[Deprecated] Updating to 1.4.2 - request from PS team

[uddhava]

I received this email from Bruno from Prestashop, with his permission:

 

I'm getting in touch with you because I read your response on the forum regarding issues related to PrestaShop v1.4 upgrade process. I am particularly interested in a constructive way to facilitate updates thanks to suggestions of the community.

 

In recent weeks, our team took into account comments and suggestions from the community relating to upgrade and bugs. We are about to release a new version 1.4.2 with three main changes:

 

1. improvements related to the upgrade process

2. fixes of all critical bugs which were opened on http://forge.prestashop.com

3. significant performance improvements

 

Can you try to make a new upgrade with this zip file and tell us if it "works better" than before?

All comments will be good to take for us to improve and facilitate upgrades.

 

I hope we can both start a constructive dialogue and a relationship of confidence for the future, we have much to bring to the community and listening must be one of our best qualities.

 

Sincerely,

--

 

Bruno Lévêque

PrestaShop Inc. CEO

[uddhava]

And i replied :

Before i begin i would like to say that the forum is a much better place to discuss these topics because you get the joined experience of all users. So i wrote my remarks in a way that can be put on the forum as well.

Installation & Upgrade to 1.4.2
I have upgraded my local development store to 1.4.2 from the zip file. This local dev is running on a windows 7 + xampp installation. When following the upgrade manual (http://www.prestashop.com/download/guide_MAJ_PS14_en.pdf) the upgrade process went ok. There are a few annoyances and weird language mishaps, but it is do-able. BUT for the average user it is quite hard to upgrade. Upgrading has always been my least favorite thing to do, so i did not bother. But now that i have a shop running for a year i can't start all over because i would loose all information on orders, customers, etc. So upgrading has become a must.

I mentioned that i ran into some quircks. So here they are :
(1)
The upgrade manual has this text :
Rename the admin folder with your shop’s name. For example, if your shop’s file is “admin123” then your folder is called “admin123”.

This is so confusing and is it even necessary, and if so, why??
I dont need to rename the admin folder and i didnt do it this time. So why o why?
Secondly the english grammer is painful to read. It doesnt make sense.


(2) What to do with define('__PS_BASE_URI__' in settings.inc.php?

The upgrade manual dictates to copy the old settings.inc.php to the new admin folder. The installer will recognize this file and enable the upgrade proces. But nothing happens to the PS_BASE_URL setting, and the upgrade manual also does not mention it. So the result is that when you have upgraded your site and access the new url then it gets redirected to the old url. So the url needs to be manually changed to the new location. The only time this will not be an issue is when you copy the new prestashop files directly over your current prestashop installation & upgrade. But who will do that ???


(3) Caching and force compile
When you upgrade a live production shop that has caching enabled the upgrade process does not turn caching off. So when you have upgraded and access the new url, you will not see any changes, nor can you login to the backend, UNLESS you clean out the cache of your browser or do a hard refresh.
And not to mention problem nr 2...

(4) Cant login to backend after upgrade
When the upgrade is finished and you access the backend without a browser refresh you cannot login to the backend of your new site. The login just gets refused and no error message is shown. It just doesnt work. After a hard refresh (ctrl f5) it will work. (unless problem 2 is fixed). I think the forum will be filled with this problem (and it already has i think)

General thoughts on upgrading
For the rest the upgrade itself works nicely and seems to be layout well. But why does the upgrade of Prestashop needs to be so complicated. I have a lot of experience with Wordpress and the upgrade is super simple. Just click a button and voila. Of course, some plugins might not work anymore after an upgrade, but if you only use well known plugins then they will get updated also in time. So the wordpress upgrade process is a breeze and i think that Prestashop should definitely work towards the same system. But at the moment this is not possible because everything is depending on eachother. The theme, modules, classes and core files, they are all connected.
For example with my previous shop i have cloned the bankwire module. Each time prestashop gets an upgrade i need to manually go through the new bankwire module php + template files to see what has changed and add the changes to my module. And the same goes for my theme. And after the upgrade to Smarty3 my whole template (a clone of the default prestashop theme) became unuseable. So this happen again with Smarty4? I dont mind progress, but it seems that using a framework (like Genesis on WP) makes more sense and is more upgrade friendly.

