upgrading 1.2.7d to 1.3.5 to 1.3.6 with Image Handler

[Justwade]

I am wondering if I can get there from here.

I made a 1.3.5 fresh install working with an upgraded 1.2.7d DB.
I then installed a Imagehandler 2 (I have the old version on live site)
Set up the config and got everything working correct on this test site.

I then recently did a 1.3.6 upgrade of this 1.3.5 test site. Looks workable. IH is working, DB is OK when I use the upgraded 1.3.5 DB.

But if I go back and take the present "live" DB to bring things up to date, I loose all my images all together.

Am I correct to assume that even if you reinstall all IH2 files, and reinstall the IH2 sql in the IH2 admin area (did that) - that this upgrading process will not retain all the image referances that IH made in my test site. I was hoping to retain them but now think I need to either re-inter all my images or there is some admin setting that I somehow overlooked. And this all would need to be done while down for maint. I understand keeping a log of your config changes while testing, but this makes me think I should move site up and live "then" add mods like IH.

Is my understanding correct that the live site 1.2.7 DB upgrade will just erase the working 1.3.6 DB entries that IH2 or other Mods with a sql patches might make? Is it possible to install the live site date "into" the working 1.3.6 DB and then upgrade it again? Doing this latter instead of "dropping all the tables" and "importing" 1.2.7d DB?

Please forgive me if the answer is out there already, I just have not seen it.

[DrByte]

IH2 uses a very different image-preparation approach. ie: it caches the images it produces, rather than generating each one on the fly.

My understanding is that there is an option in the module's interface on the Admin->Tools->IH2 menu that allows you to upgrade images from IH1 to IH2 format. I've not studied what exactly is accomplished by this, but it may be what you need in this case.


Upgrading your database from 1.2.7 to 1.3.6 will retain all the configuration settings originally in your 1.2.7 database. Any new settings added by new mods ... would have to be added separate from upgrading. The upgrade process does not dump any configuration settings. Everything is carried forward.

[Justwade]

Thank you Dr. Byte for your reply,

I am still confused to where my options may be.

After I made a new fresh install of 1.3.5 and installed the IH2, I then, one by one, added my images back for products. I also created many new ezpages that I copied and edited to get what was similar to my live site. This over a period of weeks. Got it were I liked it. And now recently I moved up to 1.3.6 with this not live site and with some more time will get it acceptable.

What caught me off guard is it appears that when you reinstall and update the live (1.27.d) DB to bring up the not live site to current, you sacrifice the IH2 connections to it files and the original images. Also all the ezpages I made are gone.(?) These items apparently get lost when you "Dump the tables"

Is it possible to retain these items that apparently are in the 1.3.6 test DB and still get the current live 1.27 data imported in? (+ upgraded of course)

Or should I have "not" made any ezpages, or for that mater, added the new IH 2 version until after I followed up with "live DB" upgrade.

I now will hold off on any other mods, I just thought you could fix up a new store and then go live with it as described above.

[DrByte]

The ez-pages content resides in the "ezpages" table. You could do a backup of this table before re-upgrading the old database, and then restore just that table in order to retain your ezpages content.

I've not worked with IH2 in the manner you've described; however, I did encounter one case where my cache had to be dumped and rebuilt.

I can understand the need to stage the "new" site for several days while tweaking it to do what you need. I usually just take careful notes so I can redo those on the new site after I do the fresh upgrade from the old/live database to the new one just before going live. Usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes to cut over doing it that way. Then again, if you find you need to re-load all your images, that'll take a little more time. Sorry ... I haven't looked into a way around that.

[Justwade]

Thank you Dr. Byte for the insight and advice.

I have learned some DB knowledge, but only long to learn more.

I have concluded to just reenter all the IH images, not so bad. My mistake was to go beyond tweaking for an upgrade and into fixing all the little things that had been neglected. IH2 was the only mod I really added. And now I am going back to my live 1.2.7 site and coordinating some of the related 1.3.6 settings, just to see what happens when I move DB over.

The advice you gave saved all my work with the EZ pages and worked perfectly. I am only testing to see what happens when you upgrade DB from live site. After the ez-page import, I was "prompted" to upgrade the DB again. (I took the ezpage export from my 1.3.5 site). I upgraded DB again and all seems ok.

Now I am wondering if I could safely use the same trick with the contents of Define Pages Editor that I worked so much in......? or I will just cut and paste each page (but then I wouldn't get to play with DB)

Thanks again,

[DrByte]

The define-pages-editor saves all its content in the /includes/languages/english/html_includes folder/subfolders
When you are upgrading, just be sure to skip any existing files under html_includes; but be sure to add any "new" files, if any.

[Justwade]

oops, your right, I used to know that. I need to take a break and refocus somehow.

Thanks,