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Getting Started

This guide will walk you through installing MindfulMedia and setting up your first media library.

Installation

From WordPress Admin

  1. Go to Plugins → Add New
  2. Click Upload Plugin
  3. Select the mindfulmedia.zip file
  4. Click Install Now
  5. Click Activate Plugin

Manual Installation

  1. Download the plugin ZIP file
  2. Extract to /wp-content/plugins/mindfulmedia/
  3. Go to Plugins in WordPress admin
  4. Find "MindfulMedia" and click Activate

Initial Setup

After activation, MindfulMedia automatically:

  • Creates the mindful_media custom post type
  • Registers all taxonomies (Teachers, Topics, Categories, Playlists, Types)
  • Creates a "My Library" page with the library shortcode
  • Sets up default settings

First Steps

1. Configure Basic Settings

Go to MindfulMedia → Settings and configure:

  • Appearance - Set your brand colors
  • Layout - Configure card sizes and grid layouts
  • Player - Set player behavior and autoplay options

Appearance Settings

2. Create Your First Media Item

Go to MindfulMedia → Add New to create your first media item:

  1. Enter a Title for your media
  2. Add a Featured Image (thumbnail)
  3. In the Media Source section:
    • Select the source type (YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, etc.)
    • Paste the video/audio URL
  4. Set the Duration (or click "Fetch Duration" to auto-detect)
  5. Assign Taxonomies:
    • Teacher (who created the content)
    • Topic (subject matter)
    • Category (content type)
    • Playlist (optional, for series)
  6. Click Publish

Media Item Edit Screen

3. Create a Browse Page

Create a new page and add the browse shortcode:

[mindful_media_browse]

Or use the MindfulMedia Browse Gutenberg block.

This creates a full browsing experience with:

  • Navigation tabs (Home, Teachers, Topics, Playlists)
  • Featured content section
  • Category sliders

4. Create a Media Archive Page

For a simple grid of all media items:

[mindful_media_archive per_page="12"]

Setting Up Taxonomies

Teachers

Teachers represent content creators or instructors.

  1. Go to MindfulMedia → Teachers
  2. Add a new teacher with:
    • Name
    • Description/Bio
    • Featured Image (profile photo)

Topics

Topics categorize content by subject matter.

  1. Go to MindfulMedia → Topics
  2. Add topics like "Meditation", "Yoga", "Mindfulness"
  3. Add featured images for visual browsing

Playlists (Series)

Playlists group related content in order.

  1. Go to MindfulMedia → Playlists
  2. Create a playlist (e.g., "Beginner Course")
  3. Optionally create child playlists as "modules"
  4. Enable password protection if needed

Categories

Categories provide additional organization.

  1. Go to MindfulMedia → Categories
  2. Add categories with featured images

Creating Playlists

Playlists are powerful for creating courses and series:

Simple Playlist

  1. Create a playlist: MindfulMedia → Playlists → Add New
  2. Assign media items to it when editing each item
  3. Items appear in the playlist sidebar when viewing

Modular Playlist (Course Structure)

  1. Create a parent playlist (e.g., "Complete Course")
  2. Create child playlists as modules:
    • "Module 1: Introduction"
    • "Module 2: Fundamentals"
    • "Module 3: Advanced"
  3. Assign videos to the appropriate module
  4. The modal player shows a collapsible module structure

Password Protected Playlist

  1. Edit the playlist
  2. Enable "Password Protection"
  3. Set a password
  4. Only users with the password can view the content

Adding Media to Pages

Using Shortcodes

<!-- Full browse page -->
[mindful_media_browse]

<!-- Media grid with filters -->
[mindful_media_archive per_page="12" category="meditation"]

<!-- Single media embed -->
[mindful_media id="123"]

<!-- Embed a playlist -->
[mindful_media playlist="beginner-course"]

<!-- Category row slider -->
[mindful_media_row taxonomy="media_topic" title="Browse by Topic"]

Using Gutenberg Blocks

  1. Edit a page with Gutenberg
  2. Click + to add a block
  3. Search for "MindfulMedia"
  4. Choose from:
    • MindfulMedia Browse - Full browse layout
    • MindfulMedia Archive - Grid with filters
    • MindfulMedia Embed - Single item or playlist
    • MindfulMedia Category Row - Horizontal slider

Using Elementor

  1. Edit a page with Elementor
  2. Search widgets for "MindfulMedia"
  3. Drag the widget to your canvas
  4. Configure options in the sidebar

What's Next?

Now that you have the basics set up: