CYBERSPACE—With a decade since its last major template system update, Elevated X has announced the release of an entirely new website framework for its website management software. Elevated X Core, developed over the course of two years, introduces a completely new template system and website structure for Elevated X users.
The new system combines modern design with an updated user interface, co-created with Sarah Collins of Zuzana Designs. Core was hand-coded by original Elevated X co-founders Mark El-Wakil and AJ Hall.
“Due to the massive feature set of the software, our templates have always been our Achilles heel,” said Hall. "One of the chief complaints among our software users has been the need for a developer to make extensive design customizations. With Core, we set out to tackle the challenge of enabling non-technical users to customize their own websites.”
Core introduces responsive liquid design layouts that ensure consistent, high-quality display across all devices, from big-screen TVs to mobile phones. For the first time in 21 years, Elevated X users can manage public-facing areas of their websites without relying on a separate “Tour Plugin.”
“We did what was previously considered unfeasible and unthinkable,” Hall said. “The disadvantage we’ve had compared to custom pay site services is that we’re an enterprise software firm. This means every single Elevated X client runs on the same engine. Updating one customer to new technology means updating everyone. Launching something of this magnitude required us to ensure it wouldn’t disrupt legacy sites, some of which have been around for 20 years.”
To address this, Elevated X made the Tour Plugin optional, redeveloping the software’s legacy tour functionality alongside the Core website framework. This update allows users to integrate the same design and functionality across both public and member-only areas, including support for its built-in age-verification handling (AVS) system.
Users still retain the option to create tours with distinct designs or content separate from their sites' member area. However, Core introduces a streamlined option—allowing changes to a single set of templates or CSS to propagate across the entire site, including the tour, member area, VOD section, and signup pages.
This shift represents a complete departure from Elevated X’s traditional method, where different sections of a site require unique codebases. Core unifies design control, enabling global updates with minimal effort.
The company’s departure from legacy latencies also brings with it something long absent from the Elevated X software environment: A built-in design editing interface. A button unlocks the ability for website operators to customize the display and functionality of websites “beyond what off-the-shelf CMS software product made possible,” Elevated X said.
The design editor simplifies design tasks, like clicking a button to uploading a logo, building custom header carousels, and choosing whether to show a search box or icons on pages. Everything from customizing colors to choosing what sections to show on a page can now be controlled by checking boxes in the software’s admin panel.
Core is available at no additional cost to all Elevated X users. Those interested in the update may contact the company’s support team.
For more information, visit Elevated X and follow the company on X.
