suggestions about the next release version

To Mr. Daniel,
i have a suggestion related to the upgrading of the next release,
that is :can u specified out the list about which files from which directory that we should upgrade and replace from v1.1.8 to v1.1.9, instead of backing up whole site n database, cos i have been do a lot of modifying and changing in the current OC system that i am using now, mostly in the .php files .

i have gone thru many times of upgrading ,again n again ,since i start using OC v1.1.4 . It is a bit annoying, is there any more convenience ways to do the upgrading?

however , i would like to say this, this is just my suggestion , i wil appreciate ur decision . After trying lots of open source cart system , OC is still the best choice, thanks!

Agreed - manually updating is a huge pain, especially with no detailed changelog.
A one-click upgrade process from the admin section would be ideal.

PhpBB for example have upgrade packages with every release (like the last phpBB 3.0.3 to 3.0.4 package). These are packages containing ONLY the updated files, a changelog and an automatic update install. If OpenCart would have at least a similar approach (even manual for the time being, but more detailed) It would be a real relief for a lot of users.

In the download section one could find foe example a "OpenCart 1.1.7 to 1.1.8 update" URL linking to a ZIP archive containing the changed files (in a folder structure similar as the one already in place at the user's server) and a TXT file containing a changelog and instructions. So instead of going through the whole DBbackup/reinstall/etc... process, the users would only replace a few files on the FTP and make sometimes a couple of changes to the database.

I was actually thinking more like wordpress, so you can update from the admin section - it could automatically download new files and run DB queries to update. You wouldn't have to make it complicated, just replace files and run sql and only update one step at a time. Only catch is all the files would have to be writable by apache, but I guess you could allow the update to run via cli too so you could run it as another user.

This would be very nice todo but, these things are complicated. Your not going to like the next update. The next version changes the images to nolong use the image table. This means you will have to re-add all your images to products.

I'm trying to get all the db changes sorted and then upgrades will be much easier. I have added the template system back in the new version so when you upgrade files in the future you won't have to worry about losing template changes.

well... with such a major change.. should that not be 1.2.0 and not 1.1.9?

For the auto-upgrade, I think you could make it easier and more configurable than you think. Just have it pull a file from your webserver that tells it what files to upgrade and the paths... for instance:

GET update.opencart.com/?version=1.1

/path/to/file1.php
/path/to/file2.php
etc etc

Then have it explode() that, download the files from a specified location, and start replacing them. then have it download the sql to run for the upgrade, and you're good to go (make sure it's over https)! Hard part is putting in error checking to ensure you have permission to modify tables and such, and write files.

Of course, you could make it more complicated than that, but that's how I'd do it

I dunno though, I understand you wanting to wait until the design is more stable before making the update process. If I end up upgrading, I'll likely write a script to do it after doing a dir diff and I'll post it.

But replacing only the changed files and database changes still doesn't solve the problem of modded files. The mods would still be lost.

missright wrote:instead of backing up whole site n database,

You should backup everything always before an upgrade anyway incase something really disasterous happens.
You should also do regular backups of your database and have a copy of your files in your PC incase your webhost loses your site. I have seen this happen.

that is :can u specified out the list about which files from which directory that we should upgrade and replace

You can use something like Winmerge to run a diff between versions. Something like winmerge or another program will tell you which files are different.

cos i have been do a lot of modifying and changing in the current OC system that i am using now, mostly in the .php files .

Make a list of the files you change and also comment all your changes. This will help you in an upgrade. Or, I just use winmerge, do a diff on my files compared to the original files and then do a diff on the old version compared to the new version files.

While I do agree that life can be made easier, I am also aware that while Daniel is writing upgrade scripts, he is not writing code to fix bugs and add new features.
I prefer to do the upgrade myself so Daniel can give us new stuff and fix bugs

Daniel wrote:TThe next version changes the images to nolong use the image table. This means you will have to re-add all your images to products.

Glad I'm not using v.1.1.x as a live shop!

Daniel wrote: I have added the template system back in the new version . . .

FTW

Daniel wrote:Your not going to like the next update. The next version changes the images to nolong use the image table. This means you will have to re-add all your images to products.

Lots of users are going to be pissed off IMO

By the way Daniel, is 1.x version considered as a beta or is it already robust enough to be used in real world?

Unfortunately that's the problem with releasing new versions everyday.

Not saying the way we handled 0.x was best, but there's no "good" way until a cart is stable. So until you get 1.0 final (or whatever number you plan on stopping at), the daily builds should be regarded as untested betas.