Detailed instructions how to upgrade from 2.65 to 2.70

Hi,
i upgraded my 2.65 site to version 2.70 with no source,
and i wrote detailed instructions how to do that (for myself with future versions, and for a friend of mine).
i saw the readme with the upgrade information,
but i wanted much more details, so i will not have to think how to do it next time.

Please, if you see anything to add or to update, please reply so we will have update instructions.
This is the exact method i did the upgrade.

The instructions -

1. Download both files -
nopCommerce 2.70 - Web (no source) (14.00 MB)
nopCommerce 2.70 - Upgrade script (12 KB)
from - https://www.nopcommerce.com/downloads.aspx
and extract the files.

2. if you use non-english characters (like Hebrew, Russian, ...)
replace line 691 in the upgrade script of the DB to -
SET @allowed_se_chars = N'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890 _-אבגדהוזחטיכךלמםנןסעפףצץקרשת'
or
SET @allowed_se_chars = N'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890 _-абвгдеёжзж_и_так_далее_весь_русский_алфавит'
or
...

3. Backup DB

4. Execute the upgrade script on the DB

5. Shutdown the site

6. Change the name of the main folder to XXX_265 (where XXX is the name of the site name)
this will be the backup of our site of version 2.65

7. Create a new folder with the same site name (XXX)

8. Copy (don't move) all the files and folders from the extracted "nopCommerce 2.70 - Web (no source)"
to the new folder we just created.

9. Overwrite the following files from the XXX_265 folder to the new folder (XXX) :
App_Data\Settings.txt
App_Data\InstalledPlugins.txt
all the files from Folder : Content\Images\uploaded

10. Overwrite the following file from the extracted "nopCommerce 2.70 - Web (no source)" :
DarkOrange\Views\Web.config
to our theme folder :
XXX\theme\MyXXXTheme\Views\Web.config
yes, it's doesn't matter from which theme, as long as this file is copied.

11. Remove the words "Url.Content"
from MyXXXTheme\Views\Shared\Head.cshtml
(it appears twice)

12. if you did changes in the CSS files then -
Compare with beyond compare or something similar the following files :
MyXXXTheme\Content\styles.css
to
DarkOrange\Content\styles.css
(compare the RTL files if you are using RTL)
there are many small changes, and you can't overwrite the file if you made changes to the CSS
(better solution is the have your own CSS apart from the main CSS, but i didn't do that...)

13. if you did any change to other files in your theme,
compare each of them, so you will have the updated version.

14. install .net framework 4.5 from -
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30653

15. run the site, and check !

have fun.

Shay

Hello,

first of all thanks that you took the time to write-up a detailed description of the upgrade procedure.

I had recently a question regarding the SQL upgrade script but the nopCommerce team has given no answer yet and therefore I'd like to repeat my question:

I am getting a SQL error when executing the upgrade script.

I installed 2.65 with SQL Server Compact db-file.

After 2.7 came out I wanted to run the upgrade script and it throws an error right away at the first declare @resources XML statement, saying that this statement is unknown for SQL Server Compact / invalid syntax.

I am running VS2012, WebMatrix2 and tried on both platform to run the script but apparently the statement above is simply not supported by SQL Server Compact !?

What is the solution? I don't understand in the first place why an upgrade script is not working right of the box since nopCommerce offers the option to go with SQL Compact. So, I would expect to get a working upgrade script from the get-go.

Anyone who had run into the same issue and knows the solution? Help is very much appreciated. May be I have overlooked something for the upgrade?
Note: Please do not recommend to run nopCommerce on a (full) SQL Server instance -- I had chosen the Compact db-file for a reason and need to know how to upgrade such installation in the future, otherwise it is completely worthless to even offer the Compact db installation option.

Really would appreciate if a nopCommerce team member could comment here and provide a solution.

Frank

i don't have an answer for you.
i am using the Express edition.

i agree with you, if the compact version is supported, than it should work out of the box.
i don't understand how nopcommerce support the compact edition,
compact edition doesn't have stored procedures and nop use them.

what is the reason that you choose compact and not express ?

Hello shayt,

thanks for getting back even if you haven't used Compact.