Overrides, framework and modules
With PS 1.4 we finally got override for the class files. And hopefully this will be extended to modules also. So in the future the core might be upgradable without messing up the modules and themes. And with the coming theme framework (skeleton... brrr who thought of that name?) it might happen. So i suggest the PS team to really keep working on a less dependent system where the core / theme / modules are seperated on a higher lever so the upgrade can become much easier.

As far as the current PS is concerned. I will not recommend any less experienced user to perform an upgrade. But we get forced to do it anyway. An average user will most likely need to pay someone experienced to do it. So for the sake of the whole community i hope the PS team and the community will address the upgrade flexibility soon in a thought out way and not just by keep inventing overrides.

Sorry for the long mail. I hope it is constructive enough. But instead of talking i think i will try to suggest/improve the code whenever needed.

[jhnstcks]

Strange, I haven't come across number 4 on any upgrades and i'm using 1.4.2.1 at the moment.

I do agree with the upgrade process, it is a pain in the neck, luckily my shops are not exactly very customised so its not too difficult for me, unless I make stupid mistakes, like deleting my settings.inc.php file....whoops.

Maybe there could be a different download for upgrades, that only have the upgraded files, this would be really useful for small updates and bug fixes.

[uddhava]

Strange, I haven’t come across number 4 on any upgrades and i’m using 1.4.2.1 at the moment.

I mentioned this in my post to bruno to make a point. When doing an upgrade this error/annoyance will pop up. It could be my mistake, but if i follow the upgrade manual this will happen. Please follow me for a moment:

* Copy the settings.inc.php to your new admin folder.
* start the upgrade process

No mention of changing the database settings, Base url or any other setting. So if you upgrade on a local dev machine (with subfolders) the Base url has changed.... And you need to think about that closely... crap it is.
(and i am not even talking about the settings in the ps_configuration table that are not updated during upgrade)

[JSHD]

where to download the latest version?

Please explain, i allready have an bug tracker account, and the version should be released yesterday...

Greetings

[uddhava]

Please wait for the official announcement. If you spend enough time on the forums and help others, after your status is upgraded then you can be invited to try out newer versions. Or go to the SVN server and download the latest UNSTABLE version. See the Prestashop.com Download page for more info.

[jhnstcks]

where to download the latest version?

Please explain, i allready have an bug tracker account, and the version should be released yesterday...

Greetings

The current stable version is located at http://www.prestashop.com/en/downloads/

[koconborz]

The worst thing with the updates: the renaming/skipping folders, deleting modules like watermark (e.g. if I'm forgetting to delete the watermark file, everything will be use with the default one) and the worse; the language files are always different.

Updating is a nightmare right now, but I hope the dev. team will solve it for us

[uddhava]

When upgrading (PS 1.3.1.1 -> 1.4.2.0) I experienced that all the categories are duplicated on the FO. This does not happen in the BO. In 1.4.2.2 this seems to be solved. Although this dev version has other annoying problems....

Upgrading is a #### in the $$$

[jhnstcks]

When upgrading (PS 1.3.1.1 -> 1.4.2.0) I experienced that all the categories are duplicated on the FO. This does not happen in the BO. In 1.4.2.2 this seems to be solved. Although this dev version has other annoying problems....

I didn't have that problem either, I am starting to think i must have been very lucky not to run into any of these problems when i upgraded to any of the 1.4 versions.

Would interesting to do a server comparison to see if it could possibly be a server issue. Maybe the php version is different.

