Architecture
Overview
Northframe is a conventional WordPress theme with a compatibility-preserving internal structure. Public branding was refreshed, while legacy runtime identifiers were intentionally retained to avoid breaking option storage, localization, plugin registration, and template behavior.
Runtime Flow
flowchart TD
A["WordPress bootstrap"] --> B["functions.php"]
B --> C["inc/init.php"]
C --> D["constants.php"]
C --> E["theme-style-and-scripts.php"]
C --> F["template-functions.php"]
C --> G["template-tags.php"]
C --> H["theme-options.php"]
C --> I["widgets.php / acf.php / demo-setup.php"]
C --> J["classes/Aximo_Main.php"]
F --> K["template-parts/*"]
J --> K
H --> L["Redux option reads"]
K --> M["Rendered output"]
Component Map
| Area |
Path |
Responsibility |
| Theme bootstrap |
functions.php |
Registers theme supports, menus, content width, and root includes |
| Module loader |
inc/init.php |
Loads constants, scripts, options, widgets, helper functions, ACF, and class files |
| Runtime helpers |
inc/template-functions.php |
Header/footer helpers, logo helpers, AJAX comments, preloader, shared rendering logic |
| Template tags |
inc/template-tags.php |
Post metadata, footer metadata, thumbnails, taxonomy helpers |
| Main rendering class |
inc/classes/Aximo_Main.php |
Breadcrumbs, archive behavior, post loop, sidebar handling |
| Theme options |
inc/theme-options.php |
Redux settings schema and defaults |
| Theme assets |
assets/ |
Frontend CSS, JS, fonts, images |
| Template layer |
template-parts/, root PHP templates |
HTML rendering for pages, posts, archives, headers |
| Static docs |
documantion/ |
Packaged documentation website |
| Licensing |
LICENSE, Licensing/ |
GPL text and split-license notice |
Request Flow
- WordPress loads the theme and executes
functions.php.
functions.php registers supports, menus, and includes inc/init.php.inc/init.php wires the theme subsystems.- During frontend rendering, template files instantiate
Aximo_Main and call helper functions and template parts.
- Theme settings are read from the Redux-backed
aximo option namespace.
Compatibility Boundaries
| Element |
Current Identifier |
Public Label |
Safe To Rename |
Risk If Changed |
| Theme name |
Northframe |
Northframe |
Yes |
Low |
| Text domain |
aximo |
Hidden implementation detail |
No |
Breaks translations and string lookups |
| Main class |
Aximo_Main |
Hidden implementation detail |
No |
Breaks template imports and runtime calls |
| Namespace |
AximoTheme |
Hidden implementation detail |
No |
Breaks autoload-style references and includes |
| Helper plugin slug |
aximo-helper |
Theme Helper in UI |
No |
Breaks TGMPA registration and plugin package mapping |
| Redux option key |
aximo |
Theme Options UI |
No |
Breaks persisted settings |
Architectural Notes
- The architecture is compact and conventional for a commercial WordPress theme.
- The main technical debt is naming legacy, not subsystem sprawl.
- The codebase favors direct include-based composition over service-layer abstraction, which is acceptable for this theme size.