Today we are excited to announce the release of version 2.2. of UiPress, the biggest update to the plugin we have released since launch. Continue reading to see the highlights and biggest changes or head on over to our changelog to see all the details.

Things we will cover here:

  • Global changes
  • Styles page
  • Performance updates
  • Login Page
  • Licence Changes
  • Menu Creator
  • Folders
  • What to expect when updating

Global changes

Since UiPress was launched nearly two years ago we used UiKit as a framework, with the release of UiPress 2.2 we are now running a completely custom, purpose built framework which has streamlined the development process and allowed us to reduce a lot of weight from the plugin.

The first thing you will notice about this update is a refined theme and slightly different layout with the menu and admin bar. The new theme / style is super clean, super fast and is way less likely to conflict with anything at all.

Styles Page

Version 2.2 introduces the styles page a powerful live editor for changing the colours, sizes and styles of the uipress theme. With the styles page you can create stunning, truly unique and on brand admin areas for yourself or your clients.

Performance Updates

The core components of uipress (menu, admin bar, theme and folder modules) have all been recoded with performance in mind. This has lead to some huge performance improvements and uipress is now the fastest and most stable it has ever been.

The new css framework powering v2.2 comes in at 81kb, in the previous version the base file was nearly 10 times the size at 751kb.

Pages now not only load quicker but also smoother with subtle transitions and placeholders, any jarring layout issues before the page is loaded are a thing of the past.

Login Page

The login page got a style refresh in this update and is better optimised for mobile devices. The new login page also allows for an optional different logo to be set as well as loading up any style customisation and custom fonts.

Licence Changes

Uipress now only requires a licence to unlock pro features, users of the lite plugin no longer have to enter any licence to activate the plugin. This change not only makes sense from a user experience point of view but it will allow us to put uipress in the WordPress repository in the near future.

The menu creator has now fully replaced the menu editor module and the later has now been removed from the plugin.

We have also added a game changing feature for multisite users, you can now apply custom admin menus network wide. Just create a menu on the primary network site and in the options toggle “Apply to subsites”.

Folders

Not only did the folder system get a complete overhaul in this update, it now also works with your favourite page builders and not just on the backend allowing you to utilise your folder structure whenever you need it.

What to expect when updating

This version has some huge under the hood changes and while every effort has been made to ensure a smooth transition it’s always best to do a site backup before updating

UiPress v2.2 is using a new settings object so when you update, your settings will not be automatically imported. You will have a notice in the admin area asking if you would like to import the settings from the previous version, if you run this imported all your previous settings / overview layout will be imported for you.

In some scenarios after updating, uipress may deactivate and you may see a message that the plugin couldn’t be found, this is nothing to worry about, the plugin will be updated, you just need to activate again.

It is also possible to have both version 2.2 and older versions of uipress active at the same time so if you are having display issues, make sure you only have the latest version active.