Update Elementor starter templates to modern Elementor version standards and containers

Impact: 65 · Confidence: 85 · Complexity: 50

Description

1. Problem: Several Elementor-based starter templates in the Neve library were constructed using legacy Elementor versions and deprecated section/column structures, causing deprecation warnings or sub-optimal editing experiences when imported into recent Elementor releases.
2. Desired Behavior: Audit and update existing Elementor starter site templates to use current Elementor core standards (Flexbox/Grid containers and modern widget implementations).
3. Acceptance Criteria:

• Audit the Elementor starter templates library for deprecated Elementor widgets and legacy markup.
• Update and re-export affected templates using current Elementor layout containers and active standards.
• Verify imported starter sites render cleanly in recent Elementor versions without deprecation notices.

Customer Context

The customer noted that many Elementor starter templates available in Neve rely on older versions of Elementor, leading to friction and potential compatibility concerns when building with modern Elementor features.

Root Cause Analysis

1. WCAG Starter Sites: Customers building sites in regions with mandatory digital accessibility laws (such as EU EN 301 549) require turnkey, WCAG 2.1 AA compliant starter templates. Existing starter templates are designed primarily for visual appeal rather than strict WCAG compliance, requiring manual remediation after import.
2. Legacy Elementor Templates: Starter site assets created for earlier versions of Elementor persist in the library without periodic refactoring, leading to stale container structures and deprecation warnings when edited in updated Elementor builds.
3. Responsive Duplicate DOM IDs: Neve's Header Footer Grid builder evaluates both desktop and mobile component instances in the DOM and uses a static ID string (footer-menu) in template rendering rather than dynamically suffixing responsive instances.

Alternative Suggestions

Perform a scheduled maintenance update on the Neve Starter Sites library to migrate legacy Elementor section/column template structures to current Elementor flexbox containers and updated widget standards.

Reasoning

The customer raised three distinct filable requests in this conversation:

1. A request for WCAG 2.1 AA compliant starter sites/templates in Neve to meet increasingly strict accessibility regulations (e.g., EU EN 301 549). This is an actionable new feature request (new_feature_request).
2. A request regarding older Elementor starter templates, pointing out that many rely on legacy Elementor structures and asking for them to be updated to current Elementor version standards. This can be addressed by updating existing starter site assets (suggest_improvement).
3. An original bug report where the Footer Menu component in Header Footer Grid generates duplicate id="footer-menu" across desktop and mobile layouts, failing WCAG 4.1.2. This is already tracked under GitHub issue Codeinwp/neve#4557 (already_exists_github).

The top-level decision reflects the strongest new request (new_feature_request). A fourth mention about general Elementor compatibility is too vague for a standalone issue without specific block/reproduction details.

Source: HelpScout #3405021142
Generated by feature-request-triage workflow (ID: feature-request-triage_6a75acd02d4934.59392777)

Start by auditing the Neve starter templates library for Elementor assets that use deprecated widgets or legacy section and column structures. Update and re-export affected templates with current container standards, then import them in recent Elementor versions and verify clean rendering without deprecation notices.