Genesis 2.1 Changes ![rw-book-cover](http://carriedils.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/genesis-2-1.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[Carrie Dils]] - Full Title: Genesis 2.1 Changes - Category: #articles - Summary: By now you’ve heard the news: Genesis 2.1 is available! This update to the Genesis Framework comes almost six months after the major update we saw with Genesis 2.0. Although it’s only a minor update, there are still some interesting changes to note. - URL: https://carriedils.com/genesis-2-1-changes/ ![Genesis 2.1](https://carriedils.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/genesis-2-1.png) By now you’ve heard the news: Genesis 2.1 is available! This update to the [Genesis Framework](https://carriedils.com/go/genesis/) comes almost six months after the [major update we saw with Genesis 2.0](https://carriedils.com/genesis-2-0-update/). Although it’s only a minor update, there are still some interesting changes to note. I’ll go over a couple of the “biggies” below and then show you where to get the full detail on all the Genesis 2.1 changes if you want to know more. #### Most Interesting (to me) Genesis 2.1 Changes: ##### **Primary Navigation Extras** Say goodbye to primary navigation extras on *fresh installs* of the Genesis Framework. In earlier versions, primary navigation “extras” were a way to add search, RSS feed link, Twitter link, or date to your… you guessed it… primary navigation bar. I’m not sad to see this go. The search was the only useful addition, but that can easily be incorporated in a header widget area or elsewhere. Some StudioPress themes (i.e. [Outreach Pro](https://carriedils.com/go/outreach/), featured below) still use the “extras” in their demos, but I’m pretty sure we won’t see any more of it moving forward. If you’re upgrading from a earlier version of Genesis, you’ll still be able to use the extras, but I recommend against it. The better way to add linked content on the right side is to **add a link to your menu and give it the CSS class “right”** – most StudioPress themes come with this CSS class already built-in and will style your menu item accordingly. ##### Changed Handling of Title Tags Long story short, in the past Genesis included title tag markup `<title></title>` when outputting the title. In the case of certain plugins using [`wp_title()`](http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_title) to grab the title, the resulting markup included double title tags. > Why does Genesis wrap wp\_title() in atag?! Codex: <title><?<span class=”hiddenSpellError” pre=”” data-mce-bogus=”1″>php</span> wp\_title(); ?>Genesis:<title> > > — Mark Jaquith (@markjaquith) [June 25, 2014](https://twitter.com/markjaquith/statuses/481860338921787392) > > Genesis 2.1 adds a new function called `genesis_do_title()` that fixes the issue. Unless you’re looking at the code, you won’t notice any change, but just know that it’s better underneath. 🙂 To summarize: Genesis fixed a markup issue and made Mark Jaquith happy, all in one fell swoop. #### Must Haz Understanding of all Genesis 2.1 Changes! If you’re a nerd like me, you like to see the changelog for software when there’s an update. You can get the bullet-point [Genesis 2.1 changelog](http://www.studiopress.com/releases/genesis-framework-21.htm) from StudioPress with high-level changes for starters. But if you want to understand the *why* behind the changes and not just the what, I’d highly recommend picking up a copy of Gary Jones’ [Changes in Genesis 2.1](http://gamajo.com/changes) guide. Gary is a key contributor to the Genesis Framework and an absolute champion of coding standards and quality. I paid him for a code review of [my first theme for the Genesis Framework](https://store.carriedils.com/downloads/utility-pro/) and have learned a lot since just through checking out his code. All of that to say, if it’s from Gary Jones, you can trust the quality is top-notch. [Pick up a copy of Changes in Genes!is 2.1](http://gamajo.com/changes) if you’re code curious or simply want to support Gary’s many contributions to the Genesis Community. #### Go Forth and Update If you haven’t updated your site(s) to Genesis 2.1 (actually 2.1.1 now!), go for it. You have a 99.9% chance of not running into a single problem. But with any WordPress update, there’s always that small chance something could go wrong, so please, for the love of Carrie, backup your site before updating!, Genesis 2.1 Changes, Carrie Dils, 01gnmd0t0ec2v7sphg765n3tzx.