=== Next Mile ===
Contributors: hivemindmarketing
Requires at least: 6.4
Tested up to: 6.7
Requires PHP: 7.4
Version: 1.0.0
License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Tags: e-commerce, marketing, one-column, custom-logo, custom-menu

Standalone WordPress theme for Next Mile — performance-based digital
marketing for African logistics companies. Full Elementor Pro
compatibility. Not a child theme; no framework base theme.

== Plugin requirements ==

REQUIRED
* Elementor (free, 3.x) — page building
* Elementor Pro — Theme Builder locations (header, footer, single,
  archive, 404) that this theme registers out of the box

RECOMMENDED
* WPForms Lite — audit, contact and footer opt-in forms
* Calendly — booking embed on the Contact page (script loaded via
  Elementor custom code or a plugin)
* ACF (optional) — the theme registers all case-study/testimonial meta
  keys with ACF-compatible names; native meta boxes work with no plugin

The theme activates cleanly with none of the above installed —
Elementor integrations are defensive (function_exists /
class_exists guards) and everything else is dependency-free.

== Installation ==

1. WordPress admin > Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme
2. Choose next-mile-theme.zip > Install Now > Activate
3. (One-time) Visit Settings > Permalinks and click Save to refresh
   rewrite rules for the Case Studies archive (the theme also flushes
   rules automatically on activation).

== Elementor Global Settings (configure after activation) ==

1. Go to: Elementor > Settings > Style
   - Default Generic Fonts: Instrument Sans
   - Disable Default Colors: YES
   - Disable Default Fonts: YES

2. Go to: Elementor > Site Settings > Global Colors
   Add these exact tokens:
   - Ink: #101211
   - Paper: #F6F5F1
   - Dispatch Green: #16624E
   - White: #FFFFFF
   - Mid Grey: #888888
   - Border Grey: #DDDDDD

3. Go to: Elementor > Site Settings > Global Fonts
   - Primary: Instrument Sans — weights 400, 500, 600, 700
   - Mono: JetBrains Mono — weights 400, 500

4. Go to: Elementor > Theme Builder
   Build and assign site-wide:
   - Header template
   - Footer template
   - Single Blog Post template
   - Single Case Study template (condition: post type = case-study)
   - 404 Page template

NOTE: The theme's CSS custom properties in :root are the true source of
truth. Any color change must be made in TWO places: style.css :root AND
Elementor Global Colors. The CSS variables ensure consistency even
outside Elementor-rendered areas.

== How to change colors ==

1. Edit ONLY the :root block at the top of style.css. Every rule in the
   theme references these variables — no other file hardcodes colors.
2. Mirror the same values in Elementor > Site Settings > Global Colors
   so Elementor-rendered widgets match the theme.
3. Semi-transparent surfaces (dark cards, overlays) are alpha variants
   of white/ink and do not need separate edits.

== How to change fonts ==

1. Edit --font-primary and --font-mono in the :root block of style.css.
2. Update the Google Fonts URL in functions.php
   (next_mile_enqueue_assets) so the new families/weights load.
3. Mirror in Elementor > Site Settings > Global Fonts.

== Content setup ==

CASE STUDIES
* Admin menu: Case Studies > Add New
* Fill the "Case Study Details" meta box (client name, industry:
  last-mile | fulfilment | corporate | freight, challenge, approach,
  up to 3 results, testimonial).
* The Case Studies page template (and the homepage preview row) pull
  these automatically, including the niche filter.

TESTIMONIALS
* Admin menu: Testimonials > Add New
* Title = person name, content = quote, meta box = company, role,
  rating (1-5), optional video URL.
* The homepage testimonial slider falls back to placeholder slides
  until real testimonials exist.

PAGE TEMPLATES (Page Attributes > Template)
* Homepage, Services, Case Studies, About, Pricing, Contact, Blog
* Every template renders semantic placeholder sections until an
  Elementor Pro template takes over (Theme Builder "Single"/"Archive"
  locations).

MENUS
* Appearance > Menus: assign "Primary Navigation" and
  "Footer Navigation". Sensible page fallbacks apply until then.

== Calendly setup ==

1. Open assets/js/main.js.
2. Find REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_CALENDLY_URL and replace it with your full
   booking link (e.g. https://calendly.com/your-handle/30min).
3. Load the Calendly script once site-wide (Elementor > Custom Code or
   a snippet plugin):
   <script src="https://assets.calendly.com/assets/external/widget.js" async></script>
   main.js then auto-initialises the inline widget inside
   #calendly-embed on the Contact page.

== WPForms setup ==

1. Create your forms in WPForms (audit request, contact, footer opt-in).
2. Paste each shortcode into an Elementor HTML widget on the relevant
   page/section, or into the theme hook locations:
   - #audit (homepage section 11) — hook: next_mile_audit_form
   - #contact-form (Contact page) — hook: next_mile_contact_form
   - #footer-optin-form (footer) — hook: next_mile_footer_optin_form

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release: design system, header/footer, 7 page templates,
  case-study + testimonial CPTs, GSAP/Swiper/CountUp integration,
  Elementor Pro locations.
