Keeping the code up to date for your site is very crucial for many good reasons. And the best logic among its is, renewed version doesn’t take your site at risk.
The developer or the theme provider delivers a new version when they find issues with the previous version. In general, the issues they finds are:
- Bug or Error Problem: To fix the theme’s whole bugs or error problems.
- Version Compitable: Work with the new WP version, PHP version, or any third-party add-ons.
- New Features: Adding new comparative features.
Besides, many more reasons can be included, like security, speed, performance, user experience, or adding custom code.
So, above mention content is some of the top highlighted features that describe the importance of an updated template. And it would be best if you keep a keen eye to assure that the renewed version works as well as it should.
But there is some complexity if you don’t know how to update the WordPress theme. Especially you may lose your data or possibly erase the site. So, you have to work very carefully. Yet, you have the chance to read Before You Change WordPress Theme.
How to Update WordPress Theme
If you make a quick query, you’ll find lots of options to renew. But among all options, the best and most secure option is with a Child template. It gains all the points, functionality, and styles of a parent template. And you can build it with two easy steps, like:
Step: 01 – Build A Child theme Manually:
Below is the guideline or tutorial to build a Child template:
- At first, go to cPanel and unlock the File Manager folder in the Files section.
- Then, run to public_html/wp-content/themes folder.
- In the templates folder, build a new folder and name it as a name -child.
- In the child template folder, build files style.css & functions.php.
- At last, compose custom codes on those files.
Step: 02 – Build A Child Template With A Plugin:
If you make a sharp query online, you’ll find many plugins to build a Child theme. But it’ll be a long time process to find the best plugin that suits your needs. So, to make your job easier, here is our “Top 06 Child Template Generator Plugins” blog post. So read the post carefully, take your best plugin, and build a Child.
So, after building a Child theme, you can renew it without making trouble with the parent. And you’ll also be able to add or join as many customizations as you need.
How Other Method Works
When it comes to renewing or replacing your site, it indicates every single aspect will merge with the latest version. For example, it’ll be security, speed, performance, user experience, and many more. And all these works you can do with two simple, easy, and beautiful methods.
CAUTION: BEFORE MAKING A SINGLE TOUCH, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE PLACED A BACKUP.
Method: 01 – Automatically Renew
- Renew with One Click
What if you use multiple templates on your site and the time comes to restore or replace it to your site? Suppose you have too many templates installed on your site, and the time comes for replacing, what will you do? No Worries, you can do it with just a single click. You can’t buy it, Right? Okay, walk with me and learn how it is possible.
In that case, the first and foremost work to do is log in to your WP Dashboard. Then, Menus —> Updates. After that, you’re going to a page where you can see your all installed templates have the latest version. Now, click the “Select Button” to select all templates. And lastly, hit the “Update Themes Button” to make restoring at once.
- Renew Individually
The next top way to do it is doing individually. So, as usual, run for Appearance —> Themes. After that, you’re going to a page where you can see all your installed templates. And if any renew is available, you’ll see “New version available. Update now”. So, click that button, and your template will renew automatically.
- Allow Auto-Renew
Also, WP enables another way to do it like, an auto-renewal option. On the theme details page, you’ll see an “Enable auto-updates option.” When you click to enable it, you’ll see the scheduled period for the next renewal.At the appointed time, you’ll see your template renewed automatically. On a quick note, the appointed time can differ upon your template but possible to disable this option later.
Method: 02 – Renew The Template Manually
You can do it manually if you don’t want to lose your customizations and keep them with the new version. And to do this, you’ve to connect your hosting by using FTP Client first. After that, you’ll see your screen will divide into two parts. On the left side, you’ll see the Local Side and Server Side on the right.
So, navigate to public_html/wp-content/themes from the Server Side. There you’ll see the templates you’ve installed on the template folder. Now, press the right-click to the template you like to renew and hit the download option to save it (old version) on your desktop or laptop.
And now, it’s time to get the latest version. So, run for the template’s site and download the latest template. When you’ve both old and new versions, the next step is to copy the old codes and paste them into the latest version. And after finishing the copy, you’ve to upload your latest version on your site.
You’ll upload the newest version through the FTP client, so make the connection and run again for public_html/wp-content/themes from the Server Side. Then, drag and drop your newest version from Local Side to Server Side. If you get any server Errors, click here to learn more about the error.
After that, you’ll see a notification “Target file already exists.” So, click the Overwrite option and press the Ok button.
Congratulations! Now, you’ve updated successfully. It can take a few minutes to upload, but new template files will surely replace your old files.
Safety Note
Before updating, I have a few pieces of advice to get everything ready carefully to prevent any loss of settings or customization you have made to your site. The following is the handy checklist we suggest you experience before attempting the update.
- Check The Changelog
- Make A Backup
- Test The Theme
After downloading and unloading the most recent bundle, the principal thing you have to do is read the changelog in the README.txt document. This file will give you a diagram of new features, upgrades, bug fixes, or other new form changes. If you discover these changes irrelevant or unimportant, you can avoid the update.
This is the best safety you’ll ever require. At whatever point something doesn’t go as arranged, you can generally restore.
If you are not happy with manual backup, you can utilize plugins rather, and beneath is a rundown of WordPress backup plugins you should attempt:
– Free plugins:
+ UpdraftPlus Backup and Restoration
+ Duplicator
+ BackUpWordPress
+ BackWPup
+ All-in-One WP Migration
– Paid Plugins:
+BackupBuddy
It’s essential to check the theme already in a test site in your local. You can directly test the most recent theme version, track the bugs and check if all plugins are working fine before applying to your live site.
Summary
Updating your expensive WordPress theme is mandatory to build an extraordinary, professional and let your user have the best experience with the latest trend. Whether you’re a beginner or a non-technical person, this post will not take you astray. Because if you read this post carefully, you can do it with ease.
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