Recent automatic 4.4.2 update changed my theme settings

  • Hi all,

    These forums are great, and so is the WordPress documentation. Thanks to all who make this happen.

    I have now learned how to turn off automatic updating so my problem will hopefully not happen again. However, a big problem still remains.

    I understood that automatic WordPress updates would not change my theme, which is twentyfourteen on some sites and twentyfifteen on others.

    With the recent automatic update to 4.4.2, the theme was overwritten, which caused changes to my footers, copyright info, hyphenation, link style, and many other design elements. I don’t mean to be rude, but this is completely unacceptable! How is it possible that an update which I didn’t choose has now completely wiped out all of my customization?

    I did not use child themes, in case you wonder. Because I understood that if I don’t update the theme, the theme will not change.

    Please advise on how you are going to fix this, dear folks at WordPress! I would like to request that you revert all of my sites back to the way they were prior to the automatic update.

    My professional reputation depends on the way I present myself through my websites. You have caused damage to this reputation, and I really am adverse to the idea of having to spend dozens of hours re-doing the work I have put into making all of my sites top-notch.

    This is a very upsetting turn of events. It is just has bad as having my site hacked, in my opinion. In fact, what’s the difference? You have caused a problem that ironically, I am sure you were trying to prevent by providing your automatic “security” updates.

    Thanks for helping to fix this problem which you have caused.

    Karen

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    I understood that if I don’t update the theme, the theme will not change.

    Unfortunately, that’s just not true, I’m sorry, it’s why we always recommend child themes: https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Child_Themes

    Esmi mentioned similar in your first thread last year: https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/managing-changes-to-stylecss-in-twentyfourteen

    All WordPress update types replace whole files. We never advocate editing core files, themes, or plugins directly, because they will always be replaced during update.

    There is simply no system in place to identify and avoid changed files.

    I would like to request that you revert all of my sites back to the way they were prior to the automatic update.

    That’s not something we can do for you. Your site is entirely self-contained. We merely developer, distribute, and support the software here.

    If you have your own backups, you can restore the theme files from them by simply replacing the files with the backed up copied.

    If you haven’t been keeping backups, you can do so following this guide: https://codex.www.ads-software.com/WordPress_Backups

    If all you want to edit is CSS, there are custom CSS plugins out there, like https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/jetpack/ and https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/simple-custom-css/

    If you want to edit more than CSS, you’ll need a child theme. A child theme is simply a theme with only changed files, which references the parent theme for the rest. This way, the parent theme can be updated, and the changed files are left untouched.

    If you want to start a child theme, this guide is a bit easier to follow than the Codex article: https://themeshaper.com/modify-wordpress-themes/

    Thread Starter Karen Rempel

    (@karen-rempel)

    Hi James,

    Thanks for your prompt reply.
    “Unfortunately, that’s just not true, I’m sorry, it’s why we always recommend child themes: https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Child_Themes”

    I have had WordPress sites since 2008 and this is the first time my theme has been changed by an automatic update. I am certain I read in your documentation a while ago that themes are not touched.

    And I did try using a child theme but it didn’t work, wasn’t simple, so I reverted to changing MY files directly. You shouldn’t be able to change my css or footer files!

    Thanks for the tips on how to avoid this, but you really haven’t acknowledged the inconvenience you’ve caused. I know this is a free service, but you really shouldn’t be able to change how my site looks.

    Now I will have to set aside many hours to do additional work because of the update. If you want people to allow your automatic updates you really shouldn’t impact theme style elements. It is way beyond the purview of a supposed security update or bug fix. I for one have edited my wp-config to disallow the updates in future.

    IMHO

    Karen

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    Oh, I do acknowledge the inconvenience, but we even warned you about this in your first support thread: https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/managing-changes-to-stylecss-in-twentyfourteen

    I do recommend that you use a child theme and keep your own backups from now on.

    Thread Starter Karen Rempel

    (@karen-rempel)

    Hi James,

    Thanks again for your prompt reply.

    I re-read the original thread, and what the posting said was:

    Karen: “Does WordPress automatically update the theme thereby overwriting my changes?”

    esmi: “Not automatically”

    Karen: “So this made me wonder if it might automatically update the theme as well.”

    esmi: “No – only minor core security updates. Not themes.”

    esmi did give the advice you have given about using child themes. As I mentioned to you previously, I tried using a child theme, it didn’t work, and I gave up after a few hours of tinkering. I did not intend to update the 2014 theme, and never did, so I never ran into issues with my changes being overwritten, UNTIL NOW.

    BTW, I do backup my files regularly, but thanks for making me sound stupid.

    I still maintain you should not be messing with footer.php and style.css files when you update the WordPress core software. The footer and styles are content, not platform.

    In any case, I play nicely in the sandbox. Kudos on the twenty sixteen theme, which this incident caused me to update one of my sites to. I have given a shout-out to WordPress twice on my site now:
    https://karenrempel.com/welcome-to-2016/
    https://karenrempel.com/welcome-to-2015/

    Regards,
    Karen

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    Ah, I see the misunderstanding there. Sorry about that.

    I didn’t mean to make you sound stupid by suggesting you keep backups. It’s just sound advice worth repeating, and you hadn’t mentioned that you did.

    I also faced similar problem with twenty fifteen theme.
    Its just frustating..
    After that i installed plugin to stop all further updates.
    Although i now use different theme with child theme. But i never go for update as i can overwrite my theme changes.
    People say wordpress update dont change theme setting but happened to me so i never updated wordpress updates.
    I just disgusting to have all your hours of work & mind destroyed by a simple update which is not intended to do that.

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    People say wordpress update dont change theme setting but happened to me so i never updated wordpress updates.

    WordPress theme updates will never overwrite theme *settings* but they will certainly replace any edits you made to the files directly, because all WordPress update types replace the files entirely.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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