deactivate and delete plugin (as above)
Run SQL query in phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI to delete all options with plugin prefixes

Warning: This permanently deletes all products, settings, and leads.

Next Steps

Now that installation is complete:

✅ Configure Branding
✅ Add Products
✅ Set Up Builder Page
✅ Customize Settings

Need Help?

Support Channels:

Documentation: You’re reading it!
WordPress.org Forum: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/submittal-spec-sheet-builder/
Email Support: support@webstuffguylabs.com (Pro users)

Before Requesting Support:

Check server requirements above
Review troubleshooting section
Test with default theme and no other plugins
Enable WordPress debug mode for error logs