Run a WordPress Playground blueprint from a link
Put a WordPress Playground blueprint in the link and the new site is set up from it, with each step shown as it runs.
A blueprint is a JSON file that describes how to set up a WordPress site: plugins and themes to install, content to import, options to set, code to run. InstaWP Studio runs the same blueprints WordPress Playground does.
https://studio.instawp.com/?blueprint-url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WordPress/blueprints/trunk/blueprints/stylish-press/blueprint.json
Try this link. It builds a demo WooCommerce store from the WordPress blueprints gallery in about a minute.
Giving the blueprint #
| Parameter | Use it for |
|---|---|
blueprint-url | The address of a blueprint: a blueprint.json file or a .zip bundle. It must start with https://, and the server must allow other websites to load it (CORS). GitHub's raw file addresses work. |
blueprint | The blueprint itself in the link: the JSON (URL-encoded) or the JSON in base64. Up to 100,000 characters; use blueprint-url for anything bigger. |
A blueprint can be combined with brief, plugins and themes. See Start a site from a link.
Only version 1 blueprints are supported (the format the Playground gallery uses). InstaWP Studio checks the blueprint with Playground's own validator before running it. If it is not valid, the chat shows the validator's message and nothing runs.
What runs #
Everything WordPress Playground would run, except what would replace or break your InstaWP Studio site.
Skipped, and named in the chat:
| Step | Why |
|---|---|
resetData | It deletes the site's content. |
importWordPressFiles | It replaces the whole site. |
enableMultisite | InstaWP Studio sites are single sites. |
defineSiteUrl | InstaWP Studio sets the site address. |
runWpInstallationWizard | WordPress is already installed. |
Ignored, because InstaWP Studio sets them itself: preferredVersions (PHP and WordPress versions), features, login and phpExtensionBundles. The site address options siteurl and home are never changed.
Everything else runs as written: plugins, installPlugin, activatePlugin, installTheme, activateTheme, importWxr, setSiteOptions, constants, runPHP, wp-cli, file steps and so on. If the blueprint names a landingPage on the site, the preview opens on that page.
Themes #
installThemeonly installs the theme, the same as athemes=link.- An explicit
activateThemestep is honoured, and the theme stays active. InstaWP Studio remembers the choice, so the site keeps that theme every time it opens. - While another theme is active, the designs InstaWP Studio builds (pages, header, footer and brand styles) do not show, because they belong to the InstaWP Studio theme. The chat says so. Switch back under Appearance → Themes in WordPress.
Progress and results #
The loading screen shows Setting up your site from the blueprint, names each step ("Installing the plugin “woocommerce” (step 1 of 14)…") and fills a progress bar.
When the site opens, the chat says what the blueprint did, for example:
Ran the blueprint “Stylish Press”: 14 steps.
Plugins now active: WooCommerce 11.2.1 and WordPress Importer 0.9.7. Open Plugins
The blueprint made Stylish Press Child Theme the active theme, and it stays active. …
A separate warning lists skipped steps. If a step fails, the warning names the step and Playground's error, and the steps after it do not run, as in Playground. The site still opens with everything done up to that point.
Troubleshooting #
- "Could not load the blueprint": the address is wrong, or its server does not allow other websites to load it. Host the file on GitHub and use the Raw address.
- "The blueprint is not valid": the message lists what the validator found, for example a missing
authorinmeta. The blueprint reference has the details. - "Blueprint version 2 is not supported yet": use a version 1 blueprint.
- A step failed: the warning names the step. Open the blueprint in WordPress Playground to check whether it fails there too.