Requirements
What your site needs before you install Smart Product Gallery, and how the free and Pro plugins fit together.
What your site needs
| Requirement | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 6.0 | Any current version works. |
| PHP | 7.4 | Your host's control panel shows which version you're on. 8.x is fine. |
| FluentCart | Installed and active | Smart Product Gallery replaces FluentCart's gallery, so it has nothing to do without it. The current release is tested with FluentCart 1.7.0. |
| A theme | Classic or block theme | Both work. On a block theme you do one extra step in the Site Editor (why). |
If FluentCart isn't active, the plugin does nothing on your site and shows this notice in the admin:
You must install and activate FluentCart plugin to make the Smart Product Gallery work.
The free plugin's notice names Smart Product Gallery for FluentCart instead. The FluentCart link opens its plugin details, so you can install it from there.
On WordPress 6.5 and later, the Pro plugin goes further. It declares FluentCart as a required plugin, so WordPress won't let you activate it until FluentCart is active.
Free and Pro
There are two plugins. They're the same gallery at two feature levels, not two different products.
| Smart Product Gallery for FluentCart | Smart Product Gallery Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid |
| Where to get it | WordPress.org, or Plugins → Add New Plugin in your admin | Your ShapedPlugin account, as a .zip |
| Plugin folder | smart-product-gallery-for-fluentcart | smart-product-gallery-pro |
| Layouts | Thumbs Bottom, Thumbs Top | All eleven |
| Lightbox | — | Included |
| Zoom styles | Default, Inside (2x) | Default, Inside (2x), Outside, Magnific, plus lens, zoom-window and cursor settings |
| Pagination styles | Bullets, Dynamic, Strokes | Eight styles |
| Everything else | Slider, arrows, thumbnails, product image, custom CSS, shortcode, block | The same, plus every option the free plugin shows with a Pro tag |
| License key | Not needed | Activated under Advanced → License Key |
A few things are worth knowing before you install:
- Pro doesn't need the free plugin. It's complete on its own. You can install only Pro.
- If both are active, Pro takes over. The free plugin detects Pro and switches itself off quietly. You'll see one settings page and one gallery.
- Your settings carry over. Both plugins save to the same place. If you start on the free plugin and upgrade later, your layout, colors and other choices are still there when Pro loads.
- The free plugin shows some Pro options as locked. They carry a small Pro tag and can't be selected. A few Pro-only settings don't appear in the free plugin at all, such as the Lightbox tab and most zoom-window options.
Deleting the free plugin after upgrading
Both plugins store your settings in the same database option. Deleting either plugin from the Plugins screen removes that option. That includes deleting the free one once you've moved to Pro. If you upgrade, deactivate the free plugin rather than deleting it, or re-save your settings afterwards. Details →
Where to go next
- Installation & License — install the edition you need
- How It Works — classic vs block themes