First steps

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This article gives you an overview of how a LodgeWP website is put together, so you know what comes next.

How the theme works

A LodgeWP website is made of three things:

• Pages built from modules. Instead of one big text editor, each page is a stack of modules: a hero banner, a text block, a gallery, a row of testimonials, a booking calendar and so on. You add them, fill them in and drag them into the order you want. See Modules.
• Content types. Accommodations, Galleries, Testimonials, FAQs and Reusable Sections each have their own menu in WP Admin. You add the content once and display it on any page with the matching module. See Generic Pages and Booking Pages.
• Theme settings. Colors, fonts, logo, header, footer, blog and languages are set in one place, under WP Admin → Lodge WP Settings. See the Settings category.

Adding modules to a page

1. Go to WP Admin → Pages → Add New Page and give the page a title.
2. Click on Add Module. A window opens with every module, each with a preview and a short description. Use the search box to find one quickly.
3. Click on a module to add it, then fill in its fields. Most modules have a Content tab and a Headings & Options tab.
4. Drag modules by their handle to change their order. Use the icons on the module bar to duplicate, collapse or remove a module.
5. Click on Publish.

On pages with three or more modules, the modules start collapsed so the page is easy to scan. Click on a module bar to open it, or use Expand All / Collapse All.

Setting up the homepage

By default WordPress shows your latest posts on the homepage. To use a page built with modules instead:

1. Create a page for your homepage, for example “Home”, add its modules and publish it.
2. Create an empty page for your blog, for example “Blog”, and publish it. See Blog Pages.
3. Go to WP Admin → Settings → Reading.
4. Under Your homepage displays, select A static page.
5. Choose your page in the Homepage dropdown and your blog page in the Posts page dropdown.
6. Click on Save Changes.

If you import a demo with its settings, the homepage and the blog page are set for you.

Menus

Menus are managed under WP Admin → Site Menus. The theme has three menu locations:

• Header Menu: the main navigation. Items can have sub-items, which open as a dropdown on desktop and as an expandable list in the mobile menu.
• Footer Menu 1 and Footer Menu 2: two link columns in the footer. The name of each menu is shown as the column title, so name them for example “Explore” and “Information”.

Create a menu, add your pages, then tick its location under Menu Settings and save.

What comes next

• Generic Pages: About, Contact, Gallery, FAQ and Testimonials pages.
• Booking Pages: accommodations and WP Booking System.
• Blog Pages: posts, categories and the blog page.
• General Options: colors and fonts.