Upgrading Wikka to the latest release


Upgrading a wiki to the latest version of Wikka is done via a web wizard and only takes a few minutes. However there are a few points to bear in mind when upgrading, in particular if your wiki has custom extensions or code modifications. Before upgrading make sure you read the specific instructions for the version you are upgrading to.

There are two methods to upgrade Wikka, but both begin with Step 1.

Step 1: Backup, backup, backup!


  1. Backup your Wikka Wiki directory.
  1. Backup your Wikka Wiki MySQL data.

Wikka releases are upgrade tested before release, but, for your protection, backup all your Wikka files and the Wikka MySQL tables before upgrading. Backups are particularly important when restoring custom extensions after upgrading (see notes below).

Step 2: Select your upgrade method


  1. For Wikka instances with no custom modifications at all (very rare cases), Method A should be best : it's the simple "delete & replace" method. If you haven't hacked wikka's code, this method is for you. If you have changed the code, or if you used the "file upload" action, this method is risky because the wiki admin could lose data like file uploads, as well as any custom mods.
  1. For Wikka instances with custom extensions, plugins or file uploads, Method B (the overwrite method) is highly recommended. It should be made clear that using the overwrite method may leave useless files in the Wikka directory if the installer does not explicitly remove them. Note that some custom extensions may not work any more if they are not compliant with the new Wikka version.

Method A: delete old files & replace with a fresh installation


For older versions of Wikka that have no custom modifications at all, and which didn't use file uploads.
 

  1. Make a backup of your Wikka Wiki directory and MySQL data (see Step 1 above).
  1. Delete all of the files and subfolders in the Wikka directory except wikka.config.php. This is the only file that you need: it contains the information necessary to connect to your MySQL database.
  1. Upload all the files from the latest Wikka release into the Wikka directory. [Note *]
  1. Point a web browser at the URL for your Wikka Wiki site. The web-based updater will appear (instead of your site) and the Wikka upgrade script will run.

Method B: overwrite a previous installation


For older versions of Wikka with extra plugins, extensions and file uploads.
 

  1. Make a backup of your Wikka Wiki directory and MySQL data (see Step 1 above).
  1. Upload all the files and subfolders in the latest Wikka release file to the Wikka installation directory on your web server by selecting the overwrite mode on your FTP client. [see notes]
  1. Start your favorite web browser and point it at the Wikka installation directory. The web-based updater will appear (instead of your site): look it over and make any desired changes, then click Continue at the bottom of the page.
  1. Click Continue on the upgrading status page.

Notes:
  1. Make sure you upload the Wikka files into the correct directory. For example, if your Wikka directory is /public_html/wikka, upload the Wikka files and subdirectories in the Wikka directory into the /public_html/wikka directory..... do not upload the Wikka directory itself into the Wikka directory. Otherwise, your installation will be in: /public_html/wikka/wikka/. See the difference?
  1. If you made modifications to files that are part of a Wikka distribution, these modifications will be lost when overwriting the files. This applies in particular to template files (e.g. header.php and footer.php) and stylesheets. If you made a backup before the upgrade (step 1), you will be able to restore specific modifications after the files have been overwritten by the installer. If you restore your custom wikka.css stylesheet after upgrading following method B, consider that there might be changes (e.g. new CSS selectors and settings) that need to be included in the stylesheet for Wikka to display properly.

Tips


If you have a high-traffic site, it is recommended that you lock your site first. Simply create a file called locked in the directory Wakka is located in. This file should contain a (plain text) password on its first line. When you go to your Wakka site, it will then ask you for a user name and password -- enter adminas the user name and the password in your locked file as the password. When you're done with upgrading, you should remove the locked file again.


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