Developer guide
Developer overview
This guide describes the local Smith & Sons WordPress project as it is currently wired. The live theme bootstrap and the installed-plugin list are the source of truth.
Local architecture
| Layer | Location or URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Staging | https://www.staging3.smithminerals.com/ |
Staging website and WordPress administration |
| Production reference | https://www.smithminerals.com/ |
Public website for visual comparison |
| Active theme | wp/site/wp-content/themes/smith-sons-1 |
Frontend templates and integrations |
| Plugins | wp/site/wp-content/plugins |
WordPress and commerce extensions |
| Must-use plugins | wp/site/wp-content/mu-plugins |
Local MCP abilities |
| Documentation | site-documentation |
This local-only Next.js guide |
The documentation project is independent of WordPress. It does not deploy the theme and does not publish documentation.
Request flow
- WordPress receives the request and selects a classic template such as
page.php,single.php, or a WooCommerce override. functions.phpdefines the theme version and loads the active modules in a fixed order.- Theme modules register menus, sidebars, assets, Customizer controls, Elementor widgets, and WooCommerce hooks.
header.phpandfooter.phpprovide the shared shell.- WordPress, Elementor, WooCommerce, and YITH supply database-managed content.
Where content is owned
| Content or behavior | Primary owner |
|---|---|
| Page layouts and homepage sections | Elementor |
| Products, cart, checkout, and account | WooCommerce |
| Auctions and bidding | YITH WooCommerce Auctions |
| Catalog filters | YITH AJAX Product Filter |
| Header/footer settings | Theme Customizer modules |
| Menus | WordPress Appearance → Menus |
| Forms | WPForms |
| SEO and schema | Rank Math |
| Theme markup and frontend behavior | smith-sons-1 theme |
| Extra PHP/scripts | Code Snippets and WPCode; inspect before debugging |
Start here before editing
- Confirm the local WordPress site and documentation site are running.
- Take a database and
wp-contentbackup before structural, plugin, or commerce changes. - Inspect
functions.php; it is the active dependency map. - Check whether the feature is owned by Elementor, a plugin, a snippet, or the theme.
- Make the smallest scoped change and test the affected flow.
Important rules
- Do not edit WordPress core.
- Do not edit plugin vendor files; use hooks, settings, or a reviewed integration layer.
- Do not rename menu locations, sidebars, option keys, AJAX actions, or saved Elementor widget identifiers without a migration plan.
- Do not expose credentials, payment configuration, customer information, orders, or private snippet bodies in documentation.
- Do not bulk-update Elementor, WooCommerce, payment, auction, SEO, and security plugins together.
- Keep this documentation local unless publication is separately approved.
Next pages
- Theme structure maps the active files and module load order.
- Plugins and integrations records installed responsibilities and overlap risks.
- Development workflow provides the change, test, and rollback checklist.