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02. Getting Started with Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder is a drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress. You add modules to a canvas and arrange them visually, without writing HTML or CSS. BeaverDash adds 31 LearnDash-aware modules to the same module panel, so they work alongside all the standard Beaver Builder elements you already use.

Beaver Builder and Beaver Themer​

Beaver Builder has two distinct modes of use, and understanding the difference matters for BeaverDash.

A standard Beaver Builder page is a one-off layout attached to a specific page. You build it once and it appears on that page only.

Beaver Themer is a separate add-on that lets you build templates for dynamic post types. You create one template and Beaver Themer applies it to every page of a given type — every LearnDash course page, every lesson, every topic. This is how you build a consistent course experience across your entire LMS without repeating yourself.

BeaverDash field connections are only available inside Beaver Themer layouts. You need Beaver Themer active to use them.

Key concepts for BeaverDash​

The module panel is where you find all Beaver Builder modules, including BeaverDash's. When BeaverDash is active, LearnDash Modules appears as a group in the panel. You drag modules from the panel into columns on the canvas.

Themer layouts are the templates you build with Beaver Themer. You assign each layout a location (for example, "singular: LearnDash Course") and Beaver Themer renders that layout whenever a matching page is viewed. BeaverDash modules and field connections work inside these layouts.

Themer parts are reusable layout sections (header, footer, sidebar) that Beaver Themer lets you inject into other templates. BeaverDash's Focus Mode integration uses parts to replace LearnDash's default focus-mode header, sidebar, and content areas with Beaver Builder layouts.

Installing Beaver Builder​

Installation varies by edition. Beaver Builder Lite is free and available from the WordPress plugin directory. Paid editions are downloaded from your Beaver Builder account and installed via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.

For complete setup instructions, see the Beaver Builder documentation.

Next steps​

Read Getting Started with LearnDash to understand the content hierarchy and data concepts that BeaverDash modules and connections are built on.