Getting started
Requirements
What your server needs before you install NovaSpark, what the built-in System Check looks at, and how to fix anything it flags.
NovaSpark runs on any host that meets a short list of modern requirements. Most managed WordPress hosts already do. If you are not sure about yours, install the theme anyway — it ships a System Check that inspects your server and tells you exactly what, if anything, needs changing.
What you need #
| Requirement | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PHP | 8.1 | Not negotiable. Below this the theme stops with a notice instead of running. |
| WordPress | 6.4 | Tested up to 6.7. |
| MySQL or MariaDB | 5.7 / 10.4 | WordPress’ own recommendation. Any host running current WordPress meets it. |
| Memory limit | 256 MB | Recommended, not required. Lower usually works; importing a demo is where it shows. |
| Max execution time | 60 seconds | Recommended. Longer helps large imports finish in fewer steps. |
| cURL | Enabled | Required to download plugins and demo content. |
| DOM and XMLReader | Enabled | Required to read demo content files. |
| HTTPS | Recommended | Set it up before importing a demo. See the warning below. |
Plus two free plugins from WordPress.org, which the theme offers to install for you: Elementor and Advanced Custom Fields. See Installation.
PHP 8.1 is the one hard requirement. Everything else on this page is a recommendation you can work around. If your host runs an older PHP, NovaSpark shows a notice explaining why and does nothing else — it will not half-work. Most hosts let you switch PHP version from their control panel in a couple of clicks.
The System Check #
NovaSpark inspects your server for you. You will find the same check in two places:
- On the NovaSpark → Dashboard screen, in the System check panel.
- As the first step of the Setup Wizard.
Both run the identical set of nine checks and report one of three results:
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pass | Nothing to do. |
| Warning | NovaSpark works, but something could go better. Worth reading; not urgent. |
| Fail | Something will actually break. Fix it before going further. |
Failures do not lock you out. The Setup Wizard lets you continue past a failed check — it reports problems rather than blocking you, so you can still explore the theme on a server you are only testing on. That also means a failure is easy to click past, which is why each one below says what actually goes wrong if you do.
Every check, explained #
PHP Version
Passes at 8.1 or higher. Anything lower is a failure.
To fix: change your PHP version in your host’s control panel — cPanel calls it “Select PHP Version”, Plesk “PHP Settings”, and most managed hosts put it under the site’s settings. If you cannot find it, ask your host to move you to PHP 8.1 or newer; it is a routine request.
Memory Limit
Passes at 256 MB or higher, or when the limit is unlimited. Lower is a warning.
To fix: ask your host to raise it. You can also try adding this line to
wp-config.php, above the line that says “That’s all, stop
editing!” — though many hosts cap it regardless:
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );Max Execution Time
Passes at 60 seconds or higher, or when there is no limit. Lower is a warning.
To fix: ask your host. A low limit does not stop a demo import — the importer works in small batches for exactly this reason — but each batch does less, so the import takes longer.
cURL Extension
Required. Missing is a failure.
What breaks: NovaSpark cannot download anything — not the required plugins, not demo content.
To fix: ask your host to enable the PHP cURL extension. It is standard on essentially every WordPress host, so seeing this usually means a very minimal or custom server.
DOM / XMLReader Extension
Required. Missing is a failure.
What breaks: demo content cannot be read at all, so importing a demo is impossible.
To fix: ask your host to enable the PHP dom and xml
extensions.
HTTPS / SSL
Recommended. Not being on HTTPS is a warning, never a failure — importing over plain HTTP genuinely does work.
Why it still matters: importing writes your site’s current address into every
imported image link and into the page designs themselves. Import over
http:// and switch SSL on afterwards, and those links still say
http:// — which browsers then block on a secure page. What you see is missing
images and unstyled sections, with nothing obviously wrong in the admin.
To fix: set up SSL first. Most hosts offer a free certificate in one click. Doing it before you import costs nothing; doing it afterwards means a search-and-replace across your whole database.
Turn SSL on before you import a demo, not after. This is the single most common cause of a demo that imports “successfully” and then looks broken.
Advanced Custom Fields
Required in practice. Inactive is reported as a warning.
What breaks: Theme Options cannot be saved or read, and any settings that come with a demo are ignored.
To fix: install and activate it — the theme offers to do this for you. The free version is all NovaSpark needs.
Elementor
Required in practice. Inactive is reported as a warning.
What breaks: every page design, header, footer and Global Block. NovaSpark is built on Elementor.
To fix: install and activate it. The free version is all NovaSpark needs — nothing in the theme requires Elementor Pro.
Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets
Required. Unavailable is a failure.
What breaks: this one is worth understanding, because its symptom is misleading. NovaSpark’s sections and demo designs are built from Elementor’s newer element types. Without them, Elementor renders an empty page — no error, nothing in any log, and the content still looks correct inside the editor. A demo import appears to succeed and produces blank pages.
To fix: in WordPress, go to Elementor → Settings → Features and make sure Atomic Widgets is active. It is on by default, so you will normally only see this if it was deliberately switched off.
Recommended hosting settings #
None of these are required. They make importing a demo smoother, especially on a shared host.
| Setting | Suggested | Why |
|---|---|---|
memory_limit | 256M or more | Importing images is the memory-hungry part. |
max_execution_time | 60 or more | Fewer, larger batches during an import. |
max_input_vars | 3000 or more | Large menus and settings forms submit a lot of fields at once. |
upload_max_filesize | 64M or more | Lets you upload the theme through WordPress instead of over FTP. |
post_max_size | 64M or more | Should match or exceed the upload size above. |
Where to see your current values. In WordPress, go to Tools → Site Health → Info and open the Server section. Everything above is listed there, so you can send your host exact numbers rather than a vague request.