Genesis - How to update your 17th Avenue theme

We occasionally release updates for our Premium WordPress themes. In this article we'll go over how you can obtain the updated version of your theme, and how to install the update on your website.

Are updates required? Is my site vulnerable if I don't update?

No, you are not required to update. In most cases, your site should run fine when using an "older" version of your theme.

Note: Some of our older themes will not be compatible with PHP 8. If you receive a critical error after updating to PHP 8, you will be required to update your theme.

All of our WordPress themes are child themes of the Genesis Framework (the "parent theme"). Since Genesis releases frequent updates to keep your site secure and bug-free, child themes are not typically updated on a regular basis. Any updates that are made are purely cosmetic or adding in new features, so there is no harm in keeping the older version of your child theme.

That being said, our recent updates have added lots of fun new features and enhancements, and we want you to take advantage of them!

How do I know if my theme has an update?

We'll show you how!

  1. Go to your WordPress dashboard > Appearance > Themes. Hover your cursor over your active 17th Avenue theme and click Theme Details.
  2. Next to the theme name, you'll see Version: 1.0.0 (or a similarly structured number) in small print. Make note of this number.
  3. Head to the Theme Changelog. The Changelog contains a record of every update made to each theme.
  4. Click on your theme name at the top. Then, look for the most recent update for your theme.
  5. If the most recent version number is a higher number than your current version (e.g. your installed version is 1.0.3 and the most recent version is 1.0.8) — your theme has an available update! Proceed below.

How can I get the latest version of my theme?

That will depend on where and when you purchased your theme.

  • If you purchased on our website after July 10th 2017, you can download the latest version of your theme right from your Account page.
  • If you purchased on our website before July 10th 2017, click here.
  • If you purchased on Etsy, click here.

How do I update my theme once I have the updated file?

Before you begin: we  STRONGLY recommend creating a full backup of your website prior to updating your theme. While it is rare, we are not liable for any loss of data as a result of updating or switching themes.
  1. Go to WordPress > Appearance > Themes.
  2. At the top, click on Add New, and then click Upload Theme.
  3. Click Choose File and select your updated theme file (e.g. amelia-theme.zip). Please note that you do not need to re-upload the Genesis Framework; only the child theme file.
  4. Click Install Now.
  5. Once the theme is installed, click Activate.
  6. After activating the updated theme, you can go back to Appearance > Themes and delete the previous version of your theme.

If you've customized your theme...

If you've customized your theme in the WordPress Customizer (e.g. color changes) and don't want to lose your customizations, follow these steps INSTEAD of the steps above.

Important note: If you have edited the style.css file or other files in your theme, those code changes will be lost when updating your theme. You will need to manually transfer any code changes you have made. For this reason, we recommend placing custom code inside the Additional CSS area of the WordPress Customizer.
  1. Install and activate the Widget Importer & Exporter plugin.
  2. Install and activate the Customizer Export/Import plugin.
  3. Go to Tools > Widget Importer & Exporter and export your widgets.
  4. Go to Appearance > Customize > Export/Import and export your customizer settings.
  5. If you have added any code to the Additional CSS box inside the Customizer, copy the code somewhere safe (e.g. a text editor or Pastebin).
  6. Upload the updated child theme file (see previous section) and activate.
  7. At this step, view your live website and see if your widgets are still there. On most sites, the widgets will automatically populate the updated theme. Be sure to ONLY import your widgets if they are gone after updating. If you need to import your widgets, go to Tools > Widget Importer & Exporter and import the .wie file from step 3.
  8. To import your Customizer settings, go to Appearance > Customize > Export/Import. Select the .dat file from step 4 and click import.

Theme Update Service

If your site has been heavily customized and you're considering a theme update, our Theme Update Service might be a good option for you. With this service, we update your theme manually to ensure any customizations made to your theme stay intact. You can learn more here, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!