With each new Phox update comes a set of new options, features, and code improvements. Our team always ensures we make everyone aware of any important items that will show in the new update. This post outlines several items that should be taken into account anytime you update your theme. Being aware of these items can drastically reduce avoidable issues when updating Phox or any theme.

General Update Information:

1. It Is Always Recommended To Backup Your Current Setup

It’s always a good idea to make sure that you have a current backup of your web site, including your wp-content folder, your wp-config.php file, and your .htaccess file in your WordPress installation folder, and a copy of your WordPress database. You can use these to revert back to your original site if something unforeseen happens during the update process. If you are not familiar with how to do this yourself, there are several plugins available that completely automate that process for you, such as UpDraft Plus.

If you are using the Revolution Slider and have added custom CSS, please make a backup of the styles because those will be removed when you update. You can also backup your Phox Theme Options by generating an export file from the Import / Export tab in Phox > Theme Options > Import, Export & Reset.

2. Do Not Keep Older Copies of The Theme In WP Theme Folder

You should completely remove all previous Phox theme folders before adding the new updated theme folder, or you could end up with WP path issues, etc.

3. Do Not Rename The Theme Folder

If you rename your theme folder when you update, then the path is no longer valid. WordPress stores menus and widget settings and some other settings by folder path. You need to rename your theme folder back to what it was before, and your settings, menus, widgets will be restored. Make a copy of your current theme folder before you upload the new theme.

4. Reset Browser Cache, Server Cache And Plugin Cache

It is always recommended to reset your browser, plugin, and server cache when you update. Visual issues may occur after an update. This is something easily avoided by clearing your cache after all updates. Each browser allows you to remove cookies, history, and other data. If your theme is not updated after uploading the new files, it is due to a server-side caching system. Some hosting providers have server-side cache systems installed to optimize the speed of content delivery, please clear any server-side cache or ask your host to do it. This is also true for Google page speed setups or Cloudflare setups.

5. Required & Recommended Plugins Must Be Updated

When you update the theme, you will see a notification message in your admin telling you the required and recommended plugins need to be updated. Follow the onscreen prompts to install the plugin updates. The PHOX-HOST plugin is the only required plugin. These have to be installed and activated for the theme to work correctly. Make sure you are always using the most recent version of the Phox-Host and Elementor plugins available for your theme version. If the required Phox-Host and Elementor plugins are not active or not running the latest available versions, you will see a notice at the top of your WordPress admin pages. If you dismiss the prompt or do not see it, then from your WP Admin, navigate to Phox > Install Plugins and activate/update the plugins as needed. Every time you update the theme, the Phox-Host and Elementor will also need to be updated.

6. Compatibility With WordPress 5.0

WordPress version 5.0 has been released on December 6th, adding Gutenberg to the WordPress core.