Installation Guide

This guide walks you through installing and setting up Wash: Blog Manager on both your Shopify store and WordPress site.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• Shopify store with an active plan (Basic, Shopify, or Advanced)
• WordPress site (version 6.0 or higher)
• PHP 8.1 or higher on your WordPress server
• Admin access to both platforms

Step 1: Install the Shopify App

1.1 Access the Shopify App Store

1. Log in to your Shopify admin panel
2. Navigate to Apps in the sidebar
3. Click Shopify App Store
4. Search for "Wash: Blog Manager"

1.2 Install the App

1. Click on Wash: Blog Manager in the search results
2. Click the Add app button
3. Review the permissions and click Install app
4. You'll be redirected to the Wash: Blog Manager dashboard

1.3 Complete Initial Setup

1. Choose your subscription plan (you can start with Free)
2. Note down your Store API Key - you'll need this for WordPress
3. The app will create necessary metafield definitions automatically

Step 2: Install the WordPress Plugin

Option A: Upload via WordPress Admin

1. Download the Wash: Blog Manager plugin ZIP file
2. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
3. Go to Plugins > Add New
4. Click Upload Plugin
5. Select the ZIP file and click Install Now
6. Click Activate Plugin

Option B: Manual Installation (FTP)

1. Download and extract the plugin ZIP file
2. Upload the wash folder to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Log in to WordPress admin
4. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
5. Find Wash: Blog Manager and click Activate

Option C: Composer Installation

composer require wash/wordpress-plugin

Then activate via WP-CLI:

wp plugin activate wash

Step 3: Connect WordPress to Shopify

3.1 Access Plugin Settings

1. In WordPress admin, go to Settings > Wash: Blog Manager
2. You'll see the connection setup page

3.2 Enter Your Credentials

1. Shopify Store URL: Enter your store URL (e.g., your-store.myshopify.com)
2. API Key: Paste the API key from your Shopify app dashboard
3. Click Connect

3.3 Verify Connection

After connecting, you should see:

• ✅ Connection status: Connected
• ✅ Store name displayed
• ✅ Available Shopify blogs listed

Step 4: Configure Blog Mappings

4.1 Understand Blog Mappings

Blog mappings tell Wash: Blog Manager which WordPress categories should sync to which Shopify blogs.

4.2 Create Your First Mapping

1. Go to Wash: Blog Manager > Blog Mappings
2. Click Add New Mapping
3. Select a WordPress Category (e.g., "News")
4. Select the target Shopify Blog (e.g., "News")
5. Click Save Mapping

4.3 Multiple Mappings

You can create multiple mappings:

WordPress Category	Shopify Blog
News	News
Tutorials	Guides
Company Updates	About Us Blog

Step 5: Test Your First Sync

5.1 Create a Test Post

1. In WordPress, go to Posts > Add New
2. Write a simple test post
3. Assign it to a mapped category
4. Click Publish

5.2 Verify Sync

1. Check the Wash: Blog Manager sync status in the post editor sidebar
2. Visit your Shopify blog to see the published post
3. Verify images and formatting transferred correctly

Step 6: Configure Additional Settings

6.1 Sync Options

Navigate to Wash: Blog Manager > Settings to configure:

• Auto-sync on publish: Automatically sync when posts are published
• Sync featured images: Include featured images in sync
• Author mapping: Map WordPress authors to Shopify metafields

6.2 Advanced Options

• Custom fields sync: Enable synchronization of custom fields
• Smart redirections: Enable URL redirection handling
• Image optimization: Configure image processing options

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

• Verify your API key is correct
• Check that your Shopify app is installed and active
• Ensure your WordPress site can make outbound HTTPS requests

Sync Not Working

• Confirm the post is assigned to a mapped category
• Check the sync logs in Wash: Blog Manager > Logs
• Verify your subscription plan allows more syncs

Sync Icon Keeps Spinning

If the sync icon keeps spinning indefinitely after publishing a post, it usually means the callback from Shopify is being blocked. Common causes:

Cloudflare Protection

If your WordPress site uses Cloudflare with Bot Fight Mode or Under Attack Mode enabled, server-to-server callbacks may be blocked.

Solution - Add WAF Exception Rule:

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard
2. Go to Security > WAF > Custom Rules
3. Create a new rule with these settings:

- Rule name: Allow Wash Callbacks

- Expression: (http.request.uri.path contains "/wp-json/wash/v1/callback") - Action: Skip (select "All remaining custom rules")

1. Deploy the rule

Security Plugins

WordPress security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri, or iThemes Security may block API requests.

Solution:

1. Go to your security plugin settings
2. Add /wp-json/wash/v1/callback to the whitelist/allowlist
3. For Wordfence: Firewall > Blocking > Whitelisted URLs
4. For Sucuri: Settings > Hardening > Whitelist

Testing Callback Endpoint

To verify your callback endpoint is accessible, run this test:

curl -X POST "https://your-wordpress-site.com/wp-json/wash/v1/callback" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"test": true}'

If you see a Cloudflare challenge page or 403 error, the endpoint is being blocked.

Images Not Appearing

• Check that images are properly attached to the post
• Verify your Shopify plan supports file uploads
• Review image size limits in settings

Next Steps

• Connection Settings
• Set up author mapping
• Enable smart redirections
• Choose the right plan for your needs

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues during installation:

1. Check our FAQ section
2. Review the Shopify limitations
3. Contact support through the Shopify app dashboard