Hi Nicola
You are right, the Toolset Starter Theme is deprecated.
Let me answer your questions in detail, and provide solutions for you (and others).
1. We are not pushing any more updates to the Theme since it's not available anymore. If you have Security issues due to the Theme, please report this to us. The solution though might include changing the theme if there would be an issue with the Starter Theme's Security.
2. The reasons are (among others):
- Toolset's main purpose and "goal" is and was not the Theme development per-se, but the Plugin development, specifically plugins with which you can customize any site (or theme).
- Toolset Starter was produced for the sole purpose to be a starter plate, fully (and restrictively) integrated with Toolset Layouts - this is what made it "special".
- Toolset Starter does not comply with Toolset Content Layouts that we added later, and it features complex CSS cascading that confused several users.
- The coming changes to Gutenberg make themes like the Starter Theme even more "obsolete"
- Nowadays you can use Toolset Layouts or other components freely on all themes you want, as long as they use the_content() function, or are Custom Types Ready as here:
https://toolset.com/documentation/recommended-themes/
- Finally, the numbers of installs showed us that this theme was not what the users wanted majorly anymore.
3. Nothing you do not probably know of already:
- https://toolset.com/forums/topic/cred-form-css-styling-issue/
- as said above, it's not compatible with Content Layouts
4. I foresee no imminent issues if you keep it unless WordPress's API changes drastically.
But it's better, if you can, to switch.
And now, I would like to provide a few solutions.
1. Use any Theme that uses the_content() as a render function.
The Toolset will work out of the box. You will design only the post body area with Toolset (and include in there what you like, using Toolset).
The rest (sidebar, header, etc) is handled by The Theme you choose.
2. Use any Custom Type Ready Theme:
https://toolset.com/documentation/recommended-themes/
This is the same as #1 above, but now you can as well control the Theme settings that are relevant to what you display directly within Toolset Layouts or Content Templates, and those settings will then influence the Theme settings for that specific content displayed with the layout or content template
3. If you require to design the entire template with Toolset Layouts as it's used from Toolset Starter, then custom PHP integration is required.
I made an example base theme here:
https://github.com/TukuToi/MinimaX1/
This is the most minimal possible version of a WordPress Theme, enqueuing Bootstrap and dynamically integrating Toolset.
This means you can if you want, but don't have to, use Toolset Layouts to design the templates.
The Theme is very well commented in the code, it has (until now) convinced the users who were requiring a more "custom" possibility to use Toolset, and needed to switch from the Starter Theme.
Most's reply - after having a look at the theme - was that this was a good start for them to finally created their own, fully custom "Toolset" Theme.
Note that this is my personal creation, you are free to use it, but we do not support it here in the forum.
I do not know enough about your projects, but I assume, #2 is the way you could try to approach.
These themes that are linked there are extremely welcomed by many Website users and masters worldwide, and you can achieve great designs with them
Please let me know if I left open any doubt.
