One of my pet peeves with Avada is the lack of global styling for elements. While there are some global defaults, in most cases, this does not address styling and the need for multiple types of an element with their own styling. This frustration comes from years of coding and features being rolled out in new builders and tools (GeneratePress, Bricks, Breakdance, etc.) that allow you to create a global style that can be adjusted once and applied across the classed elements. As of right now, only the post card element is even close. Avada does have the ability to add custom CSS, but the editor is dated — where something like Scripts Organizer or wpCodeSnippets includes modern updates, Emmet shortcuts, and more.
Why do this?
If you maintain a small site by yourself, this may not be a big deal, but if you maintain a site that others also update, the opportunity for a novice to make bad decisions is huge. While this won’t stop them, it can slow them down. Also, in the corporate world, rebranding happens a lot, so the need to change a variety of styles — not just colors and typography — can happen overnight. Speaking of colors and typography, Avada’s naming conventions leave much to be desired, and custom CSS will give you better control.
New tutorials
My goal for the rest of the year is to transition away from using the builder settings wherever possible and use custom CSS to accomplish the same task. Once I have a viable solution, I will be sharing here. The goal is to get to a place where one line of CSS can change the element everywhere.
Feature request
I did submit a feature request to have this level of functionality added to an element — similar to the way GeneratePress does it, which is not so developer-centric — but there is no telling when or if that will happen.
Ultimately, I may find this too difficult a challenge and will abandon Avada in favor of a tool that provides greater control.
Originally published on Feb. 12, 2023
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