Do you ask for passwords in the form?

No. The public form never requests access. Secure credentials are requested only after the scope and quote are approved.

Who reviews the incident?

The request goes to Jordi Ensenyat, founder of Code Barcelona and a WordPress specialist with more than 15 years of experience.

Is anything changed before the quote?

No. Visible symptoms and scope are reviewed first. Intervention begins after approval and with a rollback path prepared.

Do you work internationally?

Yes. WP Repair handles WordPress and WooCommerce incidents in English and Spanish through a remote service.

A Theme Update Removes Custom CSS or Template Changes

Updates replace parent-theme files. Direct edits disappear by design, while Customizer CSS, child themes and site plugins normally persist. The first job is to identify where the missing change lived and recover only intentional code.

Do not overwrite the updated theme with an old full copy without reviewing security and template changes.

Define what disappeared

Record affected URLs, viewport, expected layout and whether CSS, PHP template, JavaScript or theme setting changed.

Inspect browser source and Network to see whether the old selector/file is absent or loaded but overridden.

Collect:
theme old/new versions
update timestamp
missing file/selector/hook
screenshots
browser console/CSS evidence

Avoid including private page content.

Locate previous code

Search pre-update backups, Git history, hosting snapshots and developer copies. Compare only the parent theme and relevant child/custom directories.

Do not copy code from browser cache as the sole source; minified output may be incomplete or generated.

Confirm who authored the change and what problem it solved.

Audit theme settings and generated design data

Some themes store colour, typography, header and template-builder settings in wp_options or custom posts rather than files. Compare a pre-update database copy with current settings before assuming code was deleted.

Do not import an entire old theme-options bundle into production blindly; it may overwrite new menus, widgets or URLs. Extract the specific setting or template, test it on staging and preserve the updated theme’s schema.

Check safer storage locations

Inspect Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS, the active child theme, Site Editor styles, snippets plugin and custom plugin. The update may have changed selector specificity rather than deleted code.

If code exists, use developer tools to identify the new markup/selector. Avoid adding repeated !important rules without understanding cascade.

Clear generated CSS and page cache after controlled changes.

Compare template changes

Diff the recovered customised template against both old and new parent versions. The update may include changed hooks, security escaping or HTML required by plugins.

Merge:
upstream fixes/structure
only intentional custom change
current escaping and hooks
documented version header

Do not simply restore the entire old template; it can reintroduce vulnerabilities and incompatibility.

Create or repair a child theme

Move appropriate templates, CSS and functions into a child theme. Load parent/child styles using the theme’s documented method.

/*
Theme Name: Site Child
Template: parent-theme-directory
*/

The Template value must match the parent directory. Back up and test activation on staging before production.

Move functionality out of the theme

Shortcodes, post types, integrations and business logic should live in a maintained site plugin so a theme change does not remove them.

Use hooks rather than copied templates when a small filter/action can achieve the result. Fewer overrides reduce future merge work.

Do not place secrets in theme or browser-visible JavaScript.

Restore the visual change safely

Apply the smallest reviewed CSS/template/hook update in staging. Test desktop/mobile, anonymous/logged-in and key browsers.

Check accessibility: focus, keyboard navigation, contrast and responsive zoom. A visually matching restoration can still break interaction.

Deploy with version control and cache-busting.

Check block-theme templates

For block themes, Site Editor templates and template parts can override files from the updated theme. A customised database version may be marked “Customised,” while reset restores the vendor file.

Export the current styles/templates before resetting anything. Compare the stored block markup with the new theme version and merge only intentional blocks/settings. Validate navigation, reusable patterns and responsive behaviour after the merge.

Verify future update resilience

Run the parent update again on a staging copy and confirm the child/site-plugin changes survive. Document every override and the upstream version compared.

Recurring care should diff overrides when themes release updates. The durable repair restores the design while separating custom work from files the vendor is expected to replace.