How to Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base
How to Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base
SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base is installed by uploading the plugin ZIP file through your WordPress dashboard.
Before beginning, make sure you have downloaded the latest SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base ZIP file and have administrator access to your WordPress website.
Before you begin
You will need:
- A WordPress administrator account
- WordPress 6.0 or later
- PHP 7.4 or later
- The SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base plugin ZIP file
- An active Monthly or Yearly subscription
- Your purchase email address and product key
- A recent backup of your WordPress website
Do not extract the plugin ZIP file before uploading it through WordPress.
Download the plugin ZIP file
Download the latest version of SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base from the location provided after your purchase.
The downloaded file should have a name similar to:
softwareroad-knowledge-base.zip
The version number may also be included in the filename.
Save the ZIP file somewhere easy to find, such as your Downloads folder.
Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base through WordPress
To install the plugin:
- Sign in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Open Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Select Upload Plugin at the top of the page.
- Select Choose File.
- Find and select the SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base ZIP file.
- Select Install Now.
- Wait while WordPress uploads and installs the plugin.
- Select Activate Plugin when the installation is complete.
After activation, SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base will add a new Knowledge Base section to the WordPress dashboard menu.
You may also be redirected to the licence activation screen.
Activate your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base licence
The plugin must be activated with an eligible SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base subscription before its protected features can be used.
To activate the licence:
- Open Knowledge Base > Activate Licence.
- Enter the email address used when purchasing the plugin.
- Enter your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base product key.
- Select the activation button.
- Wait for the licence details to be verified.
The plugin will automatically detect whether the product key belongs to a Monthly or Yearly subscription.
Once the licence has been accepted, the Knowledge Base settings, articles, categories and analytics areas will become available.
Create the main knowledge base page
After installing and activating the plugin, create the page that will display your knowledge base homepage.
To create the page:
- Open Pages > Add New Page.
- Enter a title such as Knowledge Base, Help Centre or Documentation.
- Add a Shortcode block to the page.
- Enter the following shortcode:
Find setup guides, feature explanations and troubleshooting help for SoftwareRoad plugins.
SoftwareRoad Documentation
- Publish the page.
- Open Knowledge Base > Settings.
- Select the page you have just created as the main knowledge base page.
- Save the settings.
The plugin will use this page for the knowledge base homepage and navigation links.
Check that the installation worked
Visit the page containing the SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base shortcode.
A new knowledge base may initially contain very little content. This is normal until you create your first categories and articles.
You should also check that the following areas are available in the WordPress dashboard:
- All Articles
- Add Article
- Categories
- Analytics
- Settings
- Licence
If these sections are available and the shortcode page loads correctly, the installation has been completed successfully.
Install the plugin manually using your hosting account
If WordPress does not allow the ZIP file to be uploaded, the plugin can also be installed through your hosting file manager or an FTP connection.
First, extract the plugin ZIP file on your computer.
The extracted folder should contain the SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base plugin files. Make sure there is not an additional duplicate folder inside it.
Upload the plugin folder to:
/wp-content/plugins/
After the upload has completed:
- Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
- Open Plugins > Installed Plugins.
- Find SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base.
- Select Activate.
- Open the licence screen and activate your subscription.
Only use this method when the normal WordPress upload method is unavailable.
Fix “The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive”
This message means the plugin ZIP file is larger than the upload limit configured on your server.
You may be able to increase the WordPress upload limit through your hosting control panel.
You can also upload the extracted plugin folder manually to:
/wp-content/plugins/
Contact your hosting provider if you cannot change the upload limit or access the website files.
Fix “Installation failed: Destination folder already exists”
This message normally means that a SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base folder already exists inside the WordPress plugins directory.
This can happen when:
- The plugin is already installed
- A previous installation did not complete correctly
- An old plugin folder was not removed
- Files were uploaded manually
First, check Plugins > Installed Plugins to see whether SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base is already listed.
If it is listed, activate or update the existing installation instead of uploading another copy.
If the plugin is not listed correctly, use your hosting file manager to check:
/wp-content/plugins/
Remove the incomplete SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base folder, then upload and install the ZIP file again.
Take a website backup before deleting plugin files.
Fix “The package could not be installed”
This message can appear when WordPress cannot recognise the uploaded ZIP file as a valid plugin.
Check that:
- You uploaded the original SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base ZIP file
- The ZIP file was not renamed incorrectly
- The download completed successfully
- You did not create a new ZIP containing another ZIP file
- The plugin files are not inside multiple nested folders
Download a fresh copy of the plugin and try the installation again.
The plugin does not appear after installation
If SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base does not appear in the installed plugins list, check that the plugin folder was uploaded to the correct location:
/wp-content/plugins/
The plugin files should be directly inside their plugin folder rather than inside an additional nested directory.
For example, the structure should resemble:
/wp-content/plugins/softwareroad-knowledge-base/plugin-files
It should not resemble:
/wp-content/plugins/softwareroad-knowledge-base/softwareroad-knowledge-base/plugin-files
Correct the folder structure and reload the Plugins page.
The plugin activates but the knowledge base does not appear
If the plugin is active but the public knowledge base is not displayed, check the following:
- The SoftwareRoad licence has been activated
- The main knowledge base page is published
- The page contains SoftwareRoad Support
SoftwareRoad Documentation
Find setup guides, feature explanations and troubleshooting help for SoftwareRoad plugins.
Popular topics: - The correct page has been selected in the plugin settings
- The shortcode has not been entered inside a code block
- The page cache has been cleared
- WordPress permalinks have been refreshed
To refresh the permalink rules:
- Open Settings > Permalinks.
- Select Save Changes.
- Return to the knowledge base page and test it again.
You do not normally need to change the selected permalink structure.
The licence screen appears after activation
This is normal when SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base has been installed for the first time.
Enter the purchase email address and product key connected to your active Monthly or Yearly subscription.
Until the licence is successfully verified, the protected plugin management areas and public knowledge base may remain unavailable.
Updating an existing installation
If SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base is already installed, do not create a second plugin folder.
Before updating:
- Create a current website backup.
- Download the latest SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base ZIP file.
- Open Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Select Upload Plugin.
- Upload the new ZIP file.
- Select the option to replace the existing version when WordPress asks.
- Confirm that the licence remains active.
- Test the knowledge base homepage, an article and a category page.
Your existing articles, categories and settings are stored in the WordPress database and should remain in place when the plugin files are updated correctly.
Installation checklist
After installation, confirm that:
- SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base is active
- The Monthly or Yearly licence is activated
- The Knowledge Base menu is visible
- The main knowledge base page has been created
- The
SoftwareRoad Documentation
Find setup guides, feature explanations and troubleshooting help for SoftwareRoad plugins.
Popular topics: - The correct page is selected in the plugin settings
- The public knowledge base page loads
- WordPress permalinks are working
- You can create knowledge base categories and articles
SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base is now installed and ready to be configured.