Getting Started & Installation Guide

Overview

ShahiAssist is a comprehensive WordPress plugin that combines a powerful support ticketing system with a self-service knowledge base. This guide will walk you through the complete installation, initial setup, and configuration process to get your support system up and running quickly.

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System Requirements

Before installing ShahiAssist, ensure your environment meets these minimum requirements:

WordPress Environment

1. WordPress Version: 6.0 or higher (tested up to 6.8)
2. PHP Version: 8.0 or higher
3. MySQL Version: 5.7 or higher
4. PHP Extensions Required:

– json – For REST API and data handling
– mbstring – For multi-byte string operations
– mysqli or PDO – For database operations
– cURL – For webhook functionality

Server Requirements


5. Memory Limit: Minimum 128MB (256MB recommended)
6. Max Execution Time: 30 seconds or higher
7. File Upload Size: 10MB or higher (for ticket attachments)
8. Permissions: Write access to wp-content/uploads directory

Browser Compatibility


9. Modern Browsers: Chrome 90+, Firefox 88+, Safari 14+, Edge 90+
10. JavaScript: Must be enabled for AJAX features
11. Cookies: Required for user sessions

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Installation Methods


Method 1: WordPress Admin Upload (Recommended)


This is the easiest method for most users:

12. Download the Plugin

– Obtain the shahiassist-v3.1.5.zip file from CodeCanyon or your download source
– Do not extract the ZIP file

13. Upload via WordPress Admin

– Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
– Navigate to Plugins → Add New
– Click the Upload Plugin button at the top
– Click Choose File and select the shahiassist-v3.1.5.zip
– Click Install Now

14. Activate the Plugin

– After installation completes, click Activate Plugin
– You’ll see “ShahiAssist” appear in your admin menu

Method 2: FTP/SFTP Upload


For users who prefer or require FTP access:

15. Extract the ZIP File

– Unzip shahiassist-v3.1.5.zip on your local computer
– You’ll see a ShahiAssist folder

16. Upload via FTP

– Connect to your server using an FTP client (FileZilla, Cyberduck, etc.)
– Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/
– Upload the entire ShahiAssist folder
– Ensure all files and subfolders are transferred

17. Set Permissions

– Set folder permissions to 755
– Set file permissions to 644
– Ensure wp-content/uploads is writable

18. Activate the Plugin

– Go to WordPress admin → Plugins
– Find “ShahiAssist” in the list
– Click Activate

Method 3: WP-CLI Installation


For advanced users and developers:

`bash

Navigate to your WordPress installation


cd /path/to/wordpress

Upload the ZIP to your server first, then:


wp plugin install /path/to/shahiassist-v3.1.5.zip –activate

Or if already uploaded to plugins directory:


wp plugin activate ShahiAssist

Verify activation


wp plugin list –status=active
`

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Initial Configuration


After activation, follow these steps to configure ShahiAssist:

Step 1: Access Settings


19. Look for ShahiAssist in your WordPress admin menu
20. Click ShahiAssist → Settings
21. You’ll see seven settings tabs:

– General
– Tickets
– Knowledge Base
– Emails
– Roles
– Integrations
– Advanced

Step 2: General Settings


Configure your support brand identity:

Company Information

22. Company Name: Your organization name (appears in emails and frontend)

– Example: “Acme Support Team”

23. Support Email: Primary email for customer communication

– Example: support@yourdomain.com
– Used as “Reply-To” address in notifications

Support Hours (Optional)

24. Define your support availability
25. Displays on ticket submission pages
26. Example: “Monday-Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM EST”

Contact Information

27. Phone number (optional)
28. Support URL (link to external help center)
29. Social media links

Step 3: Ticket Settings


Configure how tickets are managed:

Ticket ID Format

30. Prefix: 2-4 character identifier for tickets

– Default: SA (generates tickets like SA-ABC123)
– Examples: TKT, SUP, HELP

31. ID Length: Number of random characters after prefix (5-10)

– Default: 8 characters
– Example: SA-AB12CD34

Default Values

32. Default Status: Status for new tickets

– Recommended: “Open”

