Please Note: The following tools and tutorials are for those who need to convert their Catalyst/Dynamik websites over to Genesis/Dynamik Website Builder, yet we strongly discourage Catalyst members from converting any of their Catalyst powered websites that otherwise have no need to be converted. We plan on maintaining Catalyst for years to come and therefore there is no need to unnaturally convert any Catalyst websites over to Genesis.
Having said this, and assuming you do have a need or desire to convert particular Catalyst websites over to the Genesis Framework, let’s talk about what you’ll need to do so in the most efficient way possible.
Steps To Conversion
NOTE: Be sure to backup your site before performing this conversion in case anything were to go wrong. Also, performing the conversion on a test site first may be preferable when compared to doing so on a live/active site.
The following steps should be taken to successfully convert your Catalyst sites:
- Watch the above Screencast once all the way through and then use for reference when needed.
- Go to Dynamik Options > Import/Export and Export your Dynamik Options onto your computer (this Export file will later be Imported into your Dynamik Website Builder Design Options).
- Install Genesis on your to-be-converted Catalyst site and then install and activate Dynamik Website Builder. Instructions can be found HERE.
- Download and install the Catalyst Transport Plugin (**This Plugin no longer works**) on the WordPress installation where your to-be-converted Catalyst site is installed (mentioned below).
- Go to the Catalyst Transport admin page (this is located inside the Genesis admin section) and use it to convert your Catalyst settings.
- Go to Dynamik Design > Import/Export and Import your Dynamik Options file (that you Exported in step 2) to transfer your Dynamik Options and images over to Dynamik Website Builder.
- Convert all of your Custom CSS over to Genesis using the Catalyst To Genesis CSS Converter tool found below. This includes your Advanced Options > Custom CSS as well as any CSS found in your Dynamik Options > Responsive > @media query boxes.
- If you have any custom code inside your /wp-content/themes/dynamik/custom-functions.php file then you may want to transfer that over to your Dynamik Custom > Custom Functions textarea, but you may need to tweak the code before doing so to make it work properly with Genesis.
- Depending on the setup and complexity of the site you may need to do other things like re-drag your Widgets over to their corresponding Widget Areas in Appearance > Widgets as well as install different versions of Plugins (ie. a Genesis version of a Plugin like “Genesis Connect for WooCommerce” as opposed to “Catalyst Connect“, just as an example).
- And there may be other things, but it’s hard to cover every possibility.
- Note Regarding [shortcodes]: I thought of this after shooting the screencast so it’s not mentioned in the video. The Custom Widget Area and Hook Box shotcodes are a bit different in Catalyst than in Dynamik Website Builder. So you’ll need to edit any of these [shortcodes] if you have any. The Custom Widget Area shortcodes were like this: [catalyst_widget_area name=”my_widget_area_name”] and should now look like this: [my_widget_area_name] The Custom Hook Box shortcodes were like this: [catalyst_hook_box name=”my_hook_box_name”] and should now look like this: [my_hook_box_name]
- When the conversion process is complete you can then de-activate and delete the Catalyst Transport Plugin.
And just to re-iterate two very important points mentioned above:
- It is not necessary to convert your Catalyst sites. This is only for those who absolutely have to do so or just want to for whatever reason.
- Backup your live sites before doing any of this and attempt a “mock” conversion on a test site and then transfer the converted site to the live site, if you believe that might make for a smoother and safer transition.
Catalyst Transport Plugin
** PLEASE NOTE: This Plugin no longer works. Catalyst options will have to be manually moved over to Dynamik Website Builder from now on. **
The first tool in your toolkit is the Catalyst Transport Plugin which you can download from your “My Account” page (note that this is only available to Catalyst members). This Plugin allows you to quickly and easily transfer as many Catalyst/Dynamik settings over to Genesis/DWB as possible with the click of your mouse.
Note that this covers all BUT your Dynamik Design Options. So be sure to read the “Note” in the Catalyst Transport admin page for further details (it’s still super simple to transfer these Design settings, it’s just done through the Import/Export options of Dynamik itself).
Catalyst To Genesis CSS Converter
The other tool in your toolkit is the Catalyst To Genesis CSS Converter. It is very similar to our Genesis XHTML To HTML5 CSS Converter tool, but was specifically created for the purpose of converting Catalyst Framework CSS code over to Genesis Framework XHTML CSS code. Please Note: If you ultimately want your converted CSS code to be of the Genesis HTML5 variant then be sure to check the appropriate box below (the one between the textarea and submit buttons).