Blackstreet is one of the premium WordPress themes that has recently been removed from the Themeforest marketplace and is now discontinued. I was recently tasked with resolving an issue where the thumbnail images in the recent posts widget were not displaying correctly on a WordPress site using the Blackstreet theme.
Let's briefly examine the precautions to take when using an outdated theme and how to address issues arising from discontinued themes.
WordPress Blackstreet Theme: Recent Posts Thumbnail Image Error
WordPress boasts an extensive range of themes and plugins. Lesser-known themes or plugins often remain unupdated for long periods, eventually being neglected or quietly phased out. Although Blackstreet was a premium theme available on the Themeforest marketplace, visiting its sales page now reveals a message stating, "This item is no longer available." π₯
It was hosted on Bluehost, and it appeared that the theme had been installed around 2013.
Although version 2.4 of Blackstreet was installed, I could not find a changelog for the theme to determine its release date.
Despite being installed over a decade ago, the theme functioned well with the latest WordPress version 6.7.1 and PHP 7.4.
If a theme is not updated for an extended period, it may cause errors with the latest WordPress or become incompatible with the current PHP version, leading to malfunctioning. Additionally, there could be security risks, so it is advisable to avoid using themes or plugins that have not been maintained by their developers for a long duration.
It seems likely that the issues were solved either by direct intervention or through hiring outside help every time a problem occurred. Nevertheless, the fact that a theme that hasn't been updated in over ten years continues to operate reasonably well with both the latest WordPress version and a relatively high PHP version suggests that the theme itself adheres to WordPress standards and is well-crafted.
For instance, popular themes like Avada would likely encounter significant errors if left unupdated for a few years when using the newest WordPress version.
The recent posts widget for this theme was not properly fetching the latest articles, resulting in display issues with NO IMAGE thumbnails.
Upon investigation, I found that the issue occurred when selecting all categories in the Recent Posts widget. (Specifying a particular category allowed the recent posts widget to function correctly and display thumbnails as expected.)
In such situations, one should typically report the bug to the theme vendor to resolve the issue. However, since the theme had been discontinued, I had to address the problem myself. I located the files managing the recent posts widget within the theme folder and altered the code causing the issue to rectify the problem.
Conclusion
When a theme is discontinued and remains unupdated for a long time, it is highly likely to cause problems with the latest versions of WordPress or PHP, along with potential security concerns. Therefore, it is advisable to consider switching to a new theme whenever possible.
For a blog, transitioning to a theme like the Newspaper Theme or GeneratePress Theme can be easily achieved with just a few adjustments. However, switching themes for corporate websites may be akin to a complete site overhaul.
If you wish to continue using the theme, you might consider solving the issues directly or enlisting a professional for assistance. Itβs wise to regularly perform comprehensive backups to your PC. Having a backup ensures that if issues arise with the site, recovery can be straightforward.