To make sure you have the latest, safest, more reliable code, we recommend upgrading when the option becomes available.


Applies to Version(s): 3.6.X - Current


In this article you will learn


Upgrading Within Your Admin


Upgrading From 3.6 to 3.7or From 3.7 to 3.8


Pushing a Cart2 Live



Upgrading Within Your Admin Area.


Within major versions, you can easily update to the next revision by clicking a link. So within the 3.7 series, you can update to any other 3.7 versions within the admin area. Same with 3.8. Before doing so, we insist on making a backup of your entire cart first. See this article for assistance on how: Site Backup (With Video)


To upgrade, click the red 'Updates Are Available' link at the top left.



After you click the link, you will check the box for the update and click 'Update'.



These screenshots are from 3.8, but they same concept applies to 3.7 and 3.6.


Upgrading From 3.6 to 3.7 or From 3.7 to 3.8.


We recommend to never upgrade a production (live) website. Our policy with performing upgrades for customers is to create a development cart. We recommend you do the same.


These are the steps we use:


Prep Files:

  • Connect to the cart via ftp/sftp/scp/ssh
  • Download a copy of the live cart to your PC (backing up is always highly suggested). This includes downloading all of the files and making a SQL dump of the database
  • Upload the copied files to a /cart2 folder in the same subfolder your cart is in ( typically just / )
  • Create a second database for the cart2
  • Update the /cart2/content/engine/engine_config.php with the credentials of the new database.


Database Duplication:

  • Open up the database of your live cart using phpMyAdmin or SSH
  • Export it to your PC
  • Import the copied database into the cart2 database
  • Update the global urls/path in the cart2 database by browsing the Settings table and adding /cart2 to the end of the existing entries (this is the typical config)


Updating the Cart:

  • Upload the 3.7.X files (the latest version) if on 3.6.4 and 3.8.X (latest) if on 3.7.15 and overwrite everything but the engine_config.php file
  • Navigate to http://domain.tld/path/to/cart2/install/update to launch the updater
  • Make any needed permissions updates
  • Walk through the updater
  • Check to see that updated /cart2 is functioning
  • Might have to log into the cart and launch design mode once, to refresh the cache folder.


At this point, you can view the dev site and test it at http://domain.tld/path/to/cart2. Please note, any database changes to the live site may have to be reapplied when you take the site live. Due to this, we suggest using the cart2 directory strictly to get your design ready to be live.


http://domain.tld/path/to/cart2/index.php
http://domain.tld/path/to/cart2/admin.php


Pushing a Cart2 Folder Live.

  • Backup both your live site and the cart2 to your machine and local backup
    in case anything goes wrong
  • Using the cart2 information you downloaded, Upload everything EXCEPT the content/engine/engine_config.php file from the cart2 folder into the live site.
  • Run the updater stored in http://domain.tld/path/to/cart/install/update to update the live db to the latest version



Note: Due to the skin conversion of 3.6.4 to 3.7.X or 3.7.15 to 3.8.X you will have to re-push the skin from /cart2 to the live site. The process for this is below.


Delete the following tables from the *LIVE* database: design_elements, layout_elements, settings


Export the following tables from the *CART2* database: design_elements, layout_elements, settings


Open up the export and double check for any conflicts with db prefixes if any


Import the exported tables (design_elements, layout_elements, settings) to the *LIVE* database.


Go into the settings table of the *LIVE* database and update the global server paths to not have cart2 in them.


For the skins, recopy /cart2/content/skins and /cart2/content/cache/skins to /content/skins and /content/cache/skins respectively.


For 3.6 to 3.7 only: You’ll need to create the folder ‘thumbs’ inside /images/products/secondary/ and re-run the thumbnail generator. (only applies if folder doesn’t exist).


Once this is complete you should be good to go. It is recommended to go into Cart Settings > Global Cart Settings > Search Engine Settings (3.7) or Search > Search Engine Optimization (3.8) and regenerate the .htaccess file as well as the product URLs. You may also have to pop into Cart Designer to rebuild the skin.

After you have verified that the update *LIVE* cart is working, remove the cart2 and the extra db.


Links to Related Articles.


None at this time.


If you didn't get your question answered, please contact the Pinnacle Cart Support Team. To submit a ticket, go to the My Account drop-down menu at the top right of the admin area and select Support