# Installation

> How to install Wovie on your WordPress site: from the admin, by FTP or with WP-CLI. It also covers what happens when you activate it, how to update it, and switching to another theme.

Source: https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/installation

---

## Overview

Wovie is a WordPress theme, and you install it like any other theme. Install it after [Dbmovies](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/installation): when you activate Wovie, Dbmovies creates the pages your site needs.

## Before you start

- Check that your server meets the [Requirements](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/requirements), including **PHP 8.2.35** or higher.
- Install Dbmovies and activate its license. See [Installation](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/installation) and [License activation](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/license-activation) in the Dbmovies documentation.
- Download the latest Wovie package from [Downloads](https://doothemes.com/account/downloads) in your Doothemes account. It is a ZIP file named like `wovie-1.2.32.zip`. Do not unzip it if you install it from the WordPress admin.
- Sign in to WordPress with an administrator account.

## Method 1: From the WordPress admin (recommended)

1. In your WordPress admin, go to **Appearance › Themes**.
2. Click **Add New Theme** at the top of the page, then **Upload Theme**.
3. Click **Choose File**, select the Wovie ZIP file and click **Install Now**.
4. When the installation finishes, click **Activate**.

[SCREENSHOT_HERE: Appearance › Themes › Add New Theme › Upload Theme, with the Wovie ZIP file selected and the Install Now button]

The package weighs about 3.8 MB. If your server accepts smaller uploads, the upload fails with *The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini.* Increase `upload_max_filesize` and `post_max_size` in your PHP settings, or use the FTP method below.

## Method 2: By FTP or SFTP

1. Unzip the Wovie ZIP file on your computer. You get a folder named `wovie`.
2. Connect to your server with an FTP or SFTP client.
3. Upload the `wovie` folder to `wp-content/themes/`.
4. In your WordPress admin, go to **Appearance › Themes**, hover over Wovie and click **Activate**.

Keep the folder name `wovie`: child themes refer to Wovie by that name.

## Method 3: With WP-CLI

If you manage your site from the command line, install and activate the theme in one step:

```bash
wp theme install /path/to/wovie-1.2.32.zip --activate
```

If the files are already in `wp-content/themes/wovie`, only activate it:

```bash
wp theme activate wovie
```

## What happens when you activate it

- **Dbmovies creates the pages of your site,** with their templates, and assigns them: **Authentication**, **Account**, **Browser** and **Contact**. It only creates the ones that are missing. See [Required pages](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/settings/required-pages).
- **Appearance › Customize** gets three sections: **Wovie / General**, **Wovie / Header** and **Wovie / Footer**. See [Theme options](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/appearance/theme-options).
- **The header shows links to your movies, TV shows and collections** until you assign a menu of your own. See [Menus](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/appearance/menus).
- **Members do not see the WordPress toolbar** on your site. Only users with the Subscriber role, the role of the members who sign up, lose it; you and your editors keep it.

If the pages were not created, for example because Dbmovies was not active when you activated Wovie, create them in **Dbmovies › Tools › Restorer › Create and sort required pages**. See [Restorer](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/tools/restorer#create-and-sort-required-pages).

[SCREENSHOT_HERE: Pages › All Pages, with the Authentication, Account, Browser and Contact pages that Dbmovies created]

Continue with [First steps](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/first-steps) to set up your menus, your logo and your home page.

## Updating

With an active Wovie license, Wovie updates like any other theme. When a new version is out, WordPress shows it in **Dashboard › Updates** and in **Appearance › Themes**. Click **View version 1.2.32 details**, with the number of the new version, to read what changed before you update. See [License activation](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/license-activation).

To update by hand, download the latest package from [Downloads](https://doothemes.com/account/downloads) and upload it again with Method 1. WordPress detects that Wovie is already installed and offers **Replace installed with uploaded**.

- **Your settings are kept.** Your theme options, menus and pages are stored in the database, and updates do not touch them.
- **Your changes to the theme files are not.** An update replaces every file of Wovie. To change templates or styles, use a [child theme](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/customization/child-theme).
- **Your PHP version is checked.** With a PHP older than 8.2.35, the update fails. See [If your PHP is older](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/requirements#if-your-php-is-older).

## Switching to another theme

Your titles, links, members and memberships live in Dbmovies and WordPress, not in the theme. If you activate another theme:

- **Your Wovie options and menu locations stay saved.** They come back when you activate Wovie again.
- **The required pages stay published,** but they only show their forms and sections with a theme that includes their templates.

Deleting Wovie from **Appearance › Themes** removes its files. Its options stay in the database.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| *The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini.* | Increase `upload_max_filesize` and `post_max_size` in your PHP settings, or install by FTP |
| *The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.* | The ZIP you uploaded is not the theme. Upload the ZIP from [Downloads](https://doothemes.com/account/downloads) as it is, without unzipping and zipping it again |
| *Current PHP version does not meet minimum requirements for Wovie.* | Your server runs a PHP older than 8.2.35. See [If your PHP is older](https://doothemes.com/docs/wovie/requirements#if-your-php-is-older) |
| The admin shows *Wovie requires the Dbmovies plugin* | Install or activate Dbmovies in **Plugins** |
| The Authentication, Account, Browser or Contact page is missing | Create it in **Dbmovies › Tools › Restorer › Create and sort required pages** |
| Sign in or a section of the account shows a 404 page | Go to **Settings › Permalinks** and click **Save Changes** |