The Hoot Framework powers all our themes. Think of it as the engine of a car. This theme engine underwent massive upgradation recently. While the initial framework focused on code security and brevity, Hoot 2.0 is geared towards easier code customizability. All our existing themes have already shifted to the new Hoot 2.0 Framework.

Note: Hoot framework is already incorporated in your themes and works silently behind the scene. There are no external plugin or module that you need to install. Chances are, if you are not a developer, you will never even know its there.
You will however notice a few user interface changes:

• All options from the Appearance > Theme Options have now shifted to Appearance > Customize.
• Premium – One click updates are available in wp-admin dashboard (similar to standard wordpress.org themes)
• Premium – Appearance > Hoot Theme Manager for easy import/export of theme settings, and other theme tasks like activating licenses
• Better woocommerce integration.
• Improved CSS grid and a lot more WordPress actions and filters to make the theme even more child-theme friendly.

Hoot Framework was upgraded to 2.0 in the following themes. Hence this article applies to you ONLY IF you are updating the following themes from a previous version:

• Updating from an older version to Chromatic 3.0 or later
• Updating from an older version to Dispatch 2.0 or later
• Updating from an older version to Responsive Brix 2.0 or later
• You can skip this article for all other themes.

Before Updating Your Theme:

1. Database Backup

Hoot 2.0 is a major framework update, so remember to backup your WordPress database using a plugin (like WP-DB-Backup or WPBackItUp) or any of the other methods described in this article before updating your theme.

2. Custom Child Themes

If you are using a child theme from our previous support forums, you will need to make sure it is compatible with the new framework before you update your theme.

1. Download your child theme
2. Open a support ticket on our helpdesk and send us the child theme .zip
3. We will update your child theme code to make it compatible with the latest framework

After Updating Your Theme:

All your Theme Options settings are automatically migrated to the Customizer when you upgrade your theme. There are however a few things you will need to take care of when you update your theme:

1. Widgetized Template Order

The only option which does not migrate well is the order of Widget Areas You will need to manually rearrange the order once you update your theme.

Older Version: wp-admin area > Appearance > Theme Options > Templates tab > Widgetized Template subtab
New Version: wp-admin area > Appearance > Customize > Content > Widgetized Template modules

2. Widgetized Template Widgets

In a very few cases, widgets may not transfer properly due to a change in widget area id
This is due to the way WordPress stores widgets in the database. Please note, your widgets are not deleted. They simply do not get assigned properly to the correct widget areas.

To solve this, in your Appearance > Widgets screen, you will see the widgets in the Inactive Widgets area towards the bottom left of the screen. Simply drag and drop them back into the proper Widget Areas.

3. Theme Specific Options

A few options in specific themes will get lost due to the new changes. Here is a complete list of such settings:

Dispatch
Topbar right area (Search and Social Icons) was earlier controlled within Theme Options. This has been replaced with a Widget Area Topbar Right. You can use the Search and Hoot > Social Icons widgets in your Appearance > Widgets screen to get the same display as before.

Dispatch
Hoot > Call to Action widget earlier used a Page to pull its content (Headline and Text). This has been replaced with a simple textbox within the widget so users can easily input their content without leaving the Widgets screen.