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Website Upgrade 2025

Unlock powerful new features with our modern, intuitive website editor

Updated over a week ago

Summary

Before 2024, Uscreen websites used "Themes" and "Pages".

  • You picked 1 of many "Themes" and may have created additional theme pages.

In 2024, Uscreen introduced a New Website Editor

  • This "New Website Editor" offers a single, standard, robust, easily extendable, user-friendly, modernized website and visual editor.

  • It allows us at Uscreen to deliver new features faster

  • It offers the same level of capabilities, settings, and customizations, plus many more options

  • It includes new features like a visual editor, vertical thumbnails, video notes, etc., and will support all upcoming platform enhancements and planned features

ℹ️ INFO: We encourage you to upgrade to the new website editor at your convenience to take advantage of its enhanced features and capabilities. Plenty of Uscreen stores have made the switch and are enjoying the benefits!

The upgrade process is fast and easy in most situations, while it may take more time if you have custom theme customizations or advanced custom code.

This help article will be updated regularly as Uscreen improves the new website editor upgrade process.

New Website Editor Explained 🎬

New Website Editor Benefits

Improved User Experience

  • Modern, intuitive interface for easier website management

  • Real-time preview of changes while editing; see updates instantly

  • Visual editing tools that don't require technical knowledge

Enhanced Capabilities

  • The same level of customization as themes, but with a more user-friendly approach

  • Consistent branding across all pages of your site

  • Simplified navigation and content management

Future-Ready Platform

  • Faster feature delivery from the Uscreen team

  • Regular updates and improvements to the editor

  • Access to new features that won't be available in the older theme system

  • Compatibility with upcoming platform enhancements, like the new Admin Area UI design and other planned features

💡 TIP: The New Website Editor is designed to make your life easier! With real-time previews and intuitive controls, you can create a professional-looking website without needing technical skills or hiring a developer.

New-Website-Only Features

Other new website and catalog features are being added regularly to the new Website Editor. By upgrading, you'll gain priority access to upcoming features like improved People management, Tags, and Automations planned for release in late 2025.

ℹ️ INFO: The new website editor will be the foundation for all future Uscreen website features. By upgrading, you'll ensure your site is ready for upcoming enhancements planned for release in late 2025 and beyond.

Do I Need to Upgrade?

🎉 If you created your Uscreen account in July 2024 or afterwards, you do not need to upgrade. You are already on the latest and greatest. No action is needed!

If you are using a website theme, we recommend upgrading to the new website editor when you're ready to benefit from its improved functionality and features. This is likely if you created your Uscreen account before July 2024.

💡 TIP: To quickly determine whether you're using the older Theme system or the new Website Editor, click the Website tab. If you see options for Theme, then you're store is still using the older system.

How do I upgrade?

The upgrade process is manual:

  • Contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) or Uscreen Support

  • You will manually follow the steps in this article to upgrade.

⚠️ WARNING: The Support team can enable the New Website Editor for your store, but our team is not equipped to assist with migrating, implementing, or troubleshooting custom code at any point in the process. If you have custom code or complex customizations, you will need to work with your developer to prepare for the upgrade and implement these elements in the new editor.

Before You Upgrade

  1. Rebuild your theme homepage as a Landing Page (if needed)

    • This step is not necessary if you use a website like Shopify or WordPress for your homepage

    • Or if you are already using a Landing Page as your home page (which many Uscreen customers already do!)

  2. Rebuild any theme pages as a Landing Page

    • Since themes are going away, you must rebuild any additional theme pages (like contact, about, information, FAQ, etc.) as landing pages

  3. Make note of your header, footer, all associated links, social links, and URLs

    • You will need to recreate your header and footer as part of the upgrade process

  4. Review your custom codes in the Theme and Code Editor

    • Make a list of what you changed

    • You need to reimplement custom codes using landing page custom HTML blocks, head code, or CSS

    • Skip this step if you do not have custom code

  5. Review other custom code in the Code Snippets

    • If this code affects themes, you will need to reimplement without a theme

    • The codes inserted in the Code Snippets will remain even after the upgrade, but it is worth checking before and after the process

    • Skip this step if you do not have custom code

💡 TIP: If you have custom code or heavily customized theme pages, make sure to document everything before upgrading. This will make the transition process much smoother.

You will need to work with your developer to migrate any custom code to the new editor format, as the Support team is not equipped to assist with custom code implementation.

