How to update Dawn theme without losing custom changes before going live?

[jeremyq]

Hi All

So I started building a Shopify site quite a while ago left it and came back and the initial work was done on Dawn version 1.0.0. If you look at the screen shot below there is no prompt like the official documentation  to upgrade the theme. However I can under the theme library choose an action and publish the latest version of theme but this overrides the changes I have made already. Is there no option to upgrade the theme because the site is still in dev mode or hasn't been fully published onto a domain? 

 
Any guidance or documentation or steer in the right direction as I want to be able to customise the dawn theme but also upgrade it seemly so I get updates to the theme. 

Thanks
Jeremy 

[MarinaPetrovic]

Hi @jeremyq , you can use the latest version, you just need to update json files, so your changes, that you made through customizer apply to your new theme. 
Current theme: Go to edit code > config > settings_data.json  --> Copy this
New theme: Go to edit code > config > settings_data.json --> Paste here

After that:
Current theme: edit code > templates > all files --> copy from here

New theme: edit code > templates > all files --> paste here 

Hope this helps!

[Elias · Accepted solution]

Hi, @jeremyq.

Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to our attention!

I didn't have any luck identifying which version of the Dawn theme or when Online store 2.0 themes started including the update functionality in the release notes; however, you can try following the suggestions from @MarinaPetrovic and the community. However, if that doesn't work, then you can also try updating your theme manually using our migration guide. 

Since any custom coding installed by you or by an app would need to be reinstalled, then you can also consider downloading the most recent version of the Dawn theme as the update functionality only migrates customizations in the Theme editor and not custom coding. This way, you can also work on your new theme without affecting your published theme. 

That being said, if you need further help, then you may also be able to find some additional suggestions from the community for updating your theme on this thread - 'Solved: Re: Dawn Theme 6.01'.

I'd love to hear more about your business and how updating your theme is going! What kinds of products do you sell? Were you able to update your theme with the custom coding provided in the thread? 

[jeremyq]

@Elias @MarinaPetrovic 

I've managed to migrate my changes to the new version of Dawn theme successfully. 

I appreciate the detailed responses hugely helpful. 

@Elias as for your question around what we sell its stylish baby playmats. We currently have a wordpress site and sell on a third party platform but I am implementing an shopify store for us. 
The current site is here https://www.maxineandmoo.co.za

Thanks again for the help much appreciated. 

[Elias]

Hey, @jeremyq.

Thank you for following up and providing the additional context!

I wasn't able to view your Wordpress site as I'm running into an error that the site can't be reached. However, I understand that this could be due to changes you're making to your domain's DNS, so it may take up to 48 hours for your domain to be available.  

Since your business is selling playmats for babies, then I'd recommend checking out one of our merchant's success stories for some tips for scaling your business- '196 Countries, 4 Stores, 2 Warehouses: How This Baby Brand is Growing Up Fast.' With that being said, I'd also encourage developing a marketing plan for your business if you don't have one yet, or considering hiring a marketing expert to help with running ad campaigns and growing your business. If you need help finding a marketing expert, then please take a look at our directory of certified developers on Shopify Experts. 

If you're migrating over from Wordpress, then did you get a chance to check out our migration guide?