My server details are below

Server information

Prestashop Version: 1.4.2.1
Server information: Linux #1 SMP Wed Jan 5 17:52:25 EST 2011 x86_64
Server software Version: Apache
PHP Version: 5.2.17
MySQL Version: 5.0.92-community-log

[pb4sc]

I am trying to upgrade to 1.4.2 on WAMP. I went to the http://localhost/install. It pulls up the install page, but after I check, "I agree to the conditions" there is no next button, and nothing happens. I hit enter and nothing happens. Tried in in FF and IE. When I tried to upgrade to 1.4.1, it did not work (Also took my site down, but I am not bitter about that) Then I got the Bruno email, telling me to try 1.4.2

I love Prestashop, so take this as constructive criticism. It seems 1.4.x is not ready for prime time. Presta shop is great, but the weakest link in the whole thing is the upgrade process. If you use wordpress, you know what I mean. I sure I am not alone in having a custom theme, which I spent countless hours tweaking. Now it looks like if I want to upgrade, I either am going to have to go with the default theme, and tweak it back to the way I want it, wasting all the previous time I worked on my previous theme. The developers need to take this in consideration before making blanket changes, for the sake of an upgrade.

pb4sc

[uddhava]

(2) What to do with define(’PS_BASE_URI‘ in settings.inc.php?

The upgrade manual dictates to copy the old settings.inc.php to the new admin folder. The installer will recognize this file and enable the upgrade proces. But nothing happens to the PS_BASE_URL setting, and the upgrade manual also does not mention it. So the result is that when you have upgraded your site and access the new url then it gets redirected to the old url. So the url needs to be manually changed to the new location. The only time this will not be an issue is when you copy the new prestashop files directly over your current prestashop installation & upgrade. But who will do that ???

(3) Caching and force compile
When you upgrade a live production shop that has caching enabled the upgrade process does not turn caching off. So when you have upgraded and access the new url, you will not see any changes, nor can you login to the backend, UNLESS you clean out the cache of your browser or do a hard refresh.
And not to mention problem nr 2…

(4) Cant login to backend after upgrade
When the upgrade is finished and you access the backend without a browser refresh you cannot login to the backend of your new site. The login just gets refused and no error message is shown. It just doesnt work. After a hard refresh (ctrl f5) it will work. (unless problem 2 is fixed). I think the forum will be filled with this problem (and it already has i think)

Part of the problems above (including the duplicate categories in the FO) can be solved by doing three things. This is only applicable to v1.4.2.0 :
1) Set Force Compile to Yes
2) Set Cache to No
3) Change "Shop Domain Name" and "SSL Shop Domain Name" to the correct values.

I might call myself stupid for not doing this, but i think the Force Compile/Cache issue is a favorite topic on the forum right now so i feel less stupid. Also after an upgrade (for example on a local dev machine with localhost) the canonical url needs to be changed (3). Maybe in newer versions these steps can be automated so the average user does not run into these problems. And i consider myself, imho, not an average user. I suggest these settings are switched off by default after an upgrade.

[bonbontamura]

I upgraded my shop version 1.4.0.17 on my local development using mac and mamp pro to 1.4.20. the upgrade process was this time ok. I didn't have any serious problems during the installation process. and the problem in the backoffice was gone with this version. and I didn't find any serious problem in this version now

[Thomas Didierjean]

Hi,
Thanks for taking the time to make a detailed report of your update experience. We have been fixing a bunch of issues that you and other people have reported from using this test release. The caching issue you mention has been addressed, and the documentation has been updated.
Updating PrestaShop is not "Wordpress easy" yet, but I think we've made significant improvements.

@pb4sc: did you check in the file config/config.inc.php that your database settings are correct? The lack of an error message warning you about this is also something we've fixed since the first test release.

[uddhava]

:-) A response from the Team. GREAT !!! Keep it up!

[pb4sc]

Hi All,
I did check the database settings. (I found it in another post you made Thomas.) My problem was my user in phpmyadmin was not correct. Once I fixed that, the "next" button did appear. I got the upgrade going, but am still having some issues.

