Blank screen after upgrade

[roodney]

I am doing a trial upgrade, followed instructions in the upgrade procedure except that I did not compare the add on modules, I was hoping to add them after the fact. I'm guessing now that I cannot do that, likely the upgrade is still looking for my old add-ons/changes? When I try to view my main page it comes up blank, the source code shows just a number '1', and I am not seeing any log entries in my log folder to debug. The admin log-in section works fine, all of my previous info (customers/orders/etc) are there...
I have seen the tutorial about blank screen issues, but not having a log file doesn't help and adding the code to configure.php didn't change the outcome. I have also tried re-uploading the files multiple times now. My questions are:

1. Do I need to re-install all of my old mods before the site will come up?
2. Why is my admin section working flawlessly?
3. Can I just start with a fresh install of the newest ZC and then import only my previous customers/orders, and products through the database?
4. How difficult would #4 be?

Thanks for your input!

[picaflor-azul]

I am doing a trial upgrade, followed instructions in the upgrade procedure except that I did not compare the add on modules, I was hoping to add them after the fact. I'm guessing now that I cannot do that, likely the upgrade is still looking for my old add-ons/changes? When I try to view my main page it comes up blank, the source code shows just a number '1', and I am not seeing any log entries in my log folder to debug. The admin log-in section works fine, all of my previous info (customers/orders/etc) are there...
I have seen the tutorial about blank screen issues, but not having a log file doesn't help and adding the code to configure.php didn't change the outcome. I have also tried re-uploading the files multiple times now. My questions are:

1. Do I need to re-install all of my old mods before the site will come up?
2. Why is my admin section working flawlessly?
3. Can I just start with a fresh install of the newest ZC and then import only my previous customers/orders, and products through the database?
4. How difficult would #4 be?

Thanks for your input!

Make sure that your logs folder is writeable, then reload the page again and see if you get any error logs.

Thanks,

Anne

[lhungil]

... 1. Do I need to re-install all of my old mods before the site will come up? ...

Hard to say without knowing ALOT more. If I had to make a "guess", either the "logs" folder is not writeable or something was missed when "merging" files (or left when it needed to be deleted). Again, very difficult to say without more information. If nothing is in the "debug" logs, check the PHP error logs (if enabled on the host), or the web server error log. They may provide some information (especially if a corrupted file exists or PHP encounters an error before the "log" code is loaded).

... 3. Can I just start with a fresh install of the newest ZC and then import only my previous customers/orders, and products through the database? ...

This would be my recommendation (and the route I usually take).

You do not need to mess around with "importing" only portions of the database (I'd recommend against this approach). Once you have installed a clean 1.5.x version of Zen Cart you can just take a backup of the old 1.3.x database, restore over the new 1.5.x database (feel free to "drop" the tables in the new 1.5.x database first if desired), and re-run zc_install and chose "upgrade database". After this all your old data will be present including customers and orders (and you will have shiny new configure.php files).

This method also allows you to keep your "production" server up and running while working on an upgrade (maybe this is what you mean by "trial" upgrade?). The article How do I rebuild instead of upgrading may be worth taking a look at if you have not already. It outlines the steps in a bit more detail (although I typically deviate and copy over the old db earlier in the process - and keep track of EVERY setting I change).

... 4. How difficult would #4 be? ...

Depends on how heavily your store has been customized. Many of the older plugins are either obsolete or have been updated to work with Zen Cart 1.5.x... You may also want / need to look at a new "template" (if you have not already)... But some modifications may need to be redone for Zen Cart 1.5.x...

[roodney]

Thanks for the info, I have been doing some troubleshooting and realize that perhaps the original template doesn't work with the new version of ZC. I've now got parts of my main page showing again but not properly aligned/ improperly spaced/ content missing. So dropping the original database after I create a fresh install, will this again refer to some of my original modules thereby messing up my fresh layout again? I am going through the site with directory comparison and winmerge to see what kind of a task this will be, but a fresh install with the old database sounds ideal...

[mc12345678]

I am doing a trial upgrade, followed instructions in the upgrade procedure except that I did not compare the add on modules, I was hoping to add them after the fact. I'm guessing now that I cannot do that, likely the upgrade is still looking for my old add-ons/changes? When I try to view my main page it comes up blank, the source code shows just a number '1', and I am not seeing any log entries in my log folder to debug. The admin log-in section works fine, all of my previous info (customers/orders/etc) are there...
I have seen the tutorial about blank screen issues, but not having a log file doesn't help and adding the code to configure.php didn't change the outcome. I have also tried re-uploading the files multiple times now. My questions are:

1. Do I need to re-install all of my old mods before the site will come up?
2. Why is my admin section working flawlessly?
3. Can I just start with a fresh install of the newest ZC and then import only my previous customers/orders, and products through the database?
4. How difficult would #4 be?

