Set up WordPress

This guide prepares WordPress as the Superfunky content and configuration backend.

1. Prepare the site

1. Install WordPress 6.7 or newer on an HTTPS hostname.
2. Use PHP 7.4 or newer; use a currently supported PHP 8.x release for a new production

environment.

1. In Settings > Permalinks, select any non-plain structure and save.
2. Confirm that https://backend.example.com/wp-json/ returns the WordPress REST index.
3. Configure reliable scheduled tasks. For production, a system cron that calls

WordPress cron is preferable to traffic-dependent scheduling.

1. Take a backup before converting an existing store.

Use a dedicated backend hostname when possible. Keep it private from normal navigation, but do not block the APIs, media, callbacks, or authenticated admin access the storefront needs.

2. Install the theme

Obtain the latest reviewed release from the current Superfunky delivery channel. The coded-letter/superfunky-theme public mirror is being prepared and must not be assumed to contain the complete current release until its release notes say so.

Install it by either:

• uploading the release zip in Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme; or
• cloning/copying the repository into wp-content/themes/.

Activate FunkyCommerce Headless. The package retains that legacy technical name for WordPress upgrade compatibility; the customer-facing product is Superfunky.

The theme is dependency-safe and can activate before WooCommerce or GraphQL plugins.

3. Install the API stack

Install only one plugin for each integration role.

Required for the Superfunky storefront

1. WPGraphQL
2. WooCommerce
3. WPGraphQL for WooCommerce (WooGraphQL)

Required by enabled features

• Headless Login for WPGraphQL for login, registration, customer accounts, and other

authenticated flows.

• Polylang plus one compatible WPGraphQL Polylang integration for multilingual

content.

• Polylang for WooCommerce when WooCommerce products and taxonomies are translated.
• Your selected SEO, payment, SMTP, anti-spam, and provider plugins.

Do not activate two plugins that register the same Polylang GraphQL types. Duplicate Language, language-enum, or root-query registrations can make schema introspection return HTTP 500.

4. Verify GraphQL

Open the GraphQL IDE supplied by WPGraphQL or send this query to https://backend.example.com/graphql:

query SuperfunkyReadiness {
  generalSettings {
    title
    url
  }
  products(first: 1) {
    nodes {
      id
      name
    }
  }
}

Before frontend launch, the schema must also contain:

• RootQuery.funkycommerceSpecialPage
• RootQuery.funkycommerceStorefrontConfig
• RootQuery.funkycommerceThemeStyles
• RootQuery.funkycommerceUiStrings
• Page.funkycommerceSpecialPageKey
• Page.headlessShortcodes

Account, order, viewer, and static-generation fields are required only by the features that use them.

If introspection fails, check PHP logs and deactivate conflicting GraphQL extensions before changing the frontend.

5. Configure the Control Center

Open Appearance > FunkyCommerce in the current theme release. This legacy admin label will be renamed to Superfunky in a future compatibility-safe release.

For initial connection:

1. Set the public Frontend URL to the draft storefront URL.
2. Configure the store identity and required Free controls.
3. Save, then query funkycommerceStorefrontConfig to confirm the values are exposed.
4. If Superfunky Pro is licensed, activate the Pro companion and confirm the required

controls unlock before configuring them.

Do not paste secrets into fields described as public frontend values. Provider secret keys belong in the owning server-side plugin or approved secret store.

6. Create content and navigation

• Create the homepage and other WordPress Pages used by the storefront.
• Create and assign Header, Mobile, and Footer menus under Appearance > Menus.
• Create posts, categories, tags, media, and authors needed for launch.
• Add supported shortcodes or Gutenberg content to storefront Pages only after the base

GraphQL connection works.

• Publish at least one product before running production readiness checks.

Custom not-found content

Create and publish a WordPress page with the slug 404 (the legacy 4o4 spelling is also recognized). Its editor content becomes the native and headless not-found page. With Polylang, connect each translated 404 page through the normal translation relationship; the storefront resolves the active-language page and safely falls back when a translation is unavailable.

If Header, Mobile, or Footer has no assigned menu, the storefront intentionally falls back to a Home-only menu rather than linking to sample pages that may not exist.

7. Configure rebuilds

For a static or hybrid deployment:

1. Create a deploy hook in the frontend hosting provider.
2. In the Control Center, set the Build webhook URL.
3. Publish a harmless staging change and confirm one deployment starts.
4. Enable periodic rebuilds only when the selected plan and content model require them.

The theme debounces public content changes before calling the hook. Treat the hook URL as a secret: do not publish it in documentation, frontend variables, or source control.

Build webhook and scheduled-rebuild controls are Pro features. Free self-hosted deployments can trigger builds from their CI provider or build manually.

Keep Storefront artifacts in shadow or off. Shadow mode is diagnostic only and does not replace the static storefront. Public artifact mode is not part of the current release because non-root artifact generation has not completed runtime acceptance.

8. Final WordPress checks

• REST and GraphQL respond over HTTPS.
• The GraphQL schema has no duplicate registrations.
• Media URLs are publicly reachable by the storefront and build system.
• WordPress Site URL and Home URL still point to the backend origin.
• The Control Center Frontend URL points to the current draft storefront.
• Backups, updates, logs, cron, and administrator access are working.
• Security or caching rules do not block /graphql, /wp-json/, media, cron, or provider

callbacks.

Next: configure WooCommerce.