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Converting V2 to V3 (PWS CORE)

September 17, 2019 | , ,

It may be necessary to convert our older websites to a newer version of PWS Core. Please use the following steps to assist you in this process.

Verify and Document

Verify that the website does not have PWS Core listed in the plugins, it may be possible that some plugins have just been deactivated. Once you have established that your site is not using PWS Core do the following:

  1. Open the website and take screenshots of each page so they can be referenced later on in your build. Make sure to get screenshots of any singular or archive pages if they are in use (1 product and the shop page if woo, blog and post page if using blog functions).
  2. Copy the CSS from the customizer, save it into a text file in the event you will need to reference it later.
  3. If it is not present in the CSS make note of header and paragraph font families and text size.
  4. Make note of any 3rd party plugins that are not supported by PWS as they may not function the same way once the site has been converted

Remove and Install plugins

At this point you should have all components of the website documented. Now, you will need to remove all PWS standard plugins.

  1. Deactivate all plugins.
  2. Delete all PWS plugins leaving only customers 3rd party plugins. These may include the following:
    1. Akismet Anti-Spam
    1. Beaver Builder Plugin (Agency Version)
    1. Classic Editor
    1. Gravity Forms   
    1. PowerPack for Beaver Builder
    1. PWS Custom Templates
    1. PWS Pharmacy Customizer
    1. Search Engine Visibility
    1. Smush
    1. Storefront Mega Menus
    1. Storefront Powerpack
    1. Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Hardening
    1. Title Toggle for Storefront Theme
    1. Ultimate Addon for Beaver Builder
    1. WooCommerce
    1. WP101 Video Tutorials
    1. Yoast SEO
  3. Install the newest version of PWS Core (Builders and Vendors use the V3 Tools website to download the most recent version of core.) Then activate the plugin. (For more detailed instructions on setup see this style guide)
  4. Go to appearance >> PWS Core. You will now be on the setup screen. (Based off the type of website you are building, select the proper plan type and the market region from the appropriate dropdowns)
  5. Click “Install Now” to install all necessary plugins.
  6. From the PWS Core>> Plugins menu. Make sure to activate or update any plugin needed for your site.

7. From Dashboard>>Plugins make sure to enable any 3rd party plugin previously disabled

At this point all Plugins required for this site should be up-to-date and ready. When you view the active site it should look very similar to your screenshots except for the header and footer.

Rebuild

At this point you will need to style and rebuild the pieces of the site lost in the conversion. It is acceptable for some of the new design to be slightly different than the old site as the header and footer layouts have changed. Please do your best to make the header and footer to be similar in style and layout.

Customize Appearance

  1. Under Appearance>>Customize>>General update the Headings and Text sections to use the correct font family, color, and text sizing.
  2. Appearance>>Customize>>General update accent color to use a color from the website.
  3. Appearance>>Customize>>General Update background to use the appropriate background color.

Build Header (Detailed Guide)

  1. Create a Themer Layout. dashboard > hover over beaver builder > click themer layouts > add new.
  2. Add Themer Layout.
    1. title: header
    1. type: themer layout
    1. layout: header
  3. Themer Layout Settings
    1. location: entire site (unless you have different headers for different pages)
    1. users: all users
    1. publish > launch beaver builder
  4. Choose A Header
    1. once in beaver builder, on the screen top right > click “+” sign > select templates > from the “group” drop-down > select Header Templates
    1. make sure to select the header that looks closest to the old site and what you are trying to recreate
    1. style as needed

Build Footer (Detailed Guide)

  1. Create a Themer Layout. dashboard > hover over beaver builder > click themer layouts > add new.
  2. Add Themer Layout.
    1. title: footer
    1. type: themer layout
    1. layout: footer
  3. Themer Layout Settings
    1. location: entire site (unless you have different headers for different pages)
    1. users: all users
    1. publish > launch beaver builder
  4. Choose A Footer
    1. once in beaver builder, on the screen top right > click “+” sign > select templates > from the “group” drop-down > select Footer Templates
    1. make sure to select the header that looks closest to the old site and what you are trying to recreate
    1. style as needed

Build remaining themer layouts (blog and/or woo) (Detailed Guide)

  1. Create a Themer Layout. dashboard > hover over beaver builder > click themer layouts > add new.
  2. Add Themer Layout.
    1. Title: Blog, Post, Shop, or Product
    1. Layout: Single or archive
  3. Themer Layout Settings
    1. location: entire site (unless you have different headers for different pages)
    1. users: all users
    1. publish > launch beaver builder
  4. Choose A Header
    1. once in beaver builder, on the screen top right > click “+” sign > select templates > from the “group” drop-down > select appropriate Templates
    1. make sure to select the header that looks closest to the old site and what you are trying to recreate
    1. style as needed

 

Quality Check

Now your website should be ready. Look through all of the pages and compare them to your screenshots. Look for the following:

  1. Header and footer are displaying correctly.
  2. Text and images are in the right places and layout is relatively unchanged.
  3. All modules and functions are working. Make sure nothing has reverted to a visible shortcode. You may need to refer back to the CSS you copied in the beginning to restyle any modules that may have changed.
  4. All page, blog, or store templates appear similar to the original site and are visually appealing.
  5. Check the mobile appearance of the site for any anomalies or issues with the header and footer.

Congratulations your v2 to v3 conversion is complete! 

Solution by Aaron Goldberg

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