After You Upgrade

  1. Select your home page

    • This may be a Landing Page, a 3rd party website like Shopify or WordPress

    • Or you can keep the Catalog as your home page (which is the default setting). The choice is yours!

  2. Set up your navigation

    • Recreate your header and footer menus

    • Some pages carry over automatically (like community and calendar)

    • Add links to any landing pages you created before the upgrade

  3. Configure your About page (/about)

    • Add your social media links here (these will appear in your footer)

    • Customize the page content to summarize your membership and business

    • You can choose to display or hide this page from your navigation

  4. Review your Terms & Conditions (/terms) page

    • Restore your previously saved content to these pages

    • Ensure all legal information is correctly displayed

  5. Thoroughly review and test your website

    • Check all navigation links

    • Verify that all pages display correctly

    • Pay special attention to areas where you previously had custom code

    • Test on multiple devices and browsers to ensure a responsive design

Feature Transfer Guide

Features Retained After Upgrade

These features and settings will be automatically retained when you upgrade.

  • Website Branding settings like primary color, logo, favicon, etc.

  • Catalog Settings like Featured Category, My Library, Continue Watching, Mark As Watched, playlist position, etc.

  • Advanced Settings like domain, language, and SEO

  • Website Landing Pages

  • Code Snippets

    • Head Code

    • Custom CSS Code

    • Checkout Code

  • Checkout Custom Fields

  • New Member Signup (Join)

  • Existing Member Sign In (Login)

  • Access to watching videos on the web, mobile apps, and TV apps

Features Not Retained After Upgrade

These features will not be retained and will require recreation.

  • Theme Homepage. If you use this, you need to rebuild it as a landing page.

  • Theme sub-pages. If you use subpages, rebuild each as a landing page.

  • Theme templates and liquid code customization. These go away.

  • Custom pages with heavy custom code might be broken.

  • Navigation and Footer items. The new website editor uses a new and improved header and footer navigation, which you need to review and adjust.

  • Assets. The Assets feature is not available in the new website. Please use a different file storage solution, like Dropbox, AWS S3, Netlify, Google Drive, etc.

Need help? Uscreen is Here to Support You

💡 TIP: Our team is ready to guide you through the upgrade process!

  • Contact your friendly Customer Success Manager or Support team

  • Uscreen is continuously improving the upgrade process to make it smoother

  • It's easy to switch back to the old theme if needed. The settings are all independent.

ℹ️ INFO: While it is not possible to try or test the new editor before upgrading, our team can easily switch you back to your old theme if needed.

Looking ahead

While there's no immediate deadline to upgrade, our development focus is on the New Website Editor. We're continuously adding new features and improvements to this platform that won't be available in the older theme system.

You can continue using your existing theme, but be aware that new features will primarily be developed for the new website editor. This ensures we can deliver the best possible experience to our customers.

ℹ️ INFO: Upcoming features like Automations, improved People management, Tags, and the new Admin Area UI design are being built with the New Website Editor in mind.

By upgrading now, you'll be ready to take advantage of these enhancements as soon as they're released.

🔗 Learn more about Uscreen Beta Features

Notes on Customizations

Understanding potential development needs

  • If you've made extensive theme customizations, you may need to rebuild certain parts of your website after upgrading to the new editor

  • This might require hiring a developer, which could involve additional costs

  • While we understand these potential costs aren't ideal, periodic updates are a standard part of maintaining modern software platforms

  • The new website editor is designed as a long-term, sustainable solution that offers more customization options than the previous theme system.

📝 NOTE: If you have a heavily customized site with custom code, you should consult with your developer before requesting the upgrade. Your developer will need to help you migrate any custom functionality to the new editor format.

🔗 Learn more about Recommended 3rd-Party Developers

FAQS

Will I lose my current website if I upgrade?

No, your current website remains intact until you complete the upgrade process.

How long does the upgrade process take?

Enabling the New Website Editor is very quick and easy. It rather depends on your site's complexity. Simple sites can be upgraded in an instant, while heavily customized sites may take longer.

Do I need coding skills to use the new editor?

No! The new editor is designed to be user-friendly and doesn't require coding knowledge for most customizations.

Will my subscribers be affected during the upgrade?

No, your subscribers' access to content will not be interrupted during the upgrade process.

Who will help me migrate my custom code?

You will need to work with your developer to migrate any custom code. Uscreen Support can enable the new editor for you, but cannot assist with custom code implementation.

Will I have access to new features if I don't upgrade?

Many upcoming features are being built specifically for the new website editor and may not be available to sites using the older theme system.

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