33. Auto-Assign: Automatically assign tickets to agents

– Options: Round-robin, least busy, random, disabled

34. Guest Submissions: Allow tickets from non-registered users

– Enable for public-facing support
– Disable for internal/customer-only systems

Ticket Categories

35. Navigate to Tickets → Categories
36. Create categories like:

– Technical Support
– Billing Questions
– Feature Requests
– Bug Reports
– General Inquiries

Priority Levels

37. Navigate to Tickets → Priorities
38. Default priorities (customizable):

– Low: Non-urgent requests
– Medium: Standard support
– High: Business-impacting issues
– Urgent: System-down situations

Step 4: Knowledge Base Settings


Configure your self-service documentation:

General KB Settings

39. Articles Per Page: Number of articles in archive view (default: 10)
40. Enable Ratings: Allow helpful/not helpful votes
41. Show View Counts: Display article popularity
42. Related Articles: Number to show (default: 3)

Search Configuration

43. Enable AJAX Search: Live search as users type
44. Search Placeholder: Custom search box text

– Default: “Search knowledge base…”

45. Minimum Characters: Trigger search after X characters (default: 3)

Article Settings

46. Default Status: Published or Draft
47. Allow Comments: Enable discussion on articles (usually disabled)
48. Featured Articles: Highlight important docs on homepage

KB Categories

49. Navigate to KB Articles → Categories
50. Create logical sections:

– Getting Started
– Features & How-To
– Troubleshooting
– Developer Resources
– FAQs

Step 5: Email Notifications


Set up automated email communications:

From Settings

51. From Name: Sender name in emails

– Example: “Acme Support”

52. From Email: Sender email address

– Example: noreply@yourdomain.com
– Use a verified domain email to avoid spam filters

Notification Events
Enable/disable notifications for:

Customer Notifications

53. ✅ New ticket confirmation
54. ✅ Status change alerts
55. ✅ New reply from agent
56. ✅ Ticket resolved notification
57. ⬜ Ticket closed notification (optional)

Admin/Agent Notifications

58. ✅ New ticket submitted
59. ✅ Ticket assigned to agent
60. ✅ Customer reply received
61. ⬜ Daily digest (summary of activity)

Email Templates
Customize email content using placeholders:

62. {ticket_id} – Ticket number
63. {customer_name} – Customer name
64. {customer_email} – Customer email
65. {ticket_subject} – Ticket subject
66. {ticket_url} – Link to ticket
67. {agent_name} – Assigned agent
68. {company_name} – Your company name

Example template:
`
Hello {customer_name},

Your ticket {ticket_id} has been received.

Subject: {ticket_subject}

We’ll respond within 24 hours.

View ticket: {ticket_url}

Thank you,
{company_name}
`

Step 6: Create Frontend Pages


Create the following WordPress pages:

Submit Ticket Page

69. Go to Pages → Add New
70. Title: “Submit Ticket” or “Contact Support”
71. Add shortcode: [sasubmitticket]
72. Publish the page
73. Copy the page URL

My Tickets Page

74. Create new page
75. Title: “My Tickets” or “Support Dashboard”
76. Add shortcode: [samytickets]
77. Set visibility: Private or Public (logged-in only)
78. Publish and copy URL

Knowledge Base Page

79. Create new page
80. Title: “Knowledge Base”, “Help Center”, or “Documentation”
81. Add shortcode: [saknowledgebase]
82. Publish and copy URL

Assign Pages in Settings

83. Return to ShahiAssist → Settings → Tickets
84. Scroll to “Page Assignments”
85. Select the pages you just created from dropdowns
86. Click Save Settings

Step 7: User Roles Setup


Configure who can access support features:

Default Roles
ShahiAssist adds two custom roles:

Support Agent

87. Can view all tickets
88. Can reply to tickets
89. Can change ticket status
90. Can create tickets on behalf of customers
91. Cannot access settings or delete tickets
92. Ideal for: Frontline support staff

Support Manager

93. All Agent capabilities, plus:
94. Can assign tickets to agents
95. Can delete tickets
96. Can access statistics
97. Can manage categories and priorities
98. Cannot access plugin settings (admin only)
99. Ideal for: Team leads and supervisors

