Pro Theme Design Forum » Elemental » Technical Help

What happens when I upgrade?

  • Started 6 months ago by adamwc
  • Latest reply from davethackeray
  • This topic is not a support question

  • adamwc
  • Member
  • Posted 6 months ago #

What happens when an update comes out for Elemental......

I've made all of these random style changes, etc. Is there an easy way to update?

Do you expect to upgrade Elemental at all in the future?

  • darren
  • admin
  • Posted 6 months ago #

As it's a theme framework, we definitely recommend making customizations using child themes with Elemental. See #1 in the FAQ -

http://prothemedesign.com/support/elemental-help/

  • adamwc
  • Member
  • Posted 6 months ago #

Damn....I wish this would have been provided with documentation when I downloaded the theme...never saw anything.

  • adamwc
  • Member
  • Posted 6 months ago #

I see in the example that there is a line like:

@import url("../mimbopro/style.css");

But what if I'm making changes in the layout.css? Would I add a line in there that always says:

@import url("../mimbopro/layout.css");

  • Ben
  • Ben
  • Posted 6 months ago #

The @import should go in your new child themes css to bring in the old css code, and then you add additional css to override the old styles and make the theme your own.

So add the @import at the top of the css, and then add the new rules underneath, and then you will be able to set any styles you like

  • adamwc
  • Member
  • Posted 6 months ago #

So, set any styles for the style.css & the layout.css?

Why are all those styles separated?

  • darren
  • admin
  • Posted 6 months ago #

Damn....I wish this would have been provided with documentation when I downloaded the theme...never saw anything.

It's the second item on the product page -

http://prothemedesign.com/themes/elemental/

It's also the first item in the FAQ -

http://prothemedesign.com/support/elemental-help/

We also go into it fair bit in the tutorial videos. I'm sorry you found out after the fact, but we are explicit on purpose that, like other WP theme frameworks (Thematic, Hybrid, et al), it's a parent theme first and foremost.

  • Ben
  • Ben
  • Posted 6 months ago #

As an aside I have added a link to the support (and so the documentation) pages in the purchase email as well so that future customers will get the info quicker.

  • adamwc
  • Member
  • Posted 6 months ago #

Thanks for doing that Ben.

So when I'm working with child themes, say there is this CSS that I am editing for the child theme:

#page {
background:url(lib/styles/images/bg2.png);
color:#111;
padding:5px 0 0 0;
}

Do I need to put the entire CSS element in the child theme, or if I'm only editing the background element, do I just put

#page {
background:url(lib/styles/images/bg2.png);
}

in the child theme?

or do I have to put even the unchanged elements in the child theme?

Hey Adam!

Allow me.

You simply need to populate the style.css file with either totally new CSS unique to your child theme, or the changed CSS.

So your second iteration was correct:

#page {
background:url(lib/styles/images/bg2.png);
}

That's if you only want to show a different background image in your new child theme.

There's only one other thing you need to be aware of. On occasion due to reasons of hierarchy you may notice that changes you define in the child theme do not manifest themselves on your site. In which case you must override what the CSS is thinking.

You do this by adding !important before the semicolon of the instruction.

So for example:

#page {
color:#121 !important;
}

Darren and Ben have been of amazing support to me since I bought Mimbo Pro so I'm only too happy to pitch some love back into the forum!

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