How your site fits together
How your site fits together
Section titled “How your site fits together”A Reign site is four layers that plug into each other. Once you see them, any feature you add takes the same few steps to wire in.
| Layer | What it does | Where you control it |
|---|---|---|
| Plugins | Bring the features: community, forums, courses, events, listings, jobs, services, shop | Reign Settings > Extend, then each plugin’s own setup |
| Pages | Give each feature an address, such as /events/ or /courses/ |
Created for you by each plugin’s setup |
| Menus | Let visitors reach those pages, with different menus for guests and members | Appearance > Menus |
| Reign | Makes it all look like one site, and runs the header, login, search, layout and dark mode | Appearance > Customize and Reign Settings |
Wire any plugin in five steps
Section titled “Wire any plugin in five steps”These steps are the same for every Wbcom plugin.
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Install it. Reign Settings > Extend > Install free. The next admin page opens its setup wizard; finish it so it creates its pages. Load its demo content if it offers one. Wbcom plugins lists where.
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Put its pages in your menus. On Appearance > Menus, each plugin’s pages are in a box on the left: the Pages box for most plugins, BuddyNext Pages and BuddyNext for BuddyNext, Community for Jetonomy and Learnomy Pages for Learnomy (turn it on in Screen Options). See set up your menus.
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Decide who sees what. Reign has separate menus for guests and members: Primary - Logged out users and Primary - Logged in users, the same pair for the phone menu, and User Profile for the avatar dropdown. Put “join” and “browse” links in the guest menu, and “my” pages in the member menu.
With BuddyNext there is a shortcut: its Log In, Register, My Profile and Log Out items (in the BuddyNext box) show only to the visitors they apply to. Guests see Log In and Register; members see My Profile and Log Out. So one menu, ticked for both Primary locations, can serve everyone.
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Check the look of its pages. They follow your colours, fonts and dark mode on their own. If one shows a sidebar you do not want, edit that page and set Reign Custom Settings > Layout > Content Layout to Full Width.
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Add its blocks to sidebars and the footer. On Appearance > Widgets, add the plugin’s blocks, such as upcoming events or popular courses, to Reign’s widget areas.
Three things then happen without any wiring:
- Header: with BuddyNext, members see notifications and their profile menu in Reign’s header on every page, plus messages when MediaVerse is active.
- Login: the plugin’s “Log in” and “Register” links use your site’s login screens and bring visitors back afterwards.
- Search: the plugin’s content shows up in Reign’s search results.
Recipes by site type
Section titled “Recipes by site type”Each recipe lists the plugins, then exactly what to put in each menu. Build the menus on Appearance > Menus and tick the location named in each line.
A member community
Section titled “A member community”Plugins: BuddyNext, plus MediaVerse if members should message each other or share photos and videos (BuddyNext’s messages run on MediaVerse), and Jetonomy for forums.
- Primary - Logged out users: Home, About, Members and Spaces (from BuddyNext Pages), Community Home (from Community), and Log In and Register (from the BuddyNext box).
- Primary - Logged in users: Activity, Members, Spaces (from BuddyNext Pages), Community Home (from Community), Explore Media (from Pages).
- User Profile: My Profile, Edit Profile, My Connections, Messages, Settings (from the BuddyNext box). Leave out Log Out; the dropdown adds it.
- Sidebar or footer: the BuddyNext: Recent Activity or BuddyNext: Online Members widget, or Jetonomy’s Active Spaces widget.
Visitors can browse members and spaces, and join from any Register button. Walkthrough: build a community site.
An online academy
Section titled “An online academy”Plugins: Learnomy, plus BuddyNext if learners should also have a community. Keep Learnomy as your only learning plugin.
- Primary - Logged out users: Home, Course Catalog and Register as Student (from Learnomy Pages).
- Primary - Logged in users: Course Catalog, My Courses, Certificates (from Learnomy Pages).
- Sidebar: Learnomy’s Course Search and Popular Courses widgets.
A visitor who selects Enroll on a course is taken to Learnomy’s student registration and then back to the course.
An events community
Section titled “An events community”Plugins: Eventonomy, usually with BuddyNext.
- Primary - Logged out users: Home, Events (from Pages).
- Primary - Logged in users: Events, Submit Event, Manage Events (from Pages).
- Sidebar or homepage: the Eventonomy Upcoming Events block.
Visitors can register for an event with only an email address. Members can submit and manage their own events.
A directory or listings site
Section titled “A directory or listings site”Plugin: Listora.
- Primary - Logged out users: Home, Directory (from Pages).
- Primary - Logged in users: Directory, Add Listing, My Dashboard (from Pages).
- Before launch: pick a map provider under Listora > Settings > Maps.
Business owners can claim a listing once they log in.
A job board
Section titled “A job board”Plugin: WP Career Board.
- Primary - Logged out users: Home, Find Jobs, Find Companies, Employer Registration (from Pages).
- Primary - Logged in users: Find Jobs, Post a Job, Employer Dashboard, Candidate Dashboard (from Pages).
Candidates can apply without an account. Employers register on their own page and post jobs from their dashboard.
A services marketplace
Section titled “A services marketplace”Plugin: WP Sell Services.
- Primary - Logged out users: Home, Services, Vendors, Become a Vendor (from Pages).
- Primary - Logged in users: Services, Dashboard (from Pages).
- Before launch: map a terms page in WP Sell Services’ settings.
Buyers sign in at checkout to place an order.
A shop
Section titled “A shop”Plugin: WooCommerce. Reign styles the shop, cart, checkout and account pages and adds a cart icon to the header. See add a shop.
Mixing recipes
Section titled “Mixing recipes”Most sites combine two or three of these, for example a community with courses and events. Wire each plugin with the five steps above, then trim the menus so guests see at most six or seven links. Put the rest in the member menu or the footer.
Check the whole site
Section titled “Check the whole site”- Open a private (incognito) window and click every menu link as a guest.
- Log in as a test member and check the member menu, the header icons and the profile dropdown.
- Search for one thing from each plugin and check it appears.
- Switch to dark mode, then look at the site on a phone.