Thanks for your input!

As others have addressed the how to's in upgrading, I thought I would answer the one why not yet addressed. The admin panel, while tied to the store and mostly just tied to the database of the store has it's own presentation format and data on which to work. It's possible to debilitate one and still have function in the other; however, generally speaking it's pretty hard to run a business without both. It can be done if all is setup enough and functional to keep operating, but it's not easy and likely to not have administrative actions complete if unable to work in the admin side.

See, even the directory associated with the admin panel is not so "hardset" you as a store owner are the only one that really needs to know where the directory is and can even bury it several layers deep from your store or in some alternate directory, as long as the configure file know where the main store is and is able to access the mySQL database. So, basically two independent systems that also work with each other. Now when version 1.6 is released, there will be likely be an increase in such similar questiions because the admin panel is going to go more template (looking) like the user side. So the little things that cause presentation problems are going to become an issue, but it is an improvement and will make the interface more maleable to ones liking and needs. It will be interesting what new "gadgets" will appear.

[mc12345678]

Thanks for the info, I have been doing some troubleshooting and realize that perhaps the original template doesn't work with the new version of ZC. I've now got parts of my main page showing again but not properly aligned/ improperly spaced/ content missing. So dropping the original database after I create a fresh install, will this again refer to some of my original modules thereby messing up my fresh layout again? I am going through the site with directory comparison and winmerge to see what kind of a task this will be, but a fresh install with the old database sounds ideal...

First of all to ensure clarity, the tables to be dropped would be in the new install database that is not the same database location/name/etc as your existing/old database.

When you reupload and update your database, the settings that you had will be the "same" as what you will have. So, for example your side boxes will be assigned in the same position for the current template as they were. Your ezpages will be the same, etc... Genereaking if you haven't uploaded/updated a previous plugin, not having the program and having the associated database data will not be a problem. The issues will end up being, how do you "activate" the old plugin. Some "new installs" will delete the old settings associated with the plugin, requiring them to be set again. Others will keep them in place and tweak/add/remove settings as applicable. This is one reason to backup before installation (and back up both the files and the database at that).

Hopefully you can get your new version to look the way you want it and then switch over, that way, things will be relatively seemless for your existing customers. And even with that you could start advertising about all the new things that will be available (if there are any) to keep their interest and desire to come back.

[roodney]

Uggh. It's a real dilemma, looking at the stock install of Zencart it's all coming back to me how many little changes have been made along the way and I really like the look I've got now... It seems like some of those changes must have been in the core files, using my old template brings back some parts of the original website but it gets stuck after the left column, that is the left column just inhabits the whole center column and then no footer either. I will try disabling the sideboxes first and go from there. It might also be that some of my old template doesn't work well with the updated ZC.

[mc12345678]

Uggh. It's a real dilemma, looking at the stock install of Zencart it's all coming back to me how many little changes have been made along the way and I really like the look I've got now... It seems like some of those changes must have been in the core files, using my old template brings back some parts of the original website but it gets stuck after the left column, that is the left column just inhabits the whole center column and then no footer either. I will try disabling the sideboxes first and go from there. It might also be that some of my old template doesn't work well with the updated ZC.

Well, one good thing is that you still have your old files and are able to get a "clean" copy of the old files, so you can in someway see what had been changed between the default cart and the way yours is. Of course I suggest getting/keeping your site running over doing some sort of research project, but at least you can do a quick compare if you needed in a pinch.

The site is "put together" along the way, depending on what/where a problem is, if the page stops loading along the way, the bottom is, well last to be parsed/rendered so it may not show. Each of those responses though should tell you a little about where the problem is. My thoughts, yeah probably template related at the moment. May just need to turn off the last left side box seen, or the next one to be displayed on the same side.whichever, is likely to be the cause.

[roodney]

Just to update, that's exactly how I found out where I was getting stuck. Checking the source code for the page at each point along the way. Mostly it was individual template changes along the way, like hard coding a menu link. Also Winmerging all the language files, specifically filenames.php. Just for reference, I was kind of pushed into doing the upgrade because my host was taking a bunch of traffic on his server directed at my site, presumably testing for vulnerabilities in my outdated (1.39) version of ZC. I had put it off waiting for the next major upgrade, but after everything it was really just a day of work so I probably should have done it sooner.