How to Upgrade to the Newest Version of WordPress From An Old One
I finally bit the bullet and upgraded some old blogs - I’ve been running 1.5.2 on a few, and decided 2.1.2 finally seemed safe enough for me, and went ahead (including ActiveBlogging).
The good news - as long as the mySQL version on your site is 4.0 or higher, the new version works well (and if you still have version 3 of mySQL, you will sooner or later need to get good web hosting for WordPress.
And while I know there’s an official WordPress upgrade method, I get impatient, and do mine a little differently, to keep downtime to a minimum. It makes use of FileZilla to move files between directories on the server, which is very fast compared to uploading files. Here’s the skinny (but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart):
- I back up my database, and download a copy. I know it’s a pain, but I once had an upgrade update the database, then fail - and my db was toast. Now I backup…
- I copy all the latest WP code to a subdirectory I call ‘upgrade’. I place the subdirectory just below my index.php at the blog site. This lets me get the code onto the site without downtime.
- I create another subdirectory called ‘oldfiles’, and get ready for the switcheroo.
One note: the WP upgrade site mentions a whole group of files to watch out for in upgrading (wp-content folder EXCEPT the wp-content/cache, which is not a problem with 1.5.2; wp-images folder, and wp-includes/languages/ if you’re using them). Be sure to review their site to make sure these do or don’t apply to you (for example, I don’t use the wp-images folder, so skipped copying it), and keep them in mind.
Now the files are up there, I’ve got FileZilla warmed up, and I’m ready to switch quick - here goes:
- I turn off my plugins. I hate this part, but I also had a plugin problem once. It’s a big issue if the new WP version and old plugin don’t work together - you can get locked up until you delete the plugin from the server.
- I select and drag all the WP files and directories from the site root to the ‘oldfiles’ directory, and FileZilla moves the whole wp system into the subdirectory. Two exceptions: the wp-config.php file, and the wp-content directory (where the plugins and themes are). If you’re using the wp-images directory or languages, keep that as well.
- I then select and drag all the new WP files and folders in ‘upgrade’ and drag them to the ‘..’ (root) icon at top of the FileZilla list. This moves the files and directories one level up, moving the whole new wp system into place. Of course, don’t move the new wp-content subdirectory, or you’ll silently overwrite your old (and very useful) wp-content themes and plugins!
- Check everything, and run /wp-admin/upgrade.php to finish off, then set the permalink and enable plugins.
Now this isn’t for the faint of heart - you should really do a site backup in advance. But I check everything over carefully at each step, and take care not to overwrite anything without checking the destination. But by using FileZilla’s inter-directory copy, I can upgrade a blog in under a minute, once the files are in place.
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