Import layout
The last tab, and the one that saves the most time. Rather than working down every tab yourself, pick a layout from the demo site and the panel fills in the settings for you - then adjust from there. It also holds the export and import of your settings as a file.
In short
Two things on one tab. Import Demo Layout copies a ready-made look - settings and colours - straight into this filter. Import/Export All Settings moves your CAF settings in and out as a JSON file, which is how you carry them to another site.
One dropdown, one import button, and a separate export and import pair below.
Import a demo layout
The fastest way to a finished-looking filter. Every layout on the demo site can be brought in as it stands, complete with its settings and colours, and everything remains editable afterwards.
Select Post Layout To Import
Choose a layout from the dropdown, then click Import Demo Layout. The panel applies all of that layout's settings and colours to this filter, so what you get matches the demo preview rather than an empty design you still have to style.
It is worth looking at the demo site first and deciding which layout you want, so you are picking a name you recognise rather than guessing from the list.
Careful
Importing replaces what is already there. It brings in a whole set of settings, so anything you have configured on the tabs before this one is overwritten. Import first, then adjust - not the other way round.
The order that saves you work
- Look through the demo site and pick the layout closest to what you want.
- Select it here and click Import Demo Layout.
- Go back to General and set your post type, taxonomies and terms.
- Adjust colours, columns and wording on the Layouts, Appearance and Typography tabs.
- Copy the shortcode and put the filter on a page.
Importing after you have set up the General tab means doing that work twice, which is why it comes second in the list above.
Import/Export All Settings
A separate pair of controls beneath the demo layout section, and a different job. This one moves your own settings rather than a demo's, as a JSON file you keep.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Export | Downloads this filter's settings as a JSON file |
| Choose file, then Import | Reads a JSON file you exported earlier and applies those settings to the filter you are in |
The file covers this filter and nothing else, so it moves one filter at a time. That is what you want when carrying a filter you have already built from a staging site to the live one, or onto a second site you look after, without setting it up again by hand.
Careful
Because it works one filter at a time, a site with several filters needs an export from each of them. Give the files names you will recognise later - the export does not tell you which filter it came from once it is sitting in your downloads.
Tip
Export before you make a change you are unsure about. The file is small, it costs nothing to keep, and importing it puts the settings back.
Note
An import changes the settings on the tabs, not what is live. Save afterwards - the button at the top right reads Publish on a filter you have never saved, and Update once it has been published.
Common Questions
Will importing a demo layout wipe my settings?
It replaces them. The import brings in a full set of settings and colours, so do it before you configure the other tabs rather than after.
Can I edit a layout once I have imported it?
Yes. An imported layout is a starting point - every setting it brings in stays editable on the tabs.
What is the difference between the two halves of this tab?
The top imports someone else's design from the demo site. The bottom moves your own settings between sites as a file.
How do I copy a filter to another site?
Export the settings to a JSON file here, then open a filter on the other site and use Choose file and Import. One file carries one filter, so repeat it for each filter you want to move.
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