The Theme Helper is a powerful structural management tool within Digishift Studio that allows you to move beyond standard page layouts. It provides a centralized interface for creating and managing global site elements—such as headers, footers, and popups—using a flexible template system.

Accessing the Theme Helper #

You can access this module in two ways through the WordPress administrative dashboard:

• Via Digishift Studio Dashboard: Navigate to Digishift Studio and click the Open Builder button under the Theme Helper tile.
• Via Sidebar Menu: Navigate directly to Digishift Studio > Theme Helper in the WordPress sidebar.

Template Management #

The main Theme Helper screen acts as a library for all your custom structural elements. From here, you can view existing templates, see their assigned types, and create new ones by clicking the Add New Template button at the top of the page.

Creating a Custom Template #

When adding a new template, you have full control over how and where it appears on your website:

1. Template Title #

Begin by entering a descriptive name in the Add Title field. This title is for internal organization, helping you identify the template in the Theme Helper library.

2. Post Attributes / Template #

Before entering the visual editor, you must configure the Post Attributes in the right-hand sidebar:

• Selection: Under the Template dropdown, it is highly recommended to select Elementor Canvas.

Why: Using Elementor Canvas provides a completely blank slate, preventing the theme’s default header or footer from interfering while you are designing your custom ones.

3. Template Type #

First, define the purpose of your template by selecting a Template Type from the dropdown menu:

• Header: Design a custom navigation area for the top of your site.
• Footer: Create a personalized site-wide footer.
• Block: Build reusable content sections that can be inserted anywhere by shortcode.
• Popup: Design interactive overlays and modal windows.

4. Display Rules #

The Display Rules section determines exactly which pages or sections of your site will feature this template. You can set rules based on:

• General: Entire Site, Front Page, Blog Page, 404 Page, or Search Results.
• Singular: All Posts, All Pages, or specific post types and individual pages.
• Archives: All Archives, Category Archives, Tag Archives, or specific taxonomies.

5. Exclusion Rules #

To prevent a template from appearing on specific pages (even if they fall under a general Display Rule), use Exclusion Rules to define where the template should be hidden. You can set rules based on:

• General: Entire Site, Front Page, Blog Page, 404 Page, or Search Results.
• Singular: All Posts, All Pages, or specific post types and individual pages.
• Archives: All Archives, Category Archives, Tag Archives, or specific taxonomies.

Editing with Elementor #

Once your template settings and rules are configured, click the Edit with Elementor button to launch the visual builder. This allows you to design your headers, footers, and popups with the same drag-and-drop ease as a standard page.