Technical Note

BRK » 30 December 2007 » In Troubleshooting »

rant.jpg/rant on

We just upgraded to Wordpress 2.3.2 and almost threw a conniption.

If you ever do documentation, make sure to put the steps in the proper order.

This is totally, TOTALLY wrong:

1. Download upgrade files from Wordpress

2. Modify the wp-config.php file.

3. Upload the upgrade files to your server.

4. Oh yeah, make a backup of your files before you upload or you’ll lose everything, because this little upgrade will overwrite your precious modified files and themes and everything.

5. Now that we’re thinking about, you might want to not overwrite those all the files you’ve modified. Save them separately. We’re not going to provide a way for you to know exactly which files you’ve modified, but save them anyway.

/target WP HQ
/cast nuclear bomb

The correct way to do things:

1. Make a backup of your entire WP folder system.

2. Make another backup, you skipped step 1.

3. You rat-b@stard, make a d@mn backup!

4. Save a copy of your backup on your local machine, not just the server.

5. Jeebus, make a f-ing copy of the backup!

6. Download the WP upgrade.

7. Did you make the backups? Seriously, don’t skip the backups.

8. Make a separate copy of your original wp-config.php file, name it wp-config-original.php and save it on the server and on your local machine. Do NOT lose your config settings!

9. Copy the variables from the wp-config-original.php file into the new wp-config.php file.

10. Did you make that backup of your original WP installation? This is your last chance, hoser.

11. Upload the upgrade. If you nuke your Themes and Plugins and Content, you’ve got backups.

12. Goto http://www.yourblogname.net/wp-admin/upgrade.php and let the upgrader run.

13. Launch your blog and pray to Elune you made your backups.

Note: Do not use this list as a “BRK must know what he’s doing” guide to upgrading WordPress. We just know that backups must be done BEFORE any upgrading or modifying and it totally pisses us off when the WP upgrade instructions screw that up.

/rant off

Troubleshooting | December 30, 2007

Comments

10 Responses to “Technical Note”

  1. Someone on December 30th, 2007 12:45 pm

    See? All that trouble you get into just because you READ manuals!

  2. Chris on December 30th, 2007 1:43 pm

    It…er…looks like you used the Installation instructions rather than the Upgrade instructions.

    Just ’cause, you know, it sounded like you did a fresh install over the top of BRK.net.

  3. Euripedes on December 30th, 2007 1:48 pm

    This is why WordPress intimidates me.

    Backups? What is this “backup” you speak of?

  4. Matticus on December 30th, 2007 1:57 pm

    In the future, you maaaay wanna consider looking at the changelog to see what files changed from the last version you use. Instead of reupping the entire install, you can just upload the files that got modified. This update doesn’t seem to be significant (as in database changing) so I’m sure you can get away with replacing a few files.

    http://codex.wordpress.org/Version_2.3.2

    Scroll to the bottom. Luck to you, Master BRK!

  5. Marylin on December 30th, 2007 2:29 pm

    I have given up on upgrading it - it’s gonna take someone telling me what to do over TS or Vent to actually be able to do it without screwing everything up like i did this morning… thank god I backed up as I ended up reverting to completely reinstalling re Fantistico… who of course haven’t upgraded their WP version yet /sigh

    You know there’s a version 2.4 due out in like a month or two right…?

  6. Freejack on December 30th, 2007 9:29 pm

    I’m no techie, but sounds like you had to rebuild everything due to no backup; and yet it is still Olive Green, aka Baby Poop Green. Is the Road Apple Green imbedded into the code or can we ever hope to see something other than the Hugo Boss Green?

  7. Kestrel on December 31st, 2007 1:20 am

    I didn’t back up, but I didn’t upload the /wp-admin and /wp-content folders; only their contents. No problems here at all.

    Also, I agree with Chris: The Upgrade instructions don’t tell you to modify the wp-config.php file, but to preserve your current one (although it shouldn’t be a problem either way).

  8. Marylin on December 31st, 2007 4:18 am

    a friend of mine introduced me to a lovely plugin that has just done it all for me…

    http://techie-buzz.com/wordpress-plugins/wordpress-automatic-upgrade-plugin-update.html

    might be handy to keep a hold of for future upgrades. I used it and had absolutely no problems… phew!

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