Assigning Roles

100. Go to Users → All Users
101. Click on a user
102. Change Role dropdown to:

– Support Agent
– Support Manager

103. Click Update User

Permission Customization

104. Navigate to ShahiAssist → Settings → Roles
105. Check/uncheck capabilities per role
106. Custom capabilities:

– read_tickets
– edit_tickets
– delete_tickets
– assign_tickets
– manageticketcategories
– view_statistics

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First-Time Setup Checklist


Use this checklist to ensure complete configuration:

Required Setup


107. [ ] Plugin installed and activated
108. [ ] Company name and support email configured
109. [ ] Ticket prefix and ID format set
110. [ ] At least 3 ticket categories created
111. [ ] Submit Ticket page created with shortcode
112. [ ] My Tickets page created with shortcode
113. [ ] Knowledge Base page created with shortcode
114. [ ] Pages assigned in Ticket Settings
115. [ ] Email notifications enabled
116. [ ] Email templates reviewed and customized

Recommended Setup


117. [ ] Support hours defined
118. [ ] Priority levels reviewed
119. [ ] Guest submissions enabled/disabled per needs
120. [ ] Auto-assignment configured
121. [ ] KB categories created
122. [ ] At least one support agent user created
123. [ ] Test ticket submitted
124. [ ] Test email notifications received
125. [ ] Knowledge base article published

Advanced Setup (Optional)


126. [ ] REST API endpoints tested
127. [ ] Webhook URLs configured
128. [ ] Custom fields added
129. [ ] Email SMTP configured
130. [ ] CSS customizations applied
131. [ ] Translation files loaded

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Testing Your Installation


After setup, perform these tests:

Test 1: Submit a Ticket


132. Visit your Submit Ticket page (not logged in)
133. Fill out the form
134. Submit and verify:

– Ticket appears in admin (Tickets → All Tickets)
– Ticket ID generated correctly
– Email confirmation sent
– Admin notification received

Test 2: Agent Response


135. Log in as admin or agent
136. Open the test ticket
137. Add a reply
138. Verify:

– Reply appears in ticket thread
– Customer receives email notification
– Timestamp displays correctly

Test 3: Knowledge Base


139. Visit KB page
140. Verify layout loads correctly
141. Test search functionality
142. Click an article category
143. View a single article
144. Test rating buttons (helpful/not helpful)

Test 4: Customer Dashboard


145. Create a test user account
146. Submit tickets as that user
147. Log in as test user
148. Visit My Tickets page
149. Verify:

– Only user’s tickets visible
– Filter by status works
– Ticket details load
– Reply form functions

Test 5: Email Notifications


150. Check spam folders if emails missing
151. Verify sender name and email
152. Check placeholders replaced correctly
153. Confirm links work
154. Test on mobile email clients

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Post-Installation Optimization


Performance Optimization


Caching Considerations

155. If using caching plugins (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache):

– Exclude AJAX endpoints from cache
– Exclude pages: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
– Clear cache after configuration changes

Database Optimization

156. ShahiAssist creates custom post types (tickets, articles)
157. Regular database optimization recommended
158. Use plugins like WP-Optimize for maintenance

Image Optimization

159. KB article images should be optimized
160. Use WebP format when possible
161. Recommended tools: ShortPixel, Imagify

Security Hardening


SSL/HTTPS

162. Always use HTTPS for ticket submission
163. Ensures data encryption in transit
164. Enable SSL certificate on your server

User Permissions

165. Review and limit admin access
166. Use strong passwords for agents
167. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA plugins)

Backup Strategy

168. Regular WordPress backups (plugins: UpdraftPlus, BackWPup)
169. Export tickets periodically (ShahiAssist → Export/Import)
170. Store backups off-site

File Upload Security

171. Limit file types for attachments
172. Scan uploads for malware
173. Set maximum file size limits

SEO Optimization


Knowledge Base SEO

174. Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math
175. Optimize article titles and meta descriptions
176. Use descriptive URLs (slugs)
177. Add internal links between articles
178. Create XML sitemap for KB articles

Schema Markup

179. ShahiAssist adds basic schema
180. Consider additional structured data for rich snippets

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Troubleshooting Installation Issues


Common Issues and Solutions


Issue: Plugin Won’t Activate

181. Cause: PHP version too old
182. Solution: Upgrade to PHP 8.0 or higher
183. Check: Contact hosting provider for PHP upgrade

