Upgrading PHP version from 4.4.9?

[PudzPud]

I am using zencart 1.3.9h and currently php version is 4.4.9 - I know it should be php5 but my ex who set up the site and forum originally said the mods would not work on php5 (he often made excuses so he did not have to do stuff!!).

Anyway, I am updating my smf forum and this will work on php4 or 5 and my webhosts currently have my server on php4 at my ex's request, but they have no problem updating this to php5.

My question is, is there a way I can check that my site will work ok on php5? I dont know much about zencart/php so have no idea how to check and am worried I tell my webhosts to change to php5 and then find my zencart store no longer works.

I have a few smaller websites but these are all dreamweaver/basic html (non shopping cart) information sites so I assume they would work on either version, but it's the main zencart one that concerns me.

Any help appreciated.

[nigelt74]

1) Zencart 1.3.9h should work fine on php 5, in fact i think the php 5 is the recommended version for it, the only issue will be the add-ons depending on what versions you have of them, most common add-ons would have been updated to work fine on on php 5.3.
You will need to find what versions of the add-ons you have and if they are php 5.3 compatible,

2) You can, Set up a Wamp server on your home computer, literally these are now one click installs
look fir the wamp or xampp projects online and download the latest version (it will have an upto date version of php etc already set up)
Download a copy of your site (and associated db) and install it on the home server and see if it works

[PudzPud]

1) Zencart 1.3.9h should work fine on php 5, in fact i think the php 5 is the recommended version for it, the only issue will be the add-ons depending on what versions you have of them, most common add-ons would have been updated to work fine on on php 5.3.
You will need to find what versions of the add-ons you have and if they are php 5.3 compatible,

2) You can, Set up a Wamp server on your home computer, literally these are now one click installs
look fir the wamp or xampp projects online and download the latest version (it will have an upto date version of php etc already set up)
Download a copy of your site (and associated db) and install it on the home server and see if it works

Thank you so much - very helpful.

Can you tell me how I can check which php version a module/add-on is? Do I just check in the zencart download section or is there a way to check on my zencart?

Today I have looked at the programs you mentioned but they say it's windows based - my server is linux so will this still give a true indication of how things may work if I changed my linux server to php5?

My webhosts have replied saying they can set the server up with both but I have no idea how I would know if everything was working on php5 if I still had 4 on there also.

[nigelt74]

Your server isn't Linux it is running on linux, linux is the operating system your Apache/mysql server with php is running on, the programs I mentioned are exactly the same just they will run on Windows (which i am assuming is your home computer system?), functionally 99% of things will be the same. I use the same things when testing my sites before putting them on a hosted server.

Some mods will tell you if they are 5.3 compatible on the mods download page, others don't, its not ideal, but with a wamp (windows apache mysql php) server on your home PC, you can test them to see if they work error free. the 1.3.9h zencart core code will work trouble free, its just the add-ons that you need to test.

[PudzPud]

Brilliant - thank you so much for your help.
Can you tell I am new at this php and linux stuff?

Thanks again