How to Create Custom Recipes for LaunchPad (Developer Guide)

LaunchPad’s Recipe System is fully extensible, allowing developers to create custom site templates tailored to specific industries, clients, or use cases. This comprehensive developer guide covers the recipe architecture, JSON format, PHP hooks, and best practices.

Understanding the Recipe Architecture

A recipe is a site template blueprint that defines:

Site type and category
Recommended theme(s)
Essential plugins
Page structure and content
Menu navigation
Branding options (colors, fonts)
Custom form fields for data collection

Recipes combine JSON data files with PHP filters to create repeatable, automated site configurations.

Use Cases for Custom Recipes:

Industry-specific templates (restaurants, law firms, medical practices)
Client-specific standardized deployments
Niche vertical markets
White-label agency offerings
Multi-site network templates

Learn about WordPress template hierarchy.

Recipe Storage Locations

LaunchPad looks for recipes in three locations (in priority order):

1. Plugin Recipe Directory (Core Recipes)

/wp-content/plugins/LaunchPad/recipes/
├── blog.json
├── business.json
└── portfolio.json

Use for: Core plugin recipes (not recommended to modify directly)

2. Theme Recipe Directory (Theme-Specific)

/wp-content/themes/your-theme/LaunchPad-recipes/
└── custom-recipe.json

Use for: Theme-bundled recipes that require specific theme features

3. PHP Filter (Dynamic Recipes)

add_filter( 'LaunchPad_custom_recipes', function( $recipes ) {
    $recipes['my-recipe'] = array( /* recipe data */ );
    return $recipes;
});

Use for: Programmatically generated recipes, plugin-provided recipes, or mu-plugin recipes

Recipe JSON Format

Here’s the complete structure of a recipe JSON file:

{
	"site_type": "business",
	"name": "Business Website",
	"description": "Professional business site with services, testimonials, and contact forms",
	"icon": "dashicons-building",
	"category": "business",
	"pro_only": false,
	"theme": "LaunchPad-bundle",
	"theme_options": [
		{
			"slug": "LaunchPad-bundle",
			"name": "LaunchPad Bundle",
			"description": "Professional bundled theme with 10 homepage sections",
			"recommended": true,
			"bundled": true,
			"preview_url": "",
			"rating": 5.0,
			"active_installs": 0
		}
	],
	"plugins": ["contact-form-7", "wordpress-seo"],
	"pages": ["home", "about", "services", "contact"],
	"menu_structure": [
		{
			"title": "Home",
			"page": "home",
			"order": 1
		},
		{
			"title": "About",
			"page": "about",
			"order": 2
		},
		{
			"title": "Services",
			"page": "services",
			"order": 3
		},
		{
			"title": "Contact",
			"page": "contact",
			"order": 4
		}
	],
	"branding": {
		"suggested_colors": ["#2563EB", "#1E40AF", "#60A5FA"],
		"font_pairs": [
			{
				"heading": "Inter",
				"body": "Inter"
			},
			{
				"heading": "Playfair Display",
				"body": "Lato"
			}
		]
	},
	"branding_fields": [
		{
			"id": "business_description",
			"label": "Business Description",
			"type": "textarea",
			"placeholder": "Describe what your business does...",
			"required": true,
			"rows": 3,
			"ai_hint": "Generate a compelling business description based on this input"
		}
	]
}

Recipe Field Reference

Top-Level Fields

site_type (string, required)

Unique identifier for the recipe
Lowercase, alphanumeric with hyphens only
Example: "blog", "business", "restaurant"

name (string, required)

Display name shown in wizard
Human-readable, 2-4 words
Example: "Restaurant Website"

description (string, required)

Brief description of what the recipe creates
1-2 sentences
Shown in recipe selection card
Example: "Professional restaurant site with menu, reservations, and online ordering"

icon (string, required)

WordPress Dashicon class
Format: "dashicons-{icon-name}"
Example: "dashicons-food"

category (string, required)

Recipe category for filtering/grouping
Options: "blog", "business", "portfolio", "ecommerce", "nonprofit", "other"

pro_only (boolean, required)

Whether recipe requires Pro license
true = Only available to Pro users
false = Available to all users

theme (string, required)

