A generated-file patch can disappear by design. Find the setting or source that recreates the unwanted rule.
Record the version and generation mode
Identify the installed Divi release and the asset-generation behavior it actually uses. Older static-CSS documentation explains the concept but is not a universal current menu guide. Capture the affected page, rule and file. Compare the editor and frontend under the same conditions, including whether a theme-wide setting or module-specific setting owns the style.
Find the declaration’s source
Inspect the winning rule and trace it to a module setting, theme option, custom CSS field or maintained stylesheet. A generated file is the result of those inputs. If someone previously edited that file directly, save the difference for diagnosis but do not treat it as the durable source. Theme and plugin updates can rebuild it.
Correct one owning input
Use the supported source control or builder setting to change the declaration on staging. Rebuild through the installed release’s documented tooling. Compare the regenerated rule with the intended result. If the source cannot be located, give support the selector, file and reproduction instead of adding competing overrides everywhere.
Check optimization-derived copies
An optimization layer can create another stylesheet from the builder’s generated output. Confirm the builder output first, then refresh the derived copy through its owner. A correct source with stale derived CSS needs an invalidation correction; an incorrect source needs an editorial correction. Keep those findings separate in the change record.
Prove the fix survives regeneration
Regenerate a second time, publish a small unrelated edit and check guest delivery again. Test another page using the same module and a mobile layout. Restore the previous source revision if the shared style changes unexpectedly. The acceptance test is persistence through supported regeneration, not a single successful manually edited response.
Symptom-to-cause worksheet
| What you observe | What to investigate | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| Fix disappears after rebuild | Generated file was patched | Locate the maintained source declaration |
| Builder output current, optimized copy old | Derived cache stale | Refresh the responsible optimization output |
| Several pages change unexpectedly | Global input changed | Review shared module and theme scope |
Worked investigation scenario
Illustrative investigation, not a measured Velonic result. Imagine a footer correction was made directly in a generated stylesheet and vanishes after the next edit. Capture that rule, reproduce its source in the maintained custom styling or correct the builder input, and regenerate twice. Inspect two footer-bearing pages. A persistent source correction avoids depending on a cache file that the builder is expected to replace.
Put it into practice
- Record the Divi release and supported tooling.
- Correct source inputs rather than generated files.
- Verify a second rebuild and a shared template.
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