I really like the Genesis Title Toggle plugin. It does one thing and does it well: It adds a “Hide Title” checkbox to the page editing screen so that you can, you guessed it, hide that specific page’s title.
However, with the release of Genesis 3.2, that checkbox has been integrated into the Genesis Framework itself, making the plugin redundant for most sites.
In keeping with the rule of “use all the plugins you actually need, and none that you don’t need”, I’d advise discontinuing use of this plugin, and switching to the built-in Genesis settings — unless you have a good reason to keep it (read on for details).
Requirements and caveats
There are a few requirements to keep in mind before you deactivate and delete the Genesis Title Toggle plugin.
- You’ll need to be using Genesis 3.2 or later. Here’s how to check what version of Genesis you’re using, and what to do if you can’t update past Genesis 2.10.1.
- Genesis 3.1+ requires at least WordPress 5.0. If you’ve updated to at least WordPress 5.0, you should really update to the latest version.
- You need to be able to use the “block editor”, also known as Gutenberg, for your pages. The Genesis Framework setting does not work in the pre-WordPress 5.0 “classic editor”, so if you are using a protection plugin like Disable Gutenberg or Classic Editor to completely disable the block editor, you won’t see the checkbox. Disable Gutenberg does let you use both editors, though, so you can keep that plugin installed if it’s useful to you, and you will see the Genesis setting whenever you choose the “Block Edit” function to edit a page (I am still using this plugin on multiple sites, and it works very well to help site owners transition to the new editor).
- Are you using Genesis Title Toggle to hide the titles on ALL your pages, and do you have a lot of pages? The plugin contains a sitewide default setting to hide all page titles, but the Genesis Framework setting is only available on individual pages, so you may want to stick with the plugin rather than click a checkbox 300 times.
- Are you willing to go through your pages and make a list of the ones using the Hide Title feature? Unfortunately, the Genesis Framework doesn’t automatically pick up settings from the plugin, so after you deactivate the plugin, you’ll need to manually click the checkbox on each page where you want the title hidden. This is usually worth it, unless you have the above mentioned 300-page issue.
How to use the new “Hide Title” setting
As I mentioned above, you will need to know which pages need their titles hidden. Once you have this list ready, go ahead and deactivate the plugin.
If you’re not 100% metaphysically certain of your list, don’t delete the plugin just yet. If it’s deactivated but not deleted, you can temporarily reactivate it to double-check what setting you had previously chosen for each page. Once you delete the plugin, that information will be lost.
With the plugin deactivated, you can now visit each page whose title you’d like to hide, and enable the Hide Title checkbox:
In the page editing screen, click the Genesis icon near the top right corner of the screen (it looks sort of like a ringed planet with a very tiny G on it). This opens the Genesis-specific page settings.
There should be a setting labeled “Title”. If you don’t see the checkbox below the label, click the tiny carat/triangle on the right side to expand the section.
Once you’ve checked the “Hide Title” box, remember to click the blue “Update” button at the top of the Genesis settings to save your choice.
Once you’ve gone through all your pages and are satisfied with the results, it’s safe to delete the plugin. Thanks, Genesis Title Toggle, you were great while you lasted. In fact, you were so good you got promoted!