Default/recommended theme slug
Must be valid WordPress.org theme slug or bundled theme
Example: "LaunchPad-bundle", "twentytwentyfour"

theme_options Array

Array of theme objects representing available theme choices:

{
	"slug": "LaunchPad-bundle",
	"name": "LaunchPad Bundle",
	"description": "Professional theme with advanced customizer controls",
	"recommended": true,
	"bundled": true,
	"preview_url": "https://example.com/demo",
	"rating": 5.0,
	"active_installs": 1000
}

Fields:

slug (string, required) – Theme directory name
name (string, required) – Display name
description (string, required) – Short description
recommended (boolean) – Show “Recommended” badge
bundled (boolean) – Included with plugin
preview_url (string) – Live demo URL
rating (float) – Star rating (0-5)
active_installs (int) – Number of active installations

plugins Array

Array of plugin slugs to recommend/install:

"plugins": [
	"contact-form-7",
	"wordpress-seo",
	"jetpack",
	"wordfence"
]

Format:

WordPress.org plugin directory slugs only
Lowercase with hyphens
Must be exact match to WordPress.org slug
Max 10 plugins recommended per recipe

Validation:

LaunchPad validates plugin existence via WordPress.org API
Invalid slugs logged as warnings
Missing plugins skipped during installation

pages Array

Array of page identifiers to generate:

"pages": [
	"home",
	"about",
	"services",
	"team",
	"contact",
	"privacy-policy"
]

Standard Page IDs:

"home" – Homepage with template
"about" – About page
"services" – Services overview
"contact" – Contact page with form
"blog" – Blog listing page
"portfolio" – Portfolio page
"privacy-policy" – Privacy policy
"terms" – Terms and conditions

Custom Pages: You can define custom page IDs and provide content templates via PHP filter (see below).

menu_structure Array

Defines navigation menu structure:

"menu_structure": [
	{
		"title": "Home",
		"page": "home",
		"order": 1,
		"parent": 0
	},
	{
		"title": "Services",
		"page": "services",
		"order": 2,
		"parent": 0,
		"children": [
			{
				"title": "Web Design",
				"page": "web-design",
				"order": 1
			}
		]
	}
]

Fields:

title (string, required) – Menu item text
page (string, required) – Page ID from pages array
order (int) – Menu position (1-based)
parent (int) – Parent menu item ID (0 = top level)
children (array) – Nested submenu items

branding Object

Suggested branding options:

"branding": {
	"suggested_colors": [
		"#2563EB",
		"#1E40AF",
		"#60A5FA"
	],
	"font_pairs": [
		{
			"heading": "Inter",
			"body": "Inter"
		}
	]
}

suggested_colors (array)

Array of hex color codes
First color = primary
Second color = primary variant
Third color = accent

font_pairs (array)

Array of font pairing objects
heading (string) – Google Font name for headings
body (string) – Google Font name for body text

branding_fields Array

Custom form fields for data collection:

"branding_fields": [
	{
		"id": "business_name",
		"label": "Business Name",
		"type": "text",
		"placeholder": "Enter your business name",
		"required": true,
		"default": "",
		"ai_hint": "Use this as the main business name throughout content"
	}
]

Field Types:

"text" – Single-line text input
"textarea" – Multi-line text area
"email" – Email address input
"url" – URL input with validation
"tel" – Phone number input
"number" – Numeric input
"select" – Dropdown selection
"checkbox" – Single checkbox
"radio" – Radio button group

Field Attributes:

id (string, required) – Unique field identifier (alphanumeric + underscores)
label (string, required) – Field label text
type (string, required) – Field type (see above)
placeholder (string) – Placeholder text
required (boolean) – Whether field is mandatory
default (mixed) – Default value
ai_hint (string) – Context for AI content generation (Pro)
options (array) – Options for select/radio types
min (int) – Minimum value for number type
max (int) – Maximum value for number type
rows (int) – Rows for textarea type

Example select field:

