How to update to v4.0.0 – favethemes

1. Installing Houzez v4.0.0

Download the Latest Package
- Log in to your ThemeForest (or Envato) account.
- Go to your Downloads section, locate “Houzez,” and download the v4.0.0 zip archive.
Deactivate Any Caching Plugins Temporarily
- If you use WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or a similar plugin, go to its settings and disable caching.
- Disabling ensures cached files don’t interfere with the file-replacement process.
Replace the Houzez Files

Go to Appearance > Themes, choose Add New Theme, Upload the Houzez.zip” and click on the “Install Now” button.
When the theme will be uploaded it will ask to replace the new theme with the old theme, please see the below screenshot, then clicks the Replace Current with Uploaded button:

Immediately after activating v4.0.0, perform these cache-clearing steps in order:

Clear Your Site Cache
- Re-enable your caching plugin, then go to its dashboard and click Purge All Caches (or the equivalent “Clear Cache” button).
Purge Browser Cache
- Hard-reload your site in each browser:
  - Windows: Ctrl + F5
  - macOS: Cmd + Shift + R
- Alternatively, open a Private/Incognito window to confirm that the updated CSS/JS files load correctly.
Clear CDN Cache (If Applicable)
- If you use a CDN (Cloudflare, KeyCDN, etc.):
  - Log into your CDN dashboard and choose Purge Everything (or “Purge All”).
Clear Elementor Cache
- In WP-Admin, go to Elementor → Tools → General.
- Click Clear Files & Data.
- Wait for confirmation (“Files & Data Cleared”), then click Save Changes.

If you have never modified Houzez core files, the update process is straightforward:

Install & Activate v4.0.0
- Go to Appearance → Themes (or Plugins → Installed Plugins, if Houzez is a plugin).
- Upload and activate the new v4.0.0 zip.
Clear All Caches
- Clear your caching plugin, browser cache, CDN cache, and Elementor cache in the exact order outlined in Section 2.
Verify Basic Functionality
- Visit a few front-end pages (homepage, property listings, single property).
- Log into WP-Admin and check Theme Options and Houzez Dashboard to confirm that all settings appear as expected.

No custom merge work is needed—just upload, activate, and clear caches.

If you (or a developer) have edited Houzez core files, you must merge those changes against the v4.0.0 release. Follow these sub-steps:

Identify Modified Files
- Refer to your documented list of every PHP, CSS, or JS file you changed. Common locations include:
  - houzez/templates/ or houzez/framework/ for template overrides
  - houzez/style.css or a custom houzez/css/custom.css for CSS tweaks
  - houzez/js/custom.js for JavaScript modifications
Compare Against v4.0.0 Files
- Unzip the v4.0.0 package on your local machine.
- Use a diff tool (Beyond Compare, WinMerge, or your IDE’s built-in diff) to compare each modified file against the clean v4.0.0 version.
  - Pay particular attention to Bootstrap-related changes (class names, grid structures) and any renamed or relocated PHP functions/hooks.
Merge or Re-Apply Customizations
- For each file you modified:
  1. Identify new or altered code in v4.0.0 (e.g., Bootstrap upgrades, renamed JavaScript functions, updated PHP hooks).
  2. Re-apply your custom lines onto the new file, adjusting for any structural or class-name changes.
- Once merged, place your updated files in one of these locations (instead of editing the parent directly):
  - Your child theme (for PHP templates and CSS overrides).
  - A custom plugin (for any custom PHP functions, shortcodes, or hooks).
Validate on Staging
- If possible, test all merged changes on a staging site first.
- Browse through every custom template—search results, listing detail pages, agent profiles—to ensure design and functionality remain intact.

Layout Appears Broken or Styling Is Off
1. Repeat every cache-clearing step: site cache → browser cache → CDN cache → Elementor cache.
2. If still not solve, contact support team with site link and admin login.