Template overrides allow you to customize the appearance and layout of ShahiAssist components without modifying the plugin core files. This ensures your changes survive plugin updates.

Understanding Plugin Templates

ShahiAssist uses template files located in includes/modules/*/views/ folders. These are PHP files that render the HTML output for various components like ticket forms, KB articles, and dashboards.

Template Hierarchy

1. Plugin templates are loaded first.
2. If a matching template exists in your theme’s shahi-assist/ folder, it overrides the plugin version.
3. This follows WordPress’s standard template override pattern.

How to Override Templates


Step 1: Locate the Template


Find the template you want to override in the plugin directory:

4. Knowledge Base: includes/modules/knowledge-base/views/
5. Ticketing: includes/modules/ticketing-system/views/
6. Admin views: includes/admin/views/

Step 2: Copy to Theme


7. Create a folder shahi-assist in your theme root.
8. Copy the desired template file(s) to this folder.
9. Maintain the same subfolder structure if present.

Step 3: Customize


Edit the copied template file with your changes. You can:

10. Modify HTML structure
11. Add/remove CSS classes
12. Include custom PHP logic
13. Integrate with theme functions

Step 4: Test


Preview your changes and ensure functionality remains intact.

Common Template Overrides


Knowledge Base Templates


14. single-article.php: Individual article display
15. archive.php: Article listing page
16. search-results.php: Search results layout

Ticket Templates


17. submit-ticket.php: Ticket submission form
18. view-ticket.php: Ticket detail view
19. ticket-list.php: Ticket listing

Dashboard Templates


20. dashboard.php: Main dashboard layout
21. my-tickets.php: User ticket list

Advanced Override Techniques


Using Filters for Dynamic Overrides


`php
addfilter(‘shahiassisttemplatepath’, function($path, $template) {
if ($template === ‘single-article.php’) {
return gettemplatedirectory() . ‘/custom-shahi-assist/single-article.php’;
}
return $path;
}, 10, 2);
`

Conditional Overrides


Override templates based on conditions:
`php
addfilter(‘templateinclude’, function($template) {
if (issingular(‘kbarticle’) && isuserlogged_in()) {
$customtemplate = gettemplate_directory() . ‘/shahi-assist/single-article-logged-in.php’;
if (fileexists($customtemplate)) {
return $custom_template;
}
}
return $template;
});
`

Best Practices


Maintain Compatibility


22. Keep core functionality intact
23. Use the same variable names and structures
24. Test with different user roles

Performance Considerations


25. Avoid heavy computations in templates
26. Use caching for dynamic content
27. Minimize database queries

Version Control


28. Track your custom templates in version control
29. Document changes for future updates
30. Consider using child themes for overrides

Security


31. Sanitize all output
32. Validate user input
33. Follow WordPress coding standards

Troubleshooting


Template Not Loading


34. Check file permissions (755 for folders, 644 for files)
35. Verify folder structure matches plugin
36. Clear any caching plugins

Changes Not Appearing


37. Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+F5)
38. Check for syntax errors in PHP
39. Ensure theme is active

Conflicts with Theme


40. Test with default WordPress theme
41. Check for JavaScript conflicts
42. Review CSS specificity

Examples


Custom KB Article Template


`php


Author:
Published:


`

Modified Ticket Form


`php


Subject


Priority
LowMediumHigh

Submit Ticket


`

Resources


43. WordPress Template Hierarchy
44. Plugin Template Override Best Practices
45. ShahiAssist Template Reference (see plugin code)