{
	"id": "business_type",
	"label": "Business Type",
	"type": "select",
	"required": true,
	"options": [
		{
			"value": "retail",
			"label": "Retail Store"
		},
		{
			"value": "service",
			"label": "Service Provider"
		},
		{
			"value": "restaurant",
			"label": "Restaurant"
		}
	],
	"ai_hint": "Tailor content based on business type"
}

Creating a Custom Recipe via PHP

Instead of JSON files, you can register recipes programmatically:

<?php
/**
 * Register custom restaurant recipe
 */
add_filter( 'LaunchPad_custom_recipes', function( $recipes ) {

	$recipes['restaurant'] = array(
		'site_type'   => 'restaurant',
		'name'        => 'Restaurant Website',
		'description' => 'Full-featured restaurant site with menu, reservations, and online ordering',
		'icon'        => 'dashicons-food',
		'category'    => 'business',
		'pro_only'    => false,

		'theme'       => 'LaunchPad-bundle',
		'theme_options' => array(
			array(
				'slug'           => 'LaunchPad-bundle',
				'name'           => 'LaunchPad Bundle',
				'description'    => 'Perfect for restaurants with menu sections',
				'recommended'    => true,
				'bundled'        => true,
			),
		),

		'plugins' => array(
			'contact-form-7',        // Contact forms
			'wordpress-seo',         // SEO
			'restaurant-reservations', // Booking system
			'wp-google-maps',        // Location map
		),

		'pages' => array(
			'home',
			'menu',
			'about',
			'reservations',
			'contact',
			'gallery',
		),

		'menu_structure' => array(
			array(
				'title' => 'Home',
				'page'  => 'home',
				'order' => 1,
			),
			array(
				'title' => 'Menu',
				'page'  => 'menu',
				'order' => 2,
			),
			array(
				'title' => 'Reserve',
				'page'  => 'reservations',
				'order' => 3,
			),
			array(
				'title' => 'About',
				'page'  => 'about',
				'order' => 4,
			),
			array(
				'title' => 'Contact',
				'page'  => 'contact',
				'order' => 5,
			),
		),

		'branding' => array(
			'suggested_colors' => array(
				'#DC2626', // Red
				'#B91C1C', // Dark Red
				'#FCA5A5', // Light Red
			),
			'font_pairs' => array(
				array(
					'heading' => 'Playfair Display',
					'body'    => 'Lato',
				),
				array(
					'heading' => 'Merriweather',
					'body'    => 'Open Sans',
				),
			),
		),

		'branding_fields' => array(
			array(
				'id'          => 'restaurant_name',
				'label'       => 'Restaurant Name',
				'type'        => 'text',
				'placeholder' => 'Your Restaurant Name',
				'required'    => true,
				'ai_hint'     => 'Primary restaurant name for branding',
			),
			array(
				'id'          => 'cuisine_type',
				'label'       => 'Cuisine Type',
				'type'        => 'select',
				'required'    => true,
				'options'     => array(
					array( 'value' => 'italian', 'label' => 'Italian' ),
					array( 'value' => 'asian', 'label' => 'Asian' ),
					array( 'value' => 'mexican', 'label' => 'Mexican' ),
					array( 'value' => 'american', 'label' => 'American' ),
					array( 'value' => 'other', 'label' => 'Other' ),
				),
				'ai_hint'     => 'Adjust content tone and vocabulary for cuisine type',
			),
			array(
				'id'          => 'restaurant_description',
				'label'       => 'Restaurant Description',
				'type'        => 'textarea',
				'placeholder' => 'Describe your restaurant, atmosphere, and specialty...',
				'required'    => true,
				'rows'        => 4,
				'ai_hint'     => 'Use this description to generate personalized hero and about content',
			),
			array(
				'id'          => 'phone_number',
				'label'       => 'Phone Number',
				'type'        => 'tel',
				'placeholder' => '(555) 123-4567',
				'required'    => true,
			),
			array(
				'id'          => 'address',
				'label'       => 'Restaurant Address',
				'type'        => 'textarea',
				'placeholder' => '123 Main St, City, ST 12345',
				'required'    => true,
				'rows'        => 2,
			),
		),
	);

	return $recipes;
});

When to use PHP vs. JSON:

JSON: Simple, static recipes
PHP: Dynamic recipes, conditional logic, complex customization

