New Flextheme Version is Now Available | All You Need to Know About Pronto

After months of development, hard work and beta testing, we’re really excited to finally release Pronto. Some of you also know it as the “Gutenberg theme” or the new core version for Flexthemes. Since Pronto is not a regular theme update, nor it is a new theme – you probably have a bunch of questions. 

In this article, we will explain what exactly this new Flextheme version is, who is it for, what are the benefits of upgrading, what are the terms and requirements to upgrade, as well as how does the release of Pronto affect your current theme(s).

Before we jump into details, make sure to also check out these beautiful website examples from client who’ve already upgraded to Pronto.

What is Pronto

Pronto is a new, optional upgrade for Flextheme users. It is not a mandatory upgrade. We’ve rebuilt the core for our Flexthemes, and integrated the Flex editor directly into Gutenberg. This allows you to fully explore WordPress’ ecosystem, tap into the extensive features and options that come natively with Gutenberg, while still enjoying the design freedom and flexibility offered by Flex. 

While rebuilding the core, we had the opportunity to optimize a lot of the parameters related to loading time, site performance and Google’s upcoming update, which help Pronto deliver better results right out of the box. 

Who is Pronto for

Pronto was built for Gutenberg enthusiasts. For those who love the perks and features that come natively with WordPress, yet don’t want to give up the design freedom and aesthetic offered by Flex. Pronto offers you the best of both worlds – Flothemes’ unique design experience, and WordPress’ vast functionality.

Pronto’s main benefits & key features

Once you upgrade to Pronto, you’ll notice a few key differences from your current theme:

One unified editing area with all settings, easy to access. No more back and forth between tabs, to create slideshows, galleries, or tweak page settings. Everything can be set from one editing area, which makes your process more seamless and straightforward. 

You can mix your Flex blocks and Flothemes native blocks (the ones currently labeled as WP inside your dashboard) with Gutenberg blocks. This gives you access to a ton of new options and layout possibilities. 

You’re ready for Google’s update, concerning core web vitals. We’ve optimized the page experience parameters, such as LCP (loading time), FID (interactivity), CLS (visual stability) to help you deliver faster pages to your visitors and rank better in search results. Also, the fully rebuilt, lightweight core, allows your site to load faster and reach better performance results, on mobile and desktop.

You get new features, such as customizable headers that can be designed and personalized with Flex. You can also enable a burger menu with a beautiful pop-up that can be fully personalized.

For more details and a video overview, check this page: flothemes.com/pronto
Also, explore Pronto’s documentation here: prontodocs.flothemes.com

Terms & requirements to upgrade your Flextheme to Pronto

To upgrade and use Pronto, you’re required to have the following:

• 1 Flextheme license 
• an active support subscription (at all times)
• a hosting provider & domain
• WordPress.org
• the FlexBlock plugin
• the Flo Gutenberg blocks plugin (comes with your Pronto files)

If you own a Flextheme with an active support subscription (you’ve purchased less than 12 months ago OR extended your support subscription) – you can upgrade for free. The Pronto files are already available in your: flothemes.com/my-account/downloads

Yet know that Pronto is a subscription based upgrade. 
When the 12 months expire, you’ll be required to extend your support subscription (starting at $79/year), to continue using Pronto. When your support expires, the Flex block editor will stop working, and you won’t be able to tweak your existing Flex blocks or create new Flex blocks. On the frontend, everything will work fine, your site won’t go blank or stop working. You’ll be able to create new sections using Gutenberg blocks, but not Flex blocks. As soon as you re-activate your support subscription, you’ll gain access to the Flex editor again.

If you have a Classic theme or if you’re a new user and want to access the Pronto upgrade, you’ll need to buy a Flextheme. Your purchase will come with your Flextheme files, 12 free months of support subscription + the Pronto upgrade files. From there, you can switch your website directly to Pronto, by following our tutorials and documentation.

NOTE: If you own several Flexthemes, and you want to upgrade all of them to Pronto, you do not need several support subscription packages. The support subscription applies per account, not per Flextheme. Therefore, you only need 1 active package. 

How to migrate to Pronto? Does it involve loads of work?

Upgrading from your current Flextheme to this new core, will involve some work, but not too much. We created a migration plugin, that allows you to transfer your Flex blocks into the new core, page by page. You will also have step-by-step documentation and video tutorials to guide you through each step. The main work will involve rebuilding your custom page layouts, creating new headers, footers, contact forms and newsletter blocks, plus setting your global layouts. 

If you currently use a Classic theme with a bunch of Flex blocks that you created manually, you’ll be able to transfer the Flex blocks by manually exporting and importing them into Pronto. The rest of the content and pages will need to be fully rebuilt. 

Here’s a detailed tutorial on how to migrate. 

Does the release of Pronto affect your current theme? Will you continue receiving updates?

The release of Pronto, does not affect your current theme. It does not stop the updates that you’re getting for your theme and the updates that we’ll continue pushing for our Flex Block plugin. If you’re happy with your current website setting, there is no need to upgrade to Pronto.
You can continue using your current theme, and we’ll continue supporting it!

What’s on the roadmap for Pronto?

As a flextheme version, Pronto will be getting all features and new elements that we’re launching into the Flex editor (find more details here). Also, we have a series of new functionality that will be implemented only within Pronto, such as: custom sticky headers that can be created and personalized inside Flex, new pre-made Flex block layouts for pop-ups, etc.

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That’s it dear reader. We hope this article gave you a clear understanding on what Pronto is, and why some may consider upgrading. If you have any further questions, please let us know inside our Facebook Community. Again, upgrading to Pronto is only an option that we have created for those who asked for a seamless integration with Gutenberg. If you’re happy with your current theme, there’s no need to change or upgrade.

Flothemes Team,
Supporting You.