Issue: White Screen After Activation

184. Cause: PHP memory limit exceeded
185. Solution: Increase memory limit in wp-config.php:

`php
define(‘WPMEMORYLIMIT’, ‘256M’);
`

Issue: Missing Menu Item

186. Cause: Insufficient user permissions
187. Solution: Log in as Administrator
188. Check: Go to Users → Your Profile and verify role

Issue: Shortcodes Display as Text

189. Cause: Page editor strips shortcodes
190. Solution:

– Switch page to “Code Editor” mode
– Ensure shortcode on its own line
– No quotes or extra characters

Issue: Email Notifications Not Sending

191. Cause: WordPress mail() function limitations
192. Solution: Install WP Mail SMTP plugin
193. Configure: Use SMTP service (SendGrid, Mailgun, etc.)

Issue: 404 Error on KB Articles

194. Cause: Permalink structure not flushed
195. Solution:

– Go to Settings → Permalinks
– Click Save Changes (don’t change anything)
– Retry KB URL

Issue: Tickets Not Saving

196. Cause: File permission problems
197. Solution:

– Check wp-content/uploads is writable (755)
– Verify PHP user has write access

Issue: JavaScript Errors in Console

198. Cause: Theme or plugin conflict
199. Solution:

– Test with default theme (Twenty Twenty-Four)
– Deactivate other plugins temporarily
– Check browser console for specific errors

Issue: REST API 401 Unauthorized

200. Cause: Authentication failure
201. Solution:

– Use WordPress Application Passwords
– Go to Users → Profile → Application Passwords
– Generate new password for API access

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Getting Help


Documentation Resources


202. This Knowledge Base: Complete feature documentation
203. README.md: Technical reference in plugin folder
204. USER-GUIDE.md: Administrator guide
205. API.md: REST API and webhook documentation
206. Online Docs: http://shahisoft.store/shahiassist/docs

Support Channels


Official Support

207. Email: shahiassist@gec5.com
208. Response time: 24 business hours
209. Include: WordPress version, PHP version, error messages

Community Resources

210. CodeCanyon item comments
211. WordPress.org forums (if applicable)
212. GitHub issues (for developers)

What to Include in Support Requests

213. WordPress version (Dashboard → Updates)
214. PHP version (ShahiAssist → Settings → Advanced → System Info)
215. Active theme and plugins
216. Steps to reproduce issue
217. Screenshots or error messages
218. Browser and version (for frontend issues)

Debug Mode


Enable debug mode for troubleshooting:

219. Edit wp-config.php
220. Add these lines before “That’s all, stop editing!”:

`php
define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);
define(‘WPDEBUGLOG’, true);
define(‘WPDEBUGDISPLAY’, false);
`

221. Reproduce the issue
222. Check wp-content/debug.log for errors
223. Disable debug mode after troubleshooting

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Next Steps


Now that ShahiAssist is installed and configured:

224. Read Feature Documentation: Explore the “Features & How-To” guide
225. Create Test Tickets: Familiarize yourself with the workflow
226. Write KB Articles: Build your knowledge base content
227. Train Your Team: Share the User Guide with agents
228. Customize Appearance: Match your brand with CSS
229. Set Up Integrations: Configure REST API or webhooks if needed

Welcome to ShahiAssist! You’re ready to provide world-class support to your customers.

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Quick Reference


Important URLs (after setup)


230. Admin Dashboard: /wp-admin/admin.php?page=shahi-assist
231. All Tickets: /wp-admin/edit.php?posttype=saticket
232. Settings: /wp-admin/admin.php?page=shahi-assist-settings
233. KB Articles: /wp-admin/edit.php?posttype=sakb_article

Default Credentials


234. No default users created
235. Use your WordPress admin account
236. Create agent accounts via Users → Add New

File Locations


237. Plugin folder: /wp-content/plugins/ShahiAssist/
238. Uploads: /wp-content/uploads/shahi-assist/
239. Logs: /wp-content/debug.log (if enabled)

Support


240. Email: shahiassist@gec5.com
241. Docs: http://shahisoft.store/shahiassist/docs
242. Version: 3.1.5