Custom Page Content Templates

Define custom content for your recipe pages:

<?php
/**
 * Provide custom page content for restaurant recipe
 */
add_filter( 'LaunchPad_page_content_template', function( $content, $page_id, $recipe_data ) {

	// Only for restaurant recipe
	if ( $recipe_data['site_type'] !== 'restaurant' ) {
		return $content;
	}

	// Get user-provided branding data
	$restaurant_name = isset( $recipe_data['branding']['restaurant_name'] )
		? $recipe_data['branding']['restaurant_name']
		: 'Our Restaurant';

	$description = isset( $recipe_data['branding']['restaurant_description'] )
		? $recipe_data['branding']['restaurant_description']
		: 'Welcome to our restaurant.';

	// Custom content for menu page
	if ( $page_id === 'menu' ) {
		$content = '
		<!-- wp:heading {"level":1} -->
		<h1>' . esc_html( $restaurant_name ) . ' Menu</h1>
		<!-- /wp:heading -->

		<!-- wp:paragraph -->
		<p>' . esc_html( $description ) . '</p>
		<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

		<!-- wp:heading {"level":2} -->
		<h2>Appetizers</h2>
		<!-- /wp:heading -->

		<!-- wp:list -->
		<ul>
			<li>Sample Appetizer 1 - $10</li>
			<li>Sample Appetizer 2 - $12</li>
			<li>Sample Appetizer 3 - $8</li>
		</ul>
		<!-- /wp:list -->

		<!-- wp:heading {"level":2} -->
		<h2>Main Courses</h2>
		<!-- /wp:heading -->

		<!-- wp:list -->
		<ul>
			<li>Sample Entree 1 - $25</li>
			<li>Sample Entree 2 - $28</li>
			<li>Sample Entree 3 - $22</li>
		</ul>
		<!-- /wp:list -->
		';
	}

	// Custom content for reservations page
	if ( $page_id === 'reservations' ) {
		$content = '
		<!-- wp:heading {"level":1} -->
		<h1>Make a Reservation</h1>
		<!-- /wp:heading -->

		<!-- wp:paragraph -->
		<p>Reserve your table at ' . esc_html( $restaurant_name ) . ' today!</p>
		<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

		<!-- wp:shortcode -->

Error: Contact form not found.

<!– /wp:shortcode –> ‘; } return $content; }, 10, 3 );

Note: Content must use Gutenberg block markup.

Modifying Existing Recipes

You can modify core recipes without editing plugin files:

<?php
/**
 * Modify the Business recipe to add WooCommerce plugin
 */
add_filter( 'LaunchPad_recipe_data', function( $recipe_data ) {

	// Only modify business recipe
	if ( $recipe_data['site_type'] !== 'business' ) {
		return $recipe_data;
	}

	// Add WooCommerce to plugins list
	if ( ! in_array( 'woocommerce', $recipe_data['plugins'], true ) ) {
		$recipe_data['plugins'][] = 'woocommerce';
	}

	// Add Shop page
	if ( ! in_array( 'shop', $recipe_data['pages'], true ) ) {
		$recipe_data['pages'][] = 'shop';
	}

	// Add Shop to menu
	$recipe_data['menu_structure'][] = array(
		'title' => 'Shop',
		'page'  => 'shop',
		'order' => 5,
	);

	return $recipe_data;

}, 10, 1 );

Pro-Only Recipes

Create recipes that require a Pro license:

<?php
add_filter( 'LaunchPad_additional_pro_recipes', function( $pro_recipes ) {

	$pro_recipes['medical-practice'] = array(
		'site_type'   => 'medical-practice',
		'name'        => 'Medical Practice',
		'description' => 'HIPAA-compliant medical practice site with appointments',
		'icon'        => 'dashicons-heart',
		'category'    => 'business',
		'pro_only'    => true, // Only available to Pro users

		// ... rest of recipe configuration
	);

	return $pro_recipes;
});

Pro-only features:

Browse WordPress.org themes/plugins
Custom colors and fonts
AI content generation
Additional image uploads
Empty site option

Validation and Error Handling

LaunchPad validates recipes on load:

Validation Checks:

Required fields present
Valid field types
Valid page IDs
Valid plugin slugs (via WP.org API)
Valid theme slugs
Proper array structures
Valid color hex codes
Valid Google Font names

Handling Validation Errors:

<?php
/**
 * Log validation errors for debugging
 */
add_action( 'LaunchPad_recipe_validation_error', function( $recipe_slug, $errors ) {

	error_log( sprintf(
		'Recipe validation failed for "%s": %s',
		$recipe_slug,
		implode( ', ', $errors )
	) );

}, 10, 2 );

Best Practices

1. Keep Plugins Minimal

Max 5-6 plugins per recipe
Only include essential plugins
Avoid conflicting plugins
Test plugin combinations

2. Provide Meaningful Branding Fields

Collect data you’ll actually use
Make labels clear and specific
Include ai_hint for Pro users
Set reasonable required/optional balance

3. Create Realistic Content Templates

Use authentic placeholder content
Include proper Gutenberg blocks
Make content easy to edit
Provide helpful comments

4. Test Thoroughly

Test recipe installation multiple times
Verify all plugins install correctly
Check page content renders properly
Validate menu structure
Test on fresh WordPress installs

5. Document Your Recipes

Include README explaining purpose
Document custom branding fields
Provide usage examples
List any prerequisites

6. Version Your Recipes

Add version numbers to custom recipes
Track changes in changelog
Test backwards compatibility
Update documentation

Troubleshooting

Recipe doesn’t appear in wizard

Causes:

JSON syntax error
Invalid recipe structure
Duplicate site_type
File permissions

Solutions:

Validate JSON with JSONLint
Check error logs: wp-content/debug.log
Ensure site_type is unique
Check file permissions (644)

Pages created but content is empty

Causes:

Page ID not in LaunchPad_page_content_template filter
Invalid Gutenberg block markup
Content filter not firing

Solutions:

Add content template filter
Validate block markup
Check filter priority

Plugins fail to install

Causes:

Invalid plugin slug
Plugin not on WordPress.org
Server timeout
Permission issues

Solutions:

Verify plugin slugs on WordPress.org
Use exact directory name
Increase timeout in wp-config.php
Check server write permissions

Recipe Distribution

Share your custom recipes:

1. As a Plugin

Create a mu-plugin or regular plugin that registers recipes via filters.

2. As a Theme Feature

Bundle recipes with your theme in /LaunchPad-recipes/ directory.

3. As JSON Files

Distribute JSON files for users to add manually.

4. Via GitHub

Host recipes on GitHub for version control and collaboration.

Conclusion

Custom recipes extend LaunchPad’s power to create industry-specific, repeatable site templates. By leveraging the recipe JSON format and PHP hooks, developers can build sophisticated site creation workflows for clients, agencies, or product offerings.

For more information on LaunchPad development, see LaunchPad GitHub repository or explore WordPress Plugin Developer Handbook.

Ready to create recipes? Start with the examples above and build your

Understanding the Recipe Architecture

Recipe Storage Locations

1. Plugin Recipe Directory (Core Recipes)

2. Theme Recipe Directory (Theme-Specific)

3. PHP Filter (Dynamic Recipes)

Recipe JSON Format

Recipe Field Reference

Top-Level Fields

theme_options Array

plugins Array

pages Array

menu_structure Array

branding Object

branding_fields Array

Creating a Custom Recipe via PHP

Custom Page Content Templates

Modifying Existing Recipes

Pro-Only Recipes

Validation and Error Handling

Best Practices

1. Keep Plugins Minimal

2. Provide Meaningful Branding Fields

3. Create Realistic Content Templates

4. Test Thoroughly

5. Document Your Recipes

6. Version Your Recipes

Troubleshooting

Recipe doesn’t appear in wizard

Pages created but content is empty

Plugins fail to install

Recipe Distribution

1. As a Plugin

2. As a Theme Feature

3. As JSON Files

4. Via GitHub

Conclusion

Related Articles

How to Install the Plugin in WordPress?

How to Reset Your Site and Start Over with LaunchPad

How to Customize Homepage Sections in the WordPress Customizer