ThemeSwitcher Pro 1.6.2 is out today. The headline fix: when you share your homepage in a newsletter or social post, visitors now see the theme you assigned to it, not your default theme. Tracking parameters like utm_source no longer break the switch.

The release also changes how new post types and taxonomies are handled, makes the Site Editor open the block theme you actually use (and remember your choice), and adds compatibility with WordPress 7.1 and PHP 8.5.

Upgrading an existing site? Your settings stay exactly as they are.

Campaign links keep your front page on the right theme

Links in newsletters and social posts usually carry tracking parameters, like ?utm_source=newsletter or ?fbclid=…. Before 1.6.2, a visitor arriving at your front page through one of those links could get your default theme instead of the one you assigned. Same page, wrong design, and often on the traffic you worked hardest to get.

In 1.6.2, the front page keeps its switched theme no matter which harmless parameters are attached. This works whether your front page is a static page or set to “Your latest posts.”

URLs that really point somewhere else still behave correctly. Search results (?s=), category archives (?cat=), and previews (?preview=) aren’t treated as the front page. Developers can change that list with the tsp_filter_front_page_blocking_query_vars filter.

New post types and taxonomies start switched off

On fresh installs, and whenever a plugin or theme registers a new post type or taxonomy, ThemeSwitcher Pro now adds it disabled. Nothing switches themes until you turn it on, so installing a new plugin can’t quietly change how part of your site looks.

Existing sites: your settings don’t change. Post types and taxonomies you’ve already enabled keep working exactly as before.

To enable a new one, go to ThemeSwitcher Pro → Post Type Settings (or Archive Settings for taxonomies), check it, pick a theme, and save. Per-post theme choices for that post type take effect once it’s enabled.

The Site Editor opens the block theme you actually use

If your site runs a classic theme and uses ThemeSwitcher Pro to serve block themes on some pages, the Site Editor used to open whichever block theme came first in the list. Now ThemeSwitcher Pro checks your settings and opens the block theme you’ve assigned most often.

To pick the default yourself, use the new tsp_filter_site_editor_default_theme filter:

add_filter(
    'tsp_filter_site_editor_default_theme',
    function ( $default_theme, $block_themes ) {
        return isset( $block_themes['twentytwentyfour'] )
            ? 'twentytwentyfour'
            : $default_theme;
    },
    10,
    2
);

The filter receives ThemeSwitcher Pro’s pick and the list of available block themes. Return anything that isn’t an installed block theme and it falls back to its own choice.

Your Site Editor choice sticks, per user

When you pick a theme in the Site Editor, ThemeSwitcher Pro now remembers it until you change it. Previously the choice expired after about an hour.

• Per user. Each editor keeps their own choice, so teammates don’t overwrite each other.
• Beats the admin bar preview. Previewing a theme from the admin bar no longer changes which theme the Site Editor opens.
• Resets on a theme change. Switch your site’s active theme and saved Site Editor choices clear, so nobody keeps editing a stale setup.

Ready for WordPress 7.1 and PHP 8.5

ThemeSwitcher Pro 1.6.2 is tested up to WordPress 7.1 and includes PHP 8.5 compatibility fixes, so it runs without deprecation notices on newer PHP versions.

How to update

1. Back up your site. Always a good habit before any update.
2. Update ThemeSwitcher Pro to 1.6.2 from Dashboard → Updates or the Plugins screen, or download it from your My Account section.
3. If you’ve added post types or taxonomies recently, check Post Type Settings and Archive Settings and enable the ones you want to switch.

Full changelog

• Enhancement: Site Editor opens the block theme the site uses when the active theme is classic
• Enhancement: Adds the tsp_filter_site_editor_default_theme filter to set the default Site Editor theme
• Enhancement: Post types and taxonomies are disabled by default on fresh installs and when newly registered; existing settings are unchanged
• Update: Tested up to WordPress 7.1
• Update: PHP 8.5 compatibility fixes
• Fix: Front page keeps its switched theme when the home URL has a query string (e.g. utm_source or fbclid)
• Fix: Site Editor theme choice is saved per user and no longer expires
• Fix: Saved Site Editor theme choice takes priority over the admin bar preview
• Fix: Saved Site Editor theme choices are cleared when the site theme is switched