Installation Guide
Deploy Bonzai 2 to your SharePoint Online tenant.
Package Information
- Package Name: Bonzai-2.0.sppkg
- Framework: SharePoint Framework (SPFx) 1.18.x
- Compatibility: SharePoint Online only
- Permissions: Site-level (no tenant-wide permissions required)
Prerequisites
SharePoint Online Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Platform | SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365) |
| License | Microsoft 365 E3/E5, SharePoint Online Plan 1/2, or equivalent |
| Site Type | Communication Sites or Team Sites (Modern experience) |
| CDN | Office 365 CDN (automatically configured) |
Administrator Permissions
You will need one of the following roles:
- SharePoint Administrator: Full access to App Catalog and tenant settings
- Global Administrator: Full access to all Microsoft 365 services
- App Catalog Administrator: Access to upload and deploy apps
App Catalog Setup
Before installing Bonzai, ensure your tenant has an App Catalog:
- Go to SharePoint Admin Center:
https://[tenant]-admin.sharepoint.com - Click More features → Apps → App Catalog
- If prompted, create a new App Catalog
Create App Catalog (if needed)
- 1. In SharePoint Admin Center, go to More features → Apps
- 2. Click App Catalog
- 3. Select Create a new app catalog site
- 4. Fill in: Title, URL (
https://[tenant].sharepoint.com/sites/appcatalog), Administrator - 5. Click OK and wait for creation (may take a few minutes)
Pre-Installation Checklist
Installation Steps
Step 1: Download the Package
Download the Bonzai SPFx package file (Bonzai-2.0.sppkg) from our Download page.
Step 2: Access SharePoint Admin Center
- Open your browser and navigate to:
https://[your-tenant]-admin.sharepoint.com - Sign in with your administrator credentials
Step 3: Navigate to App Catalog
- In the SharePoint Admin Center, click More features in the left navigation
- Under Apps, click Open
- Click App Catalog to open the App Catalog site
- Click Apps for SharePoint in the left navigation
Step 4: Upload the Package
- Click Upload in the toolbar (or drag and drop the file)
- Select the
Bonzai-2.0.sppkgfile from your computer - Click Open to upload
Step 5: Trust and Deploy
- A deployment dialog will appear showing the solution name and web parts included
- Review the permissions (Bonzai typically requests read access to site content)
- Optional: Check "Make this solution available to all sites in the organization" for tenant-wide deployment
- Click Deploy to complete the installation
- The package status should change to "Deployed" (green checkmark)
Step 6: Add the Bonzai App to Your Site (Mega Menu + Footer Activation)
- Open the modern site where you want to use Bonzai
- Go to Site Contents → New → App
- Find Bonzai 2 and click Add
- This activates the Mega Menu and Footer extensions; you can fully configure them later
Legacy note: If your tenant previously installed the separate bonzai-mega-menu app, remove it from Site Contents after upgrading to the consolidated Bonzai 2 package to avoid duplicate initialization.
Required Step if Apps Are Blocked by Tenant Policy
If "Apps you can add" is empty and Bonzai 2 does not appear, you must register the Mega Menu or Footer via Tenant Wide Extensions to activate those extensions.
- Open the App Catalog site:
https://<tenant>.sharepoint.com/sites/appcatalog - Go to Site Contents → Tenant Wide Extensions
- Click New → Application Customizer
- Fill in the values below and click Save
Mega Menu registration
Title: Bonzai Mega Menu
Component Id: a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890
Location: ClientSideExtension.ApplicationCustomizer
Component Properties:
{"navigationListName":"MegaMenuNavigation","hideNativeNavigation":true,"hideMobileAppBar":true,"showBreadcrumb":true,"licenseApiUrl":""}
Sequence: 100 (optional)
Web Template / List Template / Host Properties: leave blankFooter registration
Title: Bonzai Footer
Component Id: b6c8c5d2-2a6d-4f44-9d67-2b9a9a3b9f42
Location: ClientSideExtension.ApplicationCustomizer
Component Properties:
{"footerListName":"FooterNavigation","feedbackListName":"FooterFeedback"}
Sequence: 110 (optional)
Web Template / List Template / Host Properties: leave blankStep 7: Wait for CDN Propagation
| Scenario | Typical Wait Time |
|---|---|
| First deployment | 2-5 minutes |
| Package updates | 5-15 minutes |
Step 8: Verify Installation
- Navigate to any modern SharePoint site in your tenant
- Edit a page (click Edit button)
- Click the + button to add a web part
- Search for "Bonzai" in the web part picker
- You should see the Bonzai web parts listed (News Rollup, Events Rollup, etc.)
Success!
If web parts appear when searching for "Bonzai", the installation was successful.
Verification Checklist
Package Verification
- Package appears in App Catalog with "Deployed" status
- Package version matches expected version
- No error messages in App Catalog
Web Part Verification
- Bonzai app added to the site (Mega Menu and Footer activated)
- Web parts appear in web part picker when searching "Bonzai"
- At least one web part can be added to a page
- Web part property pane opens when clicking pencil icon
Troubleshooting
Package Won't Upload
- Check file size is reasonable (~5MB for current version)
- Verify you have App Catalog admin rights
- Re-download the package if corrupted
- Try a different browser (Chrome/Edge recommended)
- Clear browser cache and try again
Web Parts Don't Appear in Picker
- Wait for CDN: Wait 5-15 minutes for CDN propagation
- Hard refresh: Press Ctrl+Shift+R to force refresh
- Check deployment: Verify package shows "Deployed" in App Catalog
- Check site type: Ensure you're on a Modern page (not classic)
- Clear cache: Clear all cached data for SharePoint
Web Part Shows Error
- Open F12 Developer Tools → Console for error details
- Verify list/view selections are valid in property pane
- Ensure current user can access the configured list
- Try removing and re-adding the web part
Still need help? Contact Bonzai Support →
PowerShell Deployment (Alternative)
For scripted deployments, use PnP PowerShell:
# Install PnP PowerShell module (if not already installed)
Install-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser
# Connect to SharePoint Admin Center
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://[tenant]-admin.sharepoint.com" -Interactive
# Upload and deploy the solution
Add-PnPApp -Path "C:\path\to\Bonzai-2.0.sppkg" -Scope Tenant -Publish -Overwrite
# Verify deployment
Get-PnPApp | Where-Object {$_.Title -like "*Bonzai*"}Next Steps
After installation:
- Web Parts Reference - Explore all 21+ web parts
- Theme Manager - Customize colors and branding
- What is Bonzai 2? - Learn about the architecture