Upgrading from 1.5.4

[pixodaros]

Hello,

I am thinking of taking on a contract to upgrade a long-established Zen Cart store from version 1.5.4 to the latest version (currently 1.5.8 I think). I don't have a lot of experience with PHP (other scripting languages and SQL yeah).

My understanding is that upgrading one minor version can easily take a full workday and that it gets more complicated the further the site is behind (one admin says they budget ten hours for a store upgrade) https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread....tiple+versions

The general reference for upgrading is https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/upgrading/ Is there anything I should read about issues upgrading a store which is already several versions behind?

[dbltoe]

Just me but, there's no way I'd try to upgrade.

I'd create a test site either on a local box or the current host if I can create a _test folder in the home directory. Details on how to do it with cPanel can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2zz5r923

What this does is allows the owner to continue with their shop and current DB, ZC version, and PHP version.

You setup a new database, current ZC files, and something like PHP 8.0 in the _test folder.

NOTE: this is an abbreviated version of what can be found in the docs and works well in our hosting environment. There is no guarantee all steps

Install ZC in the _test folder
Point the subdomain test.YOURSITE.com to _test
Set the PHP for the subdomain to 8.0
upload ModList to the site
in Admin >> Modules >> Plugin Manager, install the latest Display Logs and ModList
Decide on responsive classic or bootstrap for the template
If bootstrap, install it in the test folder.
install clone a template and clone both respsonsive_classic and bootstrap BEFORE making any changes.
Set the site to use the appropriate clone
pick the must-have-to-sell Plug Ins needed to sell the product. (you'll find you probably use a LOT less mods with 1.5.8a)
If using OPC and bootstrap, pay attention to the docs about the Information Sidebox.
pick the must-have-to-ship modules and install them.
Bring over your define pages and any needed images (cart, admin, email, AND template) from the old site.
Merge the old database and run zc_install for update.
Mod List will tell you if you have "leftovers" that need to be taken care of.

At this point, you should have a bare-bones site ready to sell. You can tweak to your heart's content or load it to the main site while you tweak the test.

[pixodaros]

Humh, so you suggest creating a clean 1.5.8 install then importing and recreating as much of the old store as possible? I will check the documentation to see what would likely be lost in transition.

I will see what version of PHP the current store is on. It looks like differences between different versions of PHP often cause issues in upgrades.

[dbltoe]

Humh, so you suggest creating a clean 1.5.8 install then importing and recreating as much of the old store as possible? I will check the documentation to see what would likely be lost in transition.

I will see what version of PHP the current store is on. It looks like differences between different versions of PHP often cause issues in upgrades.

Not "as much of the old store as possible" but only what images and any CURRENTLY pertinent define pages text (shippping, privacy, conditions, etc come to mind) you need. All the other customer and product information is in the database and will be brought in with the DB upgrade.

Since the owner is using 1.5.4, they are more than likely using PHP 5.6# which is the highest 1.5.4 can use. And, PHP 7.3 is the minimum for 1.5.8a. Hence the need to have a seperate folder that can accept the newer PHP.

Most hosts can not allow different PHP settings on the same or lower "level" so the new site would have to "above the root". If you settings are username/home/public_html, then username/home/public_html/newstore would NOT be able to use anything but 5.6.#. Setting newstore to 8.0 would also set public_html to 8.0 and, thus, break the original store. However, you can set username/home/_test to any settings available to you by your host.

Making username/home/_test puts it on a different level and allows for a different PHP to be used. Of course, your host will need to provide you with access to "home" and something like cPanel's MultiPHP Manager in order to do the PHP settings. Many hosts will "hide" the options for one or the other.

You will see instructions about comparing files but they DO NOT apply for ZC files in this situation. There have been SO many changes that it is a massive effort to atttempt to compare and update.

Granted, I am familiar with the process as often as I do it but you should have a reasonable setup in a couple of hours.

[pixodaros]

If a clean install can hook up to the old database that is good news. I will poke around the online documentation to see if they have a page for hooking a new install to an old database.

Two of my sites use cPanel for the web interface to the host, and the host for the Zen Cart store is local and usually easy to deal with.

[swguy]

If you don't know PHP *and* you don't have experience with Zen Cart, this is probably not a contract you should be pursuing. Upgrades are a grind.

[dbltoe]

https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/upgra..._only_upgrade/

I will state that, moving from 1.5.4 to 1.5.8a "voids" any warning for me.

This is not the standard upgrade procedure. It will DEFINITELY cause you to lose functionality associated with your older customizations and could break things as you will have configuration settings with no associated files (sideboxes, template, etc.).

Most of all this is going to be lost due to the major changes in file structure, language define methods, etc.

You will lose your customizations, but you won’t lose your data and you’ll be using the latest software, which is more secure.

Also, the Mod List PlugIn helps identify "hangers-on" in the database.

[pixodaros]

https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/upgra..._only_upgrade/

I will state that, moving from 1.5.4 to 1.5.8a "voids" any warning for me.

Anyways, thinking of it as "create a new install, port the database, then rewrite the custom features to work with the new version of PHP" not "update the software dealing with issues as they come up" is another way to look at the task while I decide whether to take it on. That approach would be less an 'admin' task and more a coding task where experience with different versions of PHP would really help. I will look into differences in PHP versions and edit this post when I know what version the current store is running.