#What the companion plugin is for
JKD Theme Companion is a free plugin, published in the WordPress.org plugin directory, that adds setup tools to the free edition of a jkdevstudio theme. It is part of the free route: a theme's free edition from WordPress.org, plus the free demos that come with it.
It adds no Pro functionality. The premium layer lives in the Pro plugin and is unlocked by a license. If the theme you use has no free edition, or you bought a license, you do not need the companion.
#What it adds
- Demo import
The free demos, imported whole or one page at a time.
- The fonts library
Adding Google fonts, self-hosting them on your own server with one switch, or using an Adobe Fonts kit ID.
- The Integrations screen
The plugins your theme lists as working with it, installed from WordPress.org and turned on from one screen.
- Translations
WPML and Polylang read the settings you fill in while setting the theme up.
- Export and import
Carrying the theme settings to another site, or restoring them later.
- Housekeeping screens
What's New, the changelog, and maintenance tools for clearing caches or resetting what the plugin has stored.
Two of these have limits you should know about before you meet them.
Demo import gives you the free demos. Premium demos show a locked Pro button, because they need the Pro plugin and an active license to install.
Integrations on the free route are the plugins your theme lists from WordPress.org. Premium integrations from our catalog come with the Pro plugin and a license.
#Installing it
Install it from the official WordPress.org plugin directory, and nowhere else.
Open the plugin browser
Open the Plugins screen (Plugins) and click the Add Plugin button at the top.
Search for it by name
Search for JKD Theme Companion and check that the author is jkdevstudio.
Install and activate
Click Install Now, then Activate. The theme's own pages appear in its dashboard in the WordPress sidebar.
The free edition of a theme also offers the install itself: its welcome banner and setup checklist carry an Install JKD Theme Companion button.
A copy from anywhere other than the plugin directory is not our plugin.
That includes theme bundles and download mirrors, whatever the file is named. The same applies to third-party demo importers: our demos are built for our importer, and another one will not unpack them correctly.
#One plugin for every theme
This is a single companion for all jkdevstudio themes that have a free edition, with one codebase and one update channel. If you run more than one of our free themes, you install it once and it serves all of them.
It also lets you try before you buy: install the free edition, import a free demo, work out whether the theme fits, and then move to the full version without reinstalling the theme.
#What it is not
The companion is not the Pro plugin and does not unlock anything in it. When the Pro plugin is on the site, the companion switches itself off, because Pro already includes what it does.
The theme also works without it. The companion adds tools, and the theme runs whether it is installed or not.
#Common questions
Do I have to install it?
No. The theme works on its own, and without the companion you go without demo import, the fonts library and the setup screens.
Do I need it if I bought a license?
No. A licensed theme uses the Pro plugin, which includes everything the companion does. If the companion was installed before, it switches itself off once Pro is on the site.
Does it unlock any Pro features?
No. Pro features need the Pro plugin and an active license, and the companion changes neither.
Why is the Integrations screen empty?
The screen reads "Your theme has not added any integrations yet." when the active theme lists none for the free route. Premium integrations appear with the Pro plugin and a license.
Can I use it with a theme from another author?
It is built for jkdevstudio themes. With any other theme it stays quiet and points you to ours.
The theme pages do not appear in the sidebar
Check that both the theme and the companion are activated, not only installed. If the menu is still missing, another plugin may be failing earlier in the load. Deactivate the other plugins one at a time to find it.
#Still stuck
Open a support ticket and say what you tried and where it stopped. Your product, your domain, a screenshot and the exact message you saw are usually enough to settle it in one reply.
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