Anyone on Wordpress should take notice...

by 64 replies
74
If you're on Wordpress it's time for an upgrade!

As you know, with Wordpress you should really update your site whenever a new version comes out for security reasons and so on.

Now Wordpress 2.7 was just released and it rocks!

WordPress › Blog Tool and Publishing Platform

It streamlines a whole lot of features (i.e. bulk editing, easy-peasy updates to the Wordpress core and to plugins, etc).

Check out the Wordpress blog for a video that highlights some new features:

WordPress › Blog WordPress 2.7 “Coltrane”

As always, I'd recommend making a database backup and a backup of all files. Also, it's a good idea to update your plugins before hand and to check the 2.7 Plugin Compatibility list: http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugins/P..._or_has_issues

I've updated a couple of my sites so far and all is cruising. The new interface is going to take a little time to get used to, but I must admit, I'm quite impressed.

Enjoy the new features.

Ronnie
#main internet marketing discussion forum #2.7 #notice #wordpress
  • Yes! I have been waiting for this!

    Off to upgrade now...
  • As usual, I'll be waiting for 2.7.1 or 2.7.2

    I like to let others discover and then iron out all the issues first (such as plugin compatibility, etc).

    JK
    • [1] reply
    • I will also wait for 1-2 weeks to make sure my main plugins are compatible , but on the lesser traffic sites, i will give it a go
      • [1] reply
  • I agree. I updated my new site directory, (the one in my sig) this afternoon. It was easy and I love the new layout of the dashboard. It is simple clean and much easier to use.

    It is different, and is going to take a lit bit to get used to all the different places things are located. But I like it.

    Laurie
  • I'll be updating as soon as I finish moving my sites to a new server (assuming I haven't just fubared everything in the process :-( )
  • Looking good.. I guess it wouldn't hurt to update. Thanks, I will do so when I have the time..
  • If you have cpanel with your web host, just wait till Fantastico updates in the control panel then you can update all your blogs sites with one click.

    Why make it any harder than that?
    • [1] reply
    • Fantastico is usually a version behind, and you would have to wait till it is updated there first B4 you could upgrade.

      It is also not very good at saving customizations, or backing up.

      Better to upgrade ASAP for security.

      • [1] reply
  • I'm thinking about it!
  • It isn't hard if you have cpanel. You can upgrade right from within your wordpress dashboard. It walks you through every step of the way.

    I use the automatic upgrade plugin.

    It has you push buttons, for each step backing up, putting the site in maitenance mode for a few minutes, that wa la, its done. It then reactivates all the plugins you had and your good to go.

    I did another one of my blogs since I posted earlier.

    There are a few plugins that have a problem, but they automatically become deactivated. The ones I had problems with weren't super important, so I will wait until the developers of those get wind of those issues.

    I am in the process of reviewing about 200 plugins and I have found some incredibly neat stuff.

    Will be putting up a new thread detailing some of what I find by the weekend.

    Laurie
  • ahhh...nice. i just finished some blogs..now i can update them again
  • I havnt update my wordpress because it's so troublesome
  • I've been using the Release Canidate for a couple of weeks now and the new interface can be a bit confusing only because I'm so used to the old one I'm sure all will be good when I get used to it!

    My main problem with 2.7 is that the option to set a page on the front of your site has disappeared. Sticking a post is there but page.... where have you gone?

    I really love the inbuilt plugin uploader/seach/update and automatic upgrade but it would have been cool if this option had been added for themes as well... oh well something for the next version

    Leanne
    • [2] replies
    • Leanne, are you not getting the same as the image attached?...

      The second dropdown is mean't to be for Page's I believe, cause that's what
      it lists when you have a look. At least for me it does!

      Thanks
      Mark
    • OUCH!! No Page for index option? I wonder why? That's really weird - and considering that I usually use a page for the index, this is not going to be a good upgrade for me!

      bummer......guess it's workaround time ;-(
      • [1] reply
  • If you have upgraded your Macromedia Shockwave (what is used to view Flash files) to version 10, then it's required for you to upgrade wordpress to 2.7 if you want to still be able to upload files through the admin interface.
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks for the heads up Bishop81. I didn't realize this.
  • Im half way through my 2.7 upgrades at the moment and its pissing me off big time. Auto upgrade plugin is giving me alot of script errors, im now doing a manual upgrade. Fingers crossed this works coz there is nothing worse than spending a day trying to figure out php errors.
  • I know people can feel threatened by a manual upgrade, but it's really not too tough. All you have to do is download the zip file, unzip it, then copy everything except the wp-content folder up to your server through FTP. That's it, there's nothing else to do except to go to your wp-admin folder and log in.

    The reason I don't copy the wp-content folder is because it just contains the default plugins and the default themes. Some of my sites are using modified versions of the default theme and if I accidentally overwrite it then I'd be a little annoyed...
    • [1] reply
    • So does this mean that if you keep the content folder that all your posts will remain intact as well? I'm reluctant to upgrade because I don't want to have to reenter all my posts or reset things like the theme and plugins.

