[authors] How do you explain updating a WordPress theme?

I can’t be the only one that gets this question every time I post an update to a WordPress theme so I’d thought I’d ask you all.

When a buyer says: “How do I update the theme?”

What do you tell them? Do you have a step-by-step you paste for them? Have you incorporated steps into a section in your theme’s documentation? If so, what are these steps? Do you tell them to delete the theme from Appearance > Themes and install the new version downloaded from TF? Do you tell them to login with an FTP program and replace the old files with the new files?

This is one common question I get a lot that I still haven’t really found a successful common answer to give. It’s a difficult thing to explain because while I hate the idea of someone having to click the “delete” button under Appearance > Themes, many people that struggled to install the theme in the first place are not going to be able to use an FTP program. And I get the snide remark a lot having to do with “All other themes and plugins have an update button.” ...

So I’m not looking for any kind of updating solution, but just curious what everyone else are telling buyers when they ask this with our common ThemeForest setup the way it is.

I’ve been looking into one click updates. Otherwise its a replace on ftp response.

Interesting question! As far as I know Envato dev team is developing a separate plugin that will help updating themes with a single click.

mixey said
Interesting question! As far as I know Envato dev team is developing a separate plugin that will help updating themes with a single click.

I hope that update will be something bigger in the future. Like they install the plugin, add the purchase code, and the plugin installs the theme and activates it for that domain. Stop you know what

Our quide is as follows: - if you did not make changes the the theme’s files, go to appearance – themes and activate the default wordrepss theme
- delete the theme in question and upload the new version you will have to download from themeforest. the process is the same as the first installation and you will not loose saved settings.

Something like this.

I did notice the new “update themes” in WP 3 .3, which tells you to update the Twenty Ten/Eleven themes. I hope that could get incorporated into custom-uploaded themes.

crozer said
I did notice the new “update themes” in WP 3 .3, which tells you to update the Twenty Ten/Eleven themes. I hope that could get incorporated into custom-uploaded themes.

That’s actually from 3.0 or 3.1 And yes, that would be awesome, but it’s just for the WP repository.