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Automatic upgrade (recommended)
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 1-Click Upgrade module
Simply follow the normal path to installing a module on PrestaShop:
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The module is now ready to configure and use.
The Configuration Screen
The module's configuration screen is available from the "Modules" list, by clicking on the module's "Configure" link.
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The configuration screen presents you with a series of sections, providing information, tools and settings.
Update
This section compares your version of PrestaShop with the latest stable one. You can quickly see whether you need to update or not. If you know that there is a newer version available than the one presented, you can trigger a version check by clicking the "Check if new version available" button.
If you want to check for a version other than a stable one (for instance, beta, RC or any other unstable version), click on the "More options (Expert mode)" button. This will open a new section, named "Advanced mode", where you can choose the distribution channel to which you want to update.
Advanced mode
This section enables you to pinpoint exactly which version you want to upgrade your current PrestaShop installation to.
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- Channel. Choose the distribution channel that you want to use. The recommended 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 versions. Use at your own risks.
- Private release. Sometimes, the PrestaShop developers upload a private test version. If you have the right URL and hash key, you can update to this version easily using this channel. If you check the "Allow major upgrade" box, you indicate that are only interested in major releases.
- Local archive. To be used if you have downloaded the version you want to upgrade to in the correct local folder,
/admin/autoupgrade/download. Once you have selected archive in the drop-down selector, indicate the version number in the text field (be very exact!). - Local directory. To be used if you have downloaded and uncompressed the version you want to upgrade to in the
/admin/autoupgrade/latest/prestashopfolder. That/prestashopfolder must come directly from the archive that you downloaded.
- 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 "Checks" section gives you useful information on your current PrestaShop installation, and how it might interact with the automatic upgrade. You must make sure that all the checks are validated before you can launch the upgrade.
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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.
In case you have make changes directly to the core files instead of using the overriding possibilities of PrestaShop, these lists can help you know if your changes are safe or not.
Nevertheless, you can improve the lifespan of your custom code by turning it into overriding files. See the developer documentation for more information.
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 backed-up, 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. An update might bring new default e-mail templates. By default, the upgrade will replace the existing ones with the ones from the newer archive, and add the new templates. If you have customized your templates, it is recommended you keep them. You would then have to customize the new templates in order to fit the general style of your shop.
- Deactivate custom modules. It is recommended to choose "Yes" for this option, as some module might prove a hindrance when upgrading PrestaShop.
- Manual mode. If enabled, the module will stop at each step to ask you for confirmation.
- Server performance. Some shared hosted offer poor performance, which might hinder the performance of the upgrade process, or even make it fail. "Low" is thus selected by default, but if you know you have a powerful server, you can choose "Medium" or even "High".
The Upgrade process
Once all the indicators are green, the update button appears in the "Upgrade" section, along with an indication of which Smarty version you are currently using, and the URL from which the new version will be downloaded.
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| Tip |
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On first load, pages might look wonky: because your web browser caches files, it is probably using the old CSS files instead of the new ones. Do not hesitate to reload the page several times, or even empty your browser's cache, in order to get the correct interface. |
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When you upgrade from version 1.4 to version 1.5, your menus will not be arranged the way they would be if you made a fresh install. That is because PrestaShop tabs got reorganized into menus, and a lot of pages were moved around. Additionally, the upgrader assumes that your 1.4 tab may have been customized or moved around, either by a module or by your own action. Therefore, rather than breaking the existing settings, the upgrader takes the tabs as-is, and does not re-arrange them into the 1.5 order. If you want to change the position of options within a menu, go the to "Tabs" page under the "Administration" menu, and start fiddling with positions. |
Once you have made sure your PrestaShop installation is up and running, you can re-enable your shop using the option in the "Maintenance" page of the "Preferences" menu, 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 back-up all your files and data, and why PrestaShop performs an additional backup of said files and data by itself (which you should not always count on, obviously. Make your own backup first).
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