I found the file-based ecommerce version of nopCommerce an interesting alternative with respect to the simple infrastructure requirements (== meaning no MS SQL support whatsoever is needed on the hosting site). Also easy relocation of the website, easy backup.
That all from the perspective that I am working in the consulting field and have lots of inquiries for 'what eshop should I use' -- many clients require only simple solutions in the beginning, but it is great if you can recommend something that would grow with their needs. nopCommerce is such thing, theoretically at least. Great feature set, simple install,... but for me the maintenance part is a super high priority for selecting a solution. If the greatest software on earth is difficult to upgrade, it falls off my radar, because I don't need a headache every time a new version comes out.


I kind of expect that the upgrade runs smooth. In the end I have to bill my client for the time I spend on a upgrade, however, I cannot bill several hours I need to find answers.

I still do not understand why someone from the developer team cannot clarify my question in a minute of his/her time. Also, did they ever test the upgrade? If so, why don't they offer a upgrade description like yours?

I know that nopCommerce is a good software and from other installs/upgrades I know that it runs ok with SQL Express or higher SQL versions - I also agree that stand-alone SQL instances are the more professional way especially for higher traffic shops -- however, I re-iterate, if a company offers an alternative version they should make sure to support it and not to leave it behind. IF there are reasons why Compact is not a good path to follow then I would expect they announce that they drop it soon in order to inform people that this will be a dead end.

makes sense?

Regards,
Frank, ...and still hoping to get an answer from the dev team.

Hi Frank,

Not sure it will be much help but same problem occurred here

this bit seems relevant

'I believe this is because SQL CE 4 doesn't support the XML column type. Is there an upgrade script that doesn't use the XML type?

Also, NVARCHAR(MAX) isn't supported and I don't believe cursors are either. '

Maybe the guy who solved this could help?

Sorry not much help.

Hello daveb,

thanks for your input.

I would go that route if I feel that Compact has even a future in nopCommerce.

The lack of input from the nopCommerce developers could indicate they have internally already ditched that Compact database path. Just a wild guess, of course...

I have no other explanation why they do not post a solution here OR point out that I am doing something wrong with the upgrade procedure.

If I do not get any feedback from the developers I am seeing a red flag coming up for making nopCommerce recommendations, at least for me. I had recommended nopCommerce to clients in the past and their installations with full SQL versions were running ok -- however, if I feel that 'simple' questions like mine do not get attention from the developers then the use of this open source software without buying the support package is questionable.

In all fairness there are no developers - it's an open source project i.e. the community develops it.

Sorry for the confusion, with developers I meant the core team, i.e. the folks that usually respond in the forum from the core team side and even have the 'team member badge' displayed. An open source project from a certain size on has such core team, and later on, when the projects really takes off, they often become actually full-time, paid team members.

I don't want to suggest that this is the case here, yet.

I understand the concept of 'free open source' and that I cannot expect anything unless the community is able to help, exactly as stated in nopCommerce's terms: "...But the forums doesn't guarantee you a response from the nopCommerce support team.  In case you need a fast and precise response, this offer [note: == dedicated professional support and consulting @$899/year] is for you. "

As I said, I think nopCommerce is a very good product -- but I thought it was a super-trivial question I asked and I hoped for a pointer how to do it with Compact. Also, I mentioned that I might have overlooked something. But otherwise, the Compact version is worthless if it can't be updated.

Hope nobody felt offended, that's not intended, I am just expressing my opinion.

Well first up thanks Shay for this breakdown.

2 hours after I started the upgrade I'm still working on the CSS...with about 2/3 done in Notepad++ on the RTL file.

This kind of stuff needs to be made a lot clearer in the upgrade process rather than the same generic upgrade SQL and copy some files kind of thing.

Someone should probably tell people that they will need to spend the best part of a full day doing CSS work to get their site working again...

Thanks for your guide!

I have one question.

I have lot of images on "Content/Images/Thumbs/" folder. It's necessary to copy these files to 2.70 folder or Nopcommerce will create automatically thumbnails when it thinks that is necessary?

Where are original product images stored? On database?

Thanks!