Elementra Builder: installation, testing and development status

Before installation

Elementra 0.19.1 is a public beta, not a stable commercial release. Use a staging copy, back up your database and files, and confirm PHP 8.0+ and WordPress 6.5+. Current integration testing uses WordPress 7.1.4.

Release 0.19.1 passed 122 automated Node tests and 22 server-side checks in isolated WordPress 7.1.4 / PHP 8.5.10. Browser editing, mobile visual checks, security review and broad compatibility are not complete. Open System status in Elementra to inspect your environment. The ZIP includes RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md for staging tests.

The download is GPL-2.0-or-later and requires no payment, license key or external editor account. Existing Elementor layouts are not automatically converted.

Install and create a draft

Download the ZIP from the product page. In WordPress select Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin → Install Now → Activate. Open Elementra, then choose an existing page or create an empty test page.

Start with a blank page or import a bilingual example. Importing replaces the draft after confirmation, so export anything you want to keep first. Save Draft leaves the public layout unchanged; Publish is a separate action.

Edit efficiently

Ctrl/Cmd K opens quick find. Copy and paste whole elements, use undo/redo, and search layers by title or editor-only name. Layer names never become visitor text.

Use layer checkboxes to select sibling elements and group them. Only siblings may be grouped. Ungroup keeps the children but removes the container and its styles. Undo can restore the previous state.

Editing locks apply to an element and its descendants in the editor. Unlock its parent before editing a locked descendant. Locks are convenience controls, not permissions or protection against imports.

Responsive styles and reusable content

Set desktop styles first, then tablet and mobile overrides. Blank values inherit larger-screen values. Mobile may inherit tablet overrides. Logical start/end padding follows RTL/LTR direction.

Six style presets merge into the selected breakpoint. Use shared sections and published header/footer templates where supported. Explicitly test the layout with your active theme before publishing.

Content and navigation tools

The beta has 56 element types. WordPress Menu displays a flat list from a menu managed in Appearance. Table of Contents generates links from visible headings when JavaScript runs. Share links open external services only after a visitor clicks.

Countdown dates use the WordPress site timezone, with visitor-side ticking and a readable server snapshot. Refresh caches after changes. Countdown display depends on the visitor clock. Image strips support native scrolling with progressive Previous/Next controls; autoplay and lightbox are not included.

Test before publishing

Test Arabic and English text, desktop/tablet/mobile, keyboard navigation, real images and audio, forms and email delivery, template inheritance and draft recovery. Verify every button destination.

Mail is sent using WordPress mail configuration. SMTP delivery and live WooCommerce checkout are not certified. Do not collect real customer data during testing. Try updating from the previous release on staging and keep a copy for rollback.

New in 0.10: templates, forms and linked design

Create and publish a Single, Archive, Product or Shop Archive template from the template library, then explicitly enable and assign it in Site settings. Existing post-specific builder documents keep precedence. Cart and checkout are excluded. WooCommerce widgets use the installed store and its native add-to-cart forms; they do not configure payment providers.

For dynamic fields, approve safe public keys in Site settings first, then select Meta or ACF in a Public custom field element. Only scalar values are rendered; protected keys and draft/password content are excluded. ACF needs its separate plugin; complex fields are not supported.

Forms accept up to eight extra fields, one per line: key|type|label|yes/no|choices. Types: text, email, tel, textarea, select, checkbox. Comma-separate select choices. Configure required contact consent if needed. The server checks signatures, current published fields, required values and choices. Forms work on singular published pages/posts/products and are omitted from archives. Email uses WordPress mail; CRM/webhooks are not configured.

Use color tokens and linked classes from the element inspector. Administrators can save an element’s responsive styles as a linked class, or manage palette/classes as JSON in Site settings. Local styles override the class. Global saves change linked published designs immediately; refresh caches and export a backup before deleting keys.

New in 0.11: instance text and query filters

Select a shared-section element, choose its published source, then Customize this instance. Check only the fields you want to override; unchecked fields inherit later source text. Apply to draft, then publish separately. Reset restores source text. The original template and other instances remain unchanged. Changing the source reference clears existing overrides.

Overrides support eligible plain text only, up to 50 source elements / 32 KB total. Layout and styles remain linked. URLs, HTML, forms, structured items and nested shared references cannot be overridden. Removed source elements are ignored. Export preserves overrides but does not migrate the referenced shared section to another WordPress site.

Post/page cards now support include/exclude ID lists (up to 50 per list), author ID, tag ID for posts, and a skip offset of 0–100. Filters intersect and exclusions/current-page removal win. Explicit IDs cannot expose drafts or protected posts. Results remain limited to 12; this is not arbitrary loop templating, AJAX filtering or pagination.

Validation for this release: 47 Node tests and 128 real WordPress integration checks on each PHP runtime, 8.0.30 and 8.5.10. Those checks cover isolated API/rendering behavior, not complete browser UI or broad third-party compatibility.

Development status and next gates

Delivered: public beta download, bilingual documentation, draft editing tools, grouping/locks, responsive spacing, reusable sections, navigation tools, source tests and actual WordPress integration checks.

Remaining: complex ACF/repeater fields, rich/nested component overrides, secured CRM/webhook delivery, cart/checkout customization, authenticated editor browser tests, representative themes/plugins, accessibility and independent beta feedback. A video and actual editor screenshots are not published yet.

No paid checkout, automatic licensing or subscription is enabled for this beta. Any later paid support or product plan needs a defined scope and functioning delivery/payment setup.

Report a problem safely

Send your Elementra, WordPress and PHP versions, active theme, steps to reproduce, expected result and actual result using the support link on the product page. Redact personal data from screenshots. Never send passwords, private keys or customer records.