1. Even though I had copied the editorial module before the upgrade, it was all missing in the FO after the upgrade. I checked the BO and the module was there. I solved that by recopying it from 1.3 to 1.4.2, and that brought it back.
2. I had the same problem with the payment logo. It was no where to be found in the FO, checked the BO the module was there and active. I recopied the payment logo module in 1.3.1 to the upgrade, and that took care of that problem.
3. My footer and information block are missing. I searched the forums and saw that this is now under the cmsblock. It is no where to be found in 1.4.2 BO (Yes I did change the search to installed and uninstalled.) There is nothing to copy from 1.3, so I am out of luck. In another post, someone suggested that I reinstall 1.4.2, which I did, but it still was not there. I was thinking I must be going mad. So I did a clean install of 1.4.2, guess what, the cmsblock was in the modules. So for some reason it is not installing in my upgrade.
4. I tested my theme with the theme tester, and it gave me some error messages, but there is no help/direction on what I can do to fix these errors.

Thanks for the response Thomas but I have to politely disagree with "we’ve made significant improvements" to the upgrade process. If anything, 1.4.x has created more headaches for the end user. On the positive side, Prestashop still rocks, even if I have to use 1.3

pb4sc

[uddhava]

Situation :
Upgrade from 1.3.1.1 (live website) -> 1.4.2.0, 1.4.2.2 and 1.4.2.3 (local dev machine)

1.3.1.1 Database info
PS_SSL_ENABLED = 1
CANONICAL_URL = www.varsana.nl
PS_SHOP_DOMAIN = www.varsana.nl
PS_SHOP_DOMAIN_SSL = www.varsana.nl

After performing the upgrade the following issues are present:
* Duplicate categories in FO are still displayed
* Cannot login to the backend.
-> This is caused by the PS_SSL_ENABLED and PS_SHOP_DOMAIN settings. The url is redirected to the old url
-> The only solution is to edit the database directly and changing the settings mentioned above. Then it is possible to login to the BO.
* Some tabs in BO>Preferences are not replaced properly (i didnt change tab settings)

*BO>Preferences*
Default 1.4.2.0 install

Contact Information
Appearance
SEO & URLs
Products
E-mail
Aliases
Image 
Database
Localization
Search
Performance
Geolocation

After Upgrade from 1.3.1.1 to 1.4.2.0

Contact
Appearance
Meta-Tags
Products
Email
Image
Database
Localization 
Search
Performance
Webservice
Geolocation

*BO > TOOLS*
Default 1.4.2.0 install

Languages
Translations
Quick Access
Import
Subdomains
DB backup
CMS
Generators
Stores
Configuration Information
Webservice
Log

After Upgrade from 1.3.1.1 to 1.4.2.0

Languages
Translations
Quick Accesses
Aliases Import 
Subdomains 
DB backup
CMS
Generators
Configuration Information
Log

Thats all for the moment.

[Alain Folletete]

Hi uddhava,

Many thanks for your contribution but can you send your feedback by e-mail to our team.
Indeed, we need these feedbacks by e-mail because we are working hard on these, and we can't see all topics on forum.

We may not see all feedback on the forum.

Best regards

[uddhava]

I also created an issue on the tracker for it. You still want email?

[Alain Folletete]

Yes , please

[SteveW1805]

When can we expect a new stable release with an easier and stable upgrade process. I am using 1.4.0.17

I have problems with check out - it hangs.

What is the latest stable and recommended release please?

Thanks,

S

[uddhava]

The latest stable release is 1.4.1.1. You can download it from the Prestashop site. The next stable release will be released when it is ready. The upgrade process demands some work but is do-able. Expect a more streamlined upgrade process starting from the 1.5 releases. But these will not be ready before the end of this year.

[SteveW1805]

The latest stable release is 1.4.1.1. You can download it from the Prestashop site. The next stable release will be released when it is ready. The upgrade process demands some work but is do-able. Expect a more streamlined upgrade process starting from the 1.5 releases. But these will not be ready before the end of this year.

Thanks.

Are there any known issues with 1.4.1.1?

S

[Thomas Didierjean]

Hi Steve,
Version 1.4.2 is about to be released so I suggest you wait just a little bit more...

[SteveW1805]

Hi Steve,
Version 1.4.2 is about to be released so I suggest you wait just a little bit more...

Thank you.

Do you know when it will be available and will it be classed as stable?

Thanks again,

S