easiest way to upgrade from 1.3.0.1

I know that the new version is better, but upgrading is a major pain in the ass -- to be frank--sorry if I hurt anyones feeelings, but it really is a pain to have to install a new version, create a new database, move my templates, etc. over and then copy my dataase and paste it into the new one...

What is the easiest way to upgrade from 1.3.0.1?

I dont have significant mods -- other than EZ pages, its really just the template.

Can someone give me the easiest way to upgrade, My client wont pay me for the time to upgrade, but I know I need to.

Thanks.

If your template has been constructed using over-rides throughout then this is really easy. EZ-Pages is part of the core code (unless you are refering to Multi-language EZ-Pages which should anyway be compatible with 1.3.5) and so can be ignored.

You don't need to create a new database - though you should, of course, back it up before upgrading it.

When I upgraded the (sorry, site offline) site with it's 15 templates and custom code, the whole job took barely an hour from discovering that there was a new release to announcing that the site had been upgraded - and that included a full dry run in a test environment.

It's really not as big a deal as it seems upfront.

I'm having a similar set of angst insomuch as my site host only allows one database and the upgrade states that i need to install the upgrade in a new database and then do a bunch of stuff. If I download the whole site and zip it, how can I just reinstall...or is there a smarter, saavier way of this upgrade?

signed,
Knowledgable, but not as much as I think....probably

That's a very restrictive hosting package. Have you considered upgrading it, or your host?

It's not absolutely necessary to create the second database, though it is highly recommended and backups should be considered essential.

so is this right:

back up everything

upload the full file set into my shop directory
run the install script and choose upgrade?

Provided you haven't made changes to core code, your templates are not too complicated and make proper use of the over-ride system, you are not using complex add-ons and are willing to roll back if it doesn't work for you, then this 3 step approach will probably work for you.

I've converted a couple of my own sites this way without problem, though I should balance that saying that I am currently doing a file-by-file comparison for a client's site.

perhaps you could try your test installation in a new folder using the same database with a different table prefix - never tried it but someone else may be able to confirm...sorry in advance if I'm speaking a complete load of rubbish!!! :wink2:

You're not talking rubbish Patski. For somebody with access to only one database, this would be a viable solution. Though they'd need to know a reasonable amount about what they were doing to create the second set of tables from the first with a different prefix.

Testing is always advisable when making these changes. Backups are absolutely essential. :yes:

BTW. It's probably obvious, but just in case ... if this shortcut does result in problems, :lamo: the advice will be ... rollback and follow the official Zen Cart approach. :thumbsup:

Thank goodness for that!!!

Setting the prefix during the install to something like v1302 would do it perhaps.