upgrade put off long enough

[Pookiehair]

Stitchnkitty did you manage to do this upgrade ok? I have same prob. Im trying to upgrade today from 1.3.8a to 1.3.9h and am getting nowhere fast! Im on the install page and it says
Ready to Install? (This will wipe any existing data. You are NOT in Upgrade mode!!!)
Did you get past this bit? Id be grateful for any tips. Ive read all the stuff they tell you to read but I just dont understand some of it.

[kobra]

Im on the install page and it says
Ready to Install? (This will wipe any existing data. You are NOT in Upgrade mode!!!

I will post the link to the upgrae tutorial again
You should NOT be upgrading your live shop directly nor it's Database
https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/i...hp?article=108

[Pookiehair]

Thanks for replying kobra.
Ive read that tutorial through and through but still it doesnt tell me what I need to know.

I am using Zen Cart version 1.3.8a and trying to upgrade it to the 1.3.9h version. First time Ive ever done an upgrade. I've been trying all day but only got this far...

Unzip a copy of the new version of Zen Cart™, upload it to your webserver into a "demo" folder, ...

but the next bit has got me stumped!

...and install the new version into a separate database, and include the Demo products.

Im about to install and at the bottom it says -
Ready to Install? (This will wipe any existing data. You are NOT in Upgrade mode!!!)

I'm putting it on the server in a separate 'demo' area.

Can you tell me whether I'm in the right place to install this please? Im scared I'll wipe my whole site off if I do something wrong. Ive been reading the zencart forums for hours and have read all the help pages.

[kobra]

You first need to create a new database, user & pass to provide when you install the new version

And, First backup all your current shop file and it's database in the event you do mess something up
https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/i...hp?article=103

[ekoo]

OK, I've read over the tutorial as well as all the info in this post (thanks for that), and I'm about to do my first upgrade.

I'm going from v1.3.9f to v1.3.9h. My question is.. In order to figure out the changed files from f to h, I need to combine the files listed in:
changelog-v1-3-9g.html
-and-
changelog-v1-3-9g.html

which would be the aggregate of:

Changed Files (since release of v1.3.9f)

-and-

Changed Files (since release of v1.3.9g)

(and take into account deletions/new additions)

.. or am I way off?

I do have to say, after doing many installs for community platforms (like phpbb and vbulletin) for various sites.. the amount of work involved in upgrading zenCart has me reconsidering moving forward with using it. It's not that I think I can't do it, but it really seems to be overly hands-on.

[kobra]

I do have to say, after doing many installs for community platforms (like phpbb and vbulletin) for various sites.. the amount of work involved in upgrading zenCart has me reconsidering moving forward with using it.

It's not that I think I can't do it, but it really seems to be overly hands-on.

If you make no changes to any files or add any 3rd party modules then you only need to copy all files/overwrite the existing ones...

But alas, even out of the box it is not exactly waht any individual wants and as there are many usind it that can have fully different combinations of alterations/addons and it is this that make the upgrade a task of comparing files customized to those that have new versions...

If one uses the override system then those are the only files that need to checked against the changelog

1.3.9g to 1.3.9h is only a handful of files that you need to upload

[ekoo]

Understandable, but I've made highly customized versions of other community sites, and upgrades have always been a breeze. I've never had to set up separate databases, duplicate instances of the files, etc. (though I do, of course, back everything up before updates).

I like ZenCart, it has nice features, it's been great to customize (and I've created a highly stylized version of the store, thus many customizations) and I have no worries that I can handle the update myself..

The problem lies in the fact that I will be handing this off to the client upon completion, who will never be able to handle an update like this. Heck, in my experience, clients are even hesitant to press that "update now" link in the friggin' wordpress admin, which is about as hands-free as it gets.

But, I digress....

So, you say there's only a handful of files between g and h the have been updated. Is this list in the release notes wrong? I want to make sure I'm not looking at the wrong changelogs.

Changed Files (since release of v1.3.9g) 

[ride22]

I'm going from v1.3.9f to v1.3.9h. My question is.. In order to figure out the changed files from f to h, I need to combine the files listed in:
changelog-v1-3-9g.html
-and-
changelog-v1-3-9g.html

I am doing the same thing and I am just curious if I have to do the updates from f to g and then from g to h. Is that what you have to do, or can you go with the change log from g to h and be done with it?

[kobra]

ekoo,

Understandable, but I've made highly customized versions of other community sites, and upgrades have always been a breeze.

Yeah like word press??? what major functionality is there??
Not at all comparable to the complexity of a cart script

So, you say there's only a handful of files between g and h the have been updated. Is this list in the release notes wrong?

The majority of that list are admin files and these very few customize so just over write them
The others can also be overwritten
Just check your custome files against them so that if you have a custom version of any of them then you need to incorporate your customizations into the new file

[ekoo]

ekoo,

Yeah like word press??? what major functionality is there??
Not at all comparable to the complexity of a cart script

Nah, wordpress was just an example of something overly simplistic that end-clients are scared to touch the "update" stuff on. Not everyone's as computer literate as the folks that are putting these things together for them. I was referring to things like vbulletin, phpbb, and notably SMF forum with tinyportal integration.

Please don't take offense, but I've noticed in a lot of your posts you're quite short with people. You have to understand that this is really new to a lot of us, and even if we're seasoned vets in web design/dev, we're new to Zen Cart. You're very helpful, but try to remember some of us are limping through this trying to get up to speed and learn the ins and outs.

I'm going to try to do the update now, by the book, but I'm still curious (like ride 22) if we have to do sequential updates, or do we just have to read through both update version's changelogs to figure out what exactly is being updated.