      Also, I used the Fantastico WP install. Can I upgrade by uploading the newer version of WP myself rather than using their feature?

      Sylvia

      Sylvia
      • [1] reply
  • - For those of you that insist on upgrading.

    * Make a full backup of your system
    * Install your blog (the backup you just did) in a dummy subfolder
    * Then upgrade your blog in the dummy folder first
    * Test everything out using the dummy and make sure it does not conflict with any plugins, themes and etc that you use.

    After you have tested on a dummy install and everything works then you could think about upgrading your real blog.

    Personally I would wait a few weeks before upgrade though. Let everyone else find the bugs and security issues first.

    James
  • It seems like wordpress releases an update every month. In a way its good, at least they are staying on top of security issues. But, I get tired up updating all of my sites.
    • [2] replies
    • Hey Kev,

      I feel your pain. That's one of the reasons I was looking forward to 2.7. It has an easy to update feature (a couple clicks and you're done).

      Ronnie
      • [1] reply
    • Be sure to check any .htaccess mods you or your plugins have made. I updated two blogs this morning and the rewrite rules for the Link Cloaking Plugin were completely stripped rendering most outbound links on my blogs worthless.

      Hope this saves someone a headache or two!

      Tony
  • I have WP on about 25 blogs. I upgraded only one right now so I could check it out. Thanks for the tips!
    • [1] reply
    • Ya i have close to 20, i need an easy way to upgrade them all.
  • Great idea TheRichJerksNet and that is precisely the approach that I am taking on all my WP installs.

    My hat is off to all the brave souls that are updating.
  • Just upgraded.
    Does anyone know where I can find my plug in settings (I don't mean the plugins section). Before I could go to the Manage section and it would be there but I now I can't see where it would be.
  • You can use the automatic upgrade plugin available here: http://techie-buzz.com/wordpress-plu...2-release.html

    just install/active the plugin and look for a link in the middle, then just follow the steps it allows you to save (download in zip) backup files as well. It's really easy just pressing next a few times and your upgrade is complete.
    • [2] replies
    • Hello,

      I noticed some comments on the tedium of updating multiple Wordpress sites. There are at least two ways you can have multiple sites running on one Wordpress installation (providing the sites are all on the same host). That really simplifies updating your sites -- you only do it once! And that include plugin updates. Its nice.

      To accomplish a multi-site Wordpress installation, you can either
      1. use Wordpress mu (requires some fiddling for top-level domains) or, like me,
      2. you can modify wpconfig.php so that it specifies a different database for each domain.

      Option 2 works well. Most plugins continue to work, with the notable exception of XMLSitemap which you have to replace with a dynamic (on demand) sitemap plugin called standard-xml-sitemap.

      Cheers,

      Steve
    • Wp 2.7 includes this, but i still have to manually update every website one at a time...
  • I've been using 2.7 for a few weeks not (Yes it just got released to the public but I'm not the public) and its a really nice job they done with it.

    Nice new design, good workflow, seems quicker too.
  • Last time I updated I broke all my blogs and couldn't get in. Will never upgrade again.
  • I just found this while doing some research, which is already listing some issues and fixes for the new release.

    Fix WordPress 2.7 Upgrade White Blank Page, Dashboard & Plugin Issues

    Do with it what you will, no affiliation, just wanted to help.

    Laurie
  • To get Akismet working again, I have to get the wordpress API key. Not having much luck with this - tried to get it from WP site and have received no response.

    Any clues? Anyone?

    Elliott
    • [1] reply
    • WP SPamFree is a much better plugin anyways ....

      James
  • Elliott,
    You need to get your API key from wordpress.COM - not wordpress.ORG, where you download the new version.
    You need to create an account (if you don't have one yet) at wordpress.COM - as if you were going to have a blog there - but select "no blog, API key only"... or something like that.
  • Thanks guys.

    I'll try the Spam Free.

    I did sign up to wp.com a couple of days ago, never received an activation email, so can't login. I have sent in a support ticket, maybe I'll hear from them.

    Thanks again, Elliott
  • The static page option is still there but you have actually have to publish a page to see it! I was using the RC on a test site for themes and plugins which did not have any content and that's why I didn't see it

    There is a new WP 2.7.1 coming out to fix some security issues. The pain of the old days has now gone as we just click the link in Tools to Upgrade I love that feature!

    Leanne
    • [2] replies
    • Banned
      [DELETED]
    • That' why I love WP so much. As soon as a new version is released they tell you another is on its way, usually with security fixes:rolleyes:

      But IMO it's still the best for affiliate marketing purposes.
    • The thing is I have no choice but to upgrade. I still have a handful of clients who pay me to be their WordPress consultant. In fact I am doing work for one of them tomorrow. And guess what, part of the work is upgrading 2 blogs to 2.7, lol. So I had to know what 2.7 was like in order to better service my client.

      Generally speaking I tend to wait one or 2 releases to upgrade. And in fact I had to get on the phone with a buddy today because I had some 2.7 glitches in the back end. Some of the javascript wasn't working right. So I ended up having to re-upload the wp-includes directory. Everything works fine now.

      WordPress has it's challenges, I'll admