Convert static sites to WordPress themes with houtini-lm

Quick Start

Turn your static designs into WordPress themes in minutes:

Convert Local Static Site

Convert this static website to a WordPress theme: C:/websites/client-portfolio

Convert Live Website

Please convert https://example-design.com into a WordPress theme

Business Site with WooCommerce

Convert this business site to WordPress with e-commerce: C:/client-sites/boutique-demo

Smart Template Detection

The system automatically identifies different page types (home, about, contact, blog) and creates the appropriate WordPress templates for each.

What It Does

This is like having a WordPress expert convert your static designs whilst you focus on winning new clients. wordpress_theme_from_static intelligently transforms static websites into complete WordPress themes with proper template hierarchy, dynamic content areas, and all the functionality clients expect.

The conversion process maintains your design's visual integrity whilst adding:

Dynamic Content Management - Static text becomes editable WordPress content
Template Hierarchy - Proper WordPress file structure (index.php, single.php, page.php)
Customizer Integration - Client-friendly theme customization options
Navigation Menus - Dynamic WordPress menus with fallback support
Widget Areas - Flexible sidebar and footer widget zones
Security & Performance - WordPress best practices from day one

Unlike manual conversions that can take days or weeks, this creates production-ready themes in minutes whilst ensuring WordPress coding standards compliance and modern functionality.

Parameters

Configure the conversion to match your project needs:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`projectPath`	string	Yes*	-	Path to your static website directory Example: `"C:/websites/client-portfolio"`
`url`	string	Yes*	-	URL of live static site to convert Perfect for converting existing websites: `"https://demo-site.com"`
`urls`	array	Yes*	-	Multiple URLs for comprehensive site analysis Example: `["https://site.com", "https://site.com/about", "https://site.com/contact"]`
`themeName`	string	No	"Custom Static Theme"	WordPress theme name for branding Example: `"Client Business Pro"`
`themeAuthor`	string	No	"Theme Generator"	Your agency or developer name Example: `"Your Agency Name"`
`includeCustomizer`	boolean	No	true	Add WordPress Customizer options for client modifications Lets clients change colors, fonts, and content
`includeWooCommerce`	boolean	No	false	Add WooCommerce template support for e-commerce Essential for business sites with online shops
`includeGutenberg`	boolean	No	true	Full Gutenberg block editor support Modern WordPress editing experience
`themeType`	string	No	"classic"	WordPress theme architecture: "classic", "block", "hybrid" "classic" for traditional themes, "block" for FSE

*Choose one: projectPath for local files, url for single site, or urls for multi-page analysis

Real-World Examples

Here's how to handle different conversion scenarios:

Portfolio Website Conversion

Designer Portfolio Theme

houtini-lm:wordpress_theme_from_static with:
- projectPath: "C:/designs/photographer-portfolio"
- themeName: "Photography Pro"
- themeAuthor: "Your Studio Name"
- includeCustomizer: true
- includeGutenberg: true
- themeType: "classic"

Business Site with E-commerce

WooCommerce Integration

houtini-lm:wordpress_theme_from_static with:
- url: "https://boutique-demo.com"
- themeName: "Boutique Business"
- themeAuthor: "Web Agency Ltd"
- includeWooCommerce: true
- includeCustomizer: true
- themeType: "classic"

Multi-Page Site Analysis

Complete Site Conversion

houtini-lm:wordpress_theme_from_static with:
- urls: ["https://company.com", "https://company.com/about", "https://company.com/services", "https://company.com/contact"]
- themeName: "Corporate Solutions"
- themeAuthor: "Digital Agency"
- includeMenus: true
- includeSidebars: true
- includeCustomizer: true

Modern Block Theme

Full Site Editing Theme

houtini-lm:wordpress_theme_from_static with:
- projectPath: "C:/modern-design/startup-landing"
- themeName: "Startup Modern"
- themeType: "block"
- includeGutenberg: true
- analysisDepth: "comprehensive"

What You Get Back

A complete, production-ready WordPress theme that preserves your design whilst adding powerful functionality:

📁 Complete WordPress Theme Structure

Template Files - index.php, single.php, page.php, archive.php, 404.php
Theme Headers - Proper style.css with theme information
Functions.php - Theme support, enqueue scripts, custom features
Template Hierarchy - WordPress standard file organisation

🎨 Design Preservation

Original Styling - CSS maintained with WordPress integration
Responsive Design - Mobile-first approach preserved
Visual Integrity - Design looks identical to static version
Asset Management - Proper WordPress asset enqueuing

🔧 WordPress Functionality

Dynamic Content - the_content(), the_title(), WordPress loops
Navigation Menus - wp_nav_menu() with fallback support
Widget Areas - Sidebar and footer widget-ready zones
Featured Images - Post thumbnail support
Custom Post Types - If detected in original structure

⚙️ Customizer Integration

Theme Options - Colors, fonts, layout options
Live Preview - Real-time customization interface
Client-Friendly - Non-technical editing interface
Site Identity - Logo, tagline, and branding controls

🛒 WooCommerce Support (Optional)

Shop Templates - Product listings and single product pages
Cart Integration - Shopping cart and checkout templates
Product Display - Styled to match your design
Account Pages - User account and order history

🔒 Security & Standards

WordPress Security - Proper escaping, sanitization, nonces
Coding Standards - WordPress PHP and CSS standards compliance
Performance Optimized - Efficient code, proper caching support
Accessibility Ready - WCAG compliant markup

Production Ready

Every generated theme includes installation instructions, customization guidance, and is ready to upload directly to WordPress - no additional development required.

Smart Conversion Features

The system uses intelligent analysis to ensure perfect WordPress integration:

🧠 Template Intelligence

Page Type Detection - Automatically identifies home, about, contact, blog pages
Content Area Mapping - Converts static content to WordPress dynamic areas
Navigation Structure - Preserves menu hierarchy and styling
Form Integration - Contact forms become WordPress-compatible

🔄 Dynamic Content Integration

WordPress Loops - Blog posts, pages, custom post types
Meta Information - Publish dates, authors, categories
Featured Images - Hero images and post thumbnails
Content Excerpts - Automatic content previews

📱 Responsive Preservation

Breakpoint Maintenance - Original responsive behavior preserved
Mobile Navigation - Touch-friendly WordPress menus
Image Optimization - WordPress image sizes and srcset
Performance - Mobile-first loading strategies

🎯 SEO & Performance

Semantic HTML - Proper heading structure and markup
Meta Tag Integration - WordPress SEO plugin compatibility
Schema Markup - Structured data preparation
Core Web Vitals - Performance optimization best practices

Perfect Use Cases

This function shines in these scenarios:

🎨 Client Website Migration

Converting existing static sites to WordPress CMS. Perfect for clients who love their design but need content management capabilities. Turn a one-time project into ongoing maintenance income.

🏢 Agency Workflow Acceleration

Speed up your development process by converting approved designs into WordPress themes in minutes instead of days. Deliver projects faster and take on more clients.

💼 Freelancer Productivity

As a solo developer, this multiplies your output. Convert static designs to WordPress whilst focusing on client relationships and business development.

🛍️ E-commerce Integration

Transform beautiful business websites into fully functional online shops with WooCommerce integration. Maintain the design integrity whilst adding powerful e-commerce features.

🎓 Learning WordPress Development

Study how static designs become WordPress themes. Understand template hierarchy, WordPress functions, and best practices by examining the generated code.

🚀 Rapid Prototyping

Quickly create WordPress demos from static mockups for client presentations. Show clients how their designs will work as a fully functional CMS.

Best Practices

Get the most from your theme conversion with these professional tips:

📋 Pre-Conversion Preparation

Clean Code - Ensure your static HTML is well-structured and semantic
Complete Content - Include all page types (home, about, contact, blog example)
Asset Organization - Keep CSS, JS, and images properly organized
Form Planning - Identify which forms need WordPress integration

🎯 Theme Configuration

Meaningful Names - Use client-appropriate theme names and descriptions
Author Attribution - Brand themes with your agency information
Feature Planning - Consider which WordPress features the client needs
Future-proofing - Enable Gutenberg and Customizer for flexibility

🔍 Quality Assurance

Test Thoroughly - Install and test the theme in a WordPress environment
Content Variations - Test with different content lengths and types
Browser Testing - Ensure cross-browser compatibility maintained
Mobile Verification - Confirm responsive behavior works correctly

📱 Client Handover

Documentation - Include clear installation and customization instructions
Training - Show clients how to use the Customizer and content areas
Content Guidelines - Provide image size and content recommendations
Support Planning - Set expectations for ongoing maintenance

Always Test First

Generated themes should always be tested in a development environment before deployment. Every design is unique, and some manual tweaks may be needed for perfect integration.

Troubleshooting

Solve common conversion challenges:

Static site structure not detected properly

The conversion doesn't identify different page types or content areas correctly.

Ensure your HTML uses semantic structure (header, nav, main, aside, footer)
Use clear navigation with descriptive page names
Include multiple page examples (home, about, contact, blog)
Try using the urls parameter for multi-page analysis
Increase analysisDepth to "comprehensive"

CSS and styling issues in WordPress

The theme doesn't look right when installed in WordPress.

Check that CSS file paths are relative, not absolute
Ensure images are using relative paths
Verify CSS doesn't conflict with WordPress admin styles
Test with default WordPress content and menu structures
Review the generated functions.php for proper asset enqueueing

Dynamic content areas not working

WordPress content doesn't appear in the right places or formatting is broken.

Ensure your static HTML has clear content containers
Check that content areas don't have fixed heights or overflow hidden
Verify WordPress loops are placed in the correct template sections
Test with various content lengths (short and long posts)
Review the WordPress template hierarchy implementation

Navigation menus not displaying correctly

WordPress menus don't match the original design or functionality.

Ensure your original navigation has clear HTML structure
Check CSS doesn't use overly specific selectors that break WordPress menus
Verify mobile menu JavaScript works with WordPress menu structure
Test menu functionality in WordPress admin (Appearance > Menus)
Review wp_nav_menu() parameters in the generated templates

File processing errors or timeouts

Conversion fails or takes too long to process large sites.

Try converting individual pages first using the url parameter
Reduce analysisDepth to "basic" for initial conversion
Ensure your model in LM Studio has sufficient memory
Break large sites into sections and convert incrementally
For local files, check all assets are accessible and paths are correct

WooCommerce integration issues

E-commerce templates don't integrate properly with existing design.

Ensure your static design includes product listing and detail page examples
Check that CSS doesn't interfere with WooCommerce styling
Test with actual WooCommerce products and data
Verify cart and checkout flows match your design expectations
Review generated WooCommerce template files for proper integration