Taking existing site from 1.3.8a to 1.3.9h - sanity check please

Hello

I'm about to move an existing site from 1.3.8a onto 1.3.9h.

I've read that I have to perform a clean install to get the site up-to-date with the 1.3.9h version.

I've followed the full backup tutorials so now have an up-to-date set of files from server and a copy of the existing DB (gzipped), I've also got the details for a new empty database.

Before I do anything - is this the correct approach to move the site to the new version:

1. Upload the 1.3.9h files onto the server into a subfolder so as not to overwrite the existing site.
2. Import the existing DB into the new clean database.
3. Run the zc installer for 1.3.9h and... errr... tell it to upgrade the new database?

You might see that I'm a bit unclear on the DB transfer steps to get the existing content onto the 1.3.9h version.

Any advice is gratefully received, thanks in advance.

(I've been reading over several threads that seem to cover the issue but I'm still left a bit confused so thought I'd best ask before uploading).

I think I may have found an answer to my own query:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166476&page=5

Will do the install into the subfolder, use PHPadmin to import the DB and then run the installer again to do the DB upgrade and see how I get on with it.

Although this was written for our own customers most of it will apply to your situation:

http://www.terranetwork.net/blog/2010/11/upgrading-zen-cart-1-38-to-1-3-9/

Vger

Thank Vger - that link is very useful.

I've run into an issue getting the old DB to import into the new DB at the moment which has taken my day up. I followed the tutorial for exporting the DB and I've done it before when reinstalling to the same database after having to do a full recovery following an attack.

But importing the old DB into the new DB is throwing an error at me telling me the new DB can't import the old DB citing the DB names - they're different. I opened the sql file to look at it and at the top it says:

--
-- Database: dbXxxOLDNAMExxX

CREATE DATABASE dbXxxOLDNAMExxX DEFAULT CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_swedish_ci;
USE dbXxxOLDNAMExxX;

I'm going try changing the references to dbXxxOLDNAMExxX to dbXxxNEWNAMExxX then gzip it and try it again.

I really like zencart but nothing ever seems simple or straight forward, but I guess that's par for the course with ecommerce :/

Unless this is your own dedicated server and you are logged in with root access then you cannot create new databases using phpMyAdmin. You use your web hosting control panel to create a new database and set up and assign a new user and password to it. So you need to remove this line from the db:

CREATE DATABASE dbXxxOLDNAMExxX DEFAULT CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_swedish_ci;
USE dbXxxOLDNAMExxX;

Vger

Thanks Vger - I was just coming back to say that's what I did - I removed that line and all went in fine. Thanks for the help. :)

Now I just need to update all the styling and various template/override bits and pieces.

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

:)