Table of content

Automatic upgrade

PrestaShop introduced automatic upgrade in version 1.4.4 and 1.4.4.1, which was then turned into a free module for earlier versions (starting with PS 1.3) and later versions (including 1.5.x).

It enables shop owners to backup and update their site in a few clicks and no technical knowledge.

Downloading and installing the Auto-Upgrade module

Simply follow the normal path to installing a module on PrestaShop:

1. Download the Auto-Upgrade module this URL: http://www.prestashop.com/download/autoupgrade.zip . Save the Zip file to your desktop.
2. In your PrestaShop administration panel, go to the "Modules" tab.
3. Click on the "Add a module" button", located at the top right of the list of available modules.
4. In the form that opens, click on the "Browse..." button, then find and select the module Zip file that you just downloaded.
5. Click the "Upload this Module" button. PrestaShop will put the module on your server, unzip it, and place the files in the /modules/ folder.

The module is now available, but you still have to install it:

1. Still in the "Modules" tab, type "autoupgrade" in the module search box (not the global search at the top).
2. PrestaShop should display the module you just installed. Click it, it should display in the main list.
3. Click the module's "Install" button.

You're done! Now start configuring!

The Configuration Screen

Upgrade

The first section compares your version of PrestaShop with the latest stable one. You can quickly see whether you need to update or not.

If you want to check for a version other than a stable one (beta, RC, etc.), click on the "More options (experts mode)" button. This will open a new section, where you can choose the distribution channel to which you want to update:

• Channel. The default selection is "Minor releases", which means "any stable release above the current one". The other options are:
  • Major releases: only major stable releases above your own: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, etc.
  • Release candidates: RC versions are deemed stable enough to be tested by the majority, but not stable enough to be the real release. Use at your own risks.
  • Beta releases, alpha releases: these are development version. Use at your own risks.
  • Private release: sometimes, the PrestaShop developers uploads a private test version. If you have the right URL and MD5 key, you can update to this version easily using this channel.
  • Local archive: if you have downloaded the version you want to upload to in the correct local folder.
  • Local directory: if you have downloaded the version you want to upload to in a custom folder.
• branch. Indicates if anything is available in the chosen channel.
• name. The name of the latest version in the chosen channel.
• url. The URL to the latest version in the chosen channel.
• md5. The hash check for the latest version in the chosen channel.

Checks

The "Current configuration" section gives you useful information on your current PrestaShop install, and how it might interact with the automatic upgrade:

• Module version: indicates whether you need to update the update module itself. If you have just installed it, there is little you will need to update it.
• Root directory status: indicates if the read/write permissions are correctly set. If not, you will have to change them, using your FTP client. See the Getting Started guide for a quick explanation of how to perform a CHMOD.
• Autoupgrade allowed: indicates whether your install can be upgrade using this tool or not.
• Shop status: indicates if your shop is active or in maintenance mode. You must put your shop in maintenance mode during the whole process (file backup, database backup, automatic upgrade, verification), so as to prevent customers from losing orders... The module will not do it for you.
  • PrestaShop 1.4: enable/disable the shop in the "Preferences" tab.
  • PrestaShop 1.5: enable/disable the shop in the "Maintenance" page, under the "Preferences" menu.
• Cache deactivated: indicates if your shop's is enabled or disabled. You must disable it during the whole process The module will not do it for you.
  • PrestaShop 1.4: enable/disable the cache in the "Performances" page, under the "Preferences" tab.
  • PrestaShop 1.5: enable/disable the shop in the "> Performance " page, under the "Advanced parameters" menu.
• PHP time limit: the automatic upgrade can be a lengthy process, as it needs to download the archive from prestashop.com, unzip it on the server, replace the currently installed files, then trigger the update itself. Hence, the PHP settings might be too low, and break the upgrade altogether, mid-process at worse. In this row, PrestaShop gives you an indication of the current PHP settings. Ideally, it should indicate "disabled".

All these indicators must be green for the upgrade to work. Otherwise, the upgrade button will not appear.

Version comparison

For the curious, the numbered differences between your current version and the latest version in the chosen channel.

Rollback

See below.

Backup options

These options enable you to have some control on the backup process:

• Backup my files and database (required). It is not even an option: you must have your files backuped, and the module will take care of this for you.
• Back up my images. You should let the module take care of your images too, in order to be able to do a clean re-install again by re-uploading your files.

Upgrade Options

These options enable you to have some control on the upgrade process:

• Preserve the original theme. The upgrade process overwrites the default theme with its latest incarnation. If you have made changes to the theme directly, you can protect these changes by choosing "Yes". As a reminder, it is NOT recommended to edit the default theme! You should make a copy of the theme, and make changes to that copy.
• Keep default mails.
• Deactivate custom modules.

The Upgrade process

Once all the indicators are green, the update button appears "Upgrade" section.

The area below the "Upgrade" section will then scroll with a list of the various changes brought to your PrestaShop install: removed files (normally, the ones for the default theme), location of the backup archive (normally in the /[admin]/autoupgrade folder), files added to said archive, files copied from the new version (and therefore marked as upgraded). A lot of files are thus mentioned, and you do not need to read it all!

You'll know the upgrade is over when the message "upgrade complete. Please check your front-office (try to make an order, check theme)" appears in green, along with the following status update: "Upgrade process done. Congratulations! You can now reactive your shop."

Indeed, the auto-update does deactivate your shop, but does not re-activate it automatically. Until you have checked that everything is okay in your back-office (everything is functioning correctly, all your products and images are there...), it is better to keep your shop from the public eye.

Once you have made sure your install is still correct, active your shop using the option in the "Preferences" tab, at the top of the options list, then make tests on your front-office: browse products, sort them, try to order one, etc. In short, go through the entire buying process, in order to make sure that you won't miss a sale.

Is everything working fine? Congratulations, you know have successfully upgraded your PrestaShop install!

Rollbacks

Sadly, not all upgrades are successful – which is the very reason why you should always backup all your files and data, and why PrestaShop performs an additional backup of said files and data itself (which you should not always count on, obviously. Make your own backup first).

PrestaShop's own backup files are saved on your server, and if it turns out your update has gone badly, you can find them in the "Rollback" section of the "Upgrade" sub-tab.

The "Rollback" button triggers two actions:

• Takes the files from the latest backup, and re-installs them in place of those from the current installed version.
• Takes the data from the latest backup, and re-installs it in place of that from the current database.

The rollback's status is indicated at the same location as the upgrade process'.