Update SweetDate and its plugins

Updates bring new features, security fixes and compatibility with new versions of WordPress, PHP and plugins. The SweetDate changelog lists what changed in every version.

Before you update

1. Back up your files and database. Most hosts offer one-click backups; a plugin such as UpdraftPlus works too.
2. Use a staging copy for big version jumps. Test there, then update the live site.
3. Keep your changes in the child theme. An update replaces every file in the sweetdate folder, so edits made there are lost. See SweetDate child theme.
4. Update WordPress first, then SweetDate, then the plugins.

Update the theme with Envato Market

SweetDate is sold on ThemeForest, and Envato’s free Envato Market plugin delivers theme updates straight to WordPress.

1. Install Envato Market. It is listed on the Plugins tab of the SweetDate Panel (Appearance > SweetDate Panel); click Install, then Activate. You can also download it from Envato and upload it in Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin.
2. Create a personal token at build.envato.com. Keep only the permissions View and search Envato sites, Download your purchased items and List purchases you’ve made.
3. Copy the token (Envato shows it only once), paste it in Envato Market in WordPress admin and click Save Changes.
4. The Themes tab now lists your purchases. When a new version is out, click Update Available there, or update from Dashboard > Updates.

Building a site for a client? Do not give the client a token for your whole account. In Envato Market, choose Add Item and use a single-item token with the theme’s item ID (4994573 for SweetDate).

Update the premium plugins

The premium plugins that come with SweetDate are updated by us, not by their authors, because you do not get a separate license for them. See bundled premium plugins.

1. Update SweetDate first. Each version knows the plugin versions it works with.
2. Go to Appearance > SweetDate Panel and open the Plugins tab.
3. Plugins with a newer version show Update available. Click Update on each one.

Premium plugin downloads need a registered theme. Plugins from WordPress.org, such as Elementor or BuddyPress, update from Dashboard > Updates as usual.

Manual update by FTP

Use this when Envato Market is not an option.

1. Download the latest version from ThemeForest (Downloads > All files & documentation) and unzip it. Take sweetdate.zip from its WordPress folder and unzip it too.
2. Connect to your server by FTP or SFTP and open wp-content/themes/.
3. Download the current sweetdate folder to your computer as a backup.
4. Delete the files inside sweetdate on the server, then upload the files from the new sweetdate folder. Do not touch sweetdate-child.
5. Clear your caches (caching plugin, server cache, CDN, browser).

You can also upload the new sweetdate.zip in Appearance > Themes > Add New Theme > Upload Theme and choose Replace active with uploaded.

After the update

• Open Appearance > SweetDate Panel and check the Plugins tab for plugins that need an update.
• Clear all caches and check the main pages: home, a member profile, a group.
• Something broke? Go through Troubleshooting an issue, then open a ticket.

Update errors

“Update failed: Download failed. A valid URL was not provided.” An old theme version can block Envato Market. Activate a default WordPress theme (for example Twenty Twenty-Five), run the update, then activate SweetDate Child again. Your settings are kept.

“Destination folder already exists.” You uploaded the zip without choosing Replace active with uploaded. Upload again and choose replace, or use FTP.