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Fixing Common Sinatra Theme Customizer and CSS Issues

38 threads Sep 16, 2025 Theme → Sinatra

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Many users of the Sinatra theme encounter issues where changes made in the WordPress Customizer don't appear on their live site. This can be frustrating, especially when trying to adjust logos, colors, or CSS. Based on community reports, here are the most common causes and solutions.

Why Customizer Changes Might Not Appear

Several factors can prevent your Customizer adjustments from taking effect:

  • Caching: The most common culprit is caching, either in your browser, a plugin, or your hosting server.
  • User State: Sometimes, issues are only visible when logged in as an administrator. A quick test in an incognito or private browser window can confirm this.
  • Child Theme Configuration: An incorrectly set up child theme can sometimes interfere with Customizer settings, disabling certain options.
  • Individual Page Settings: The Sinatra theme often provides meta-box settings on individual pages and posts that can override the global Customizer options.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

  1. Clear All Caches: Start by clearing your browser cache. Then, clear any caching from your plugins (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache) and your hosting provider's server cache if you have access to it.
  2. Test in Incognito Mode: Open your site in a private or incognito browser window while logged out. This helps determine if the issue is only visible to logged-in users.
  3. Check Page-Level Settings: Edit the specific page where the change isn't showing. Scroll down to the Sinatra meta-box settings (usually below the content editor) and ensure no options there are overriding your global settings. For example, a page's header can be disabled individually.
  4. Verify Your Child Theme: If you are using a child theme and settings are missing or not working, try switching back to the parent Sinatra theme temporarily to see if the problem persists. For a proper child theme, you can use the official Sinatra Child theme from GitHub.
  5. Check for Plugin Conflicts: Temporarily deactivate all your plugins. If the Customizer works, reactivate them one by one to identify which one is causing the conflict.

Adding Custom CSS Correctly

For CSS changes, use the 'Additional CSS' section in the Customizer. The Sinatra theme saves this CSS in the WordPress database, and it is loaded directly into the site's <head> section. You won't see it in your theme's style.css file, but it is being applied. If your CSS isn't working, ensure the selectors are correct and that you are using the !important rule to override other styles if necessary. For example, to change a button's hover color:

.wp-block-button__link:hover {
    background-color: #000 !important;
    color: #FFF !important;
}

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve most issues related to the Customizer and CSS not applying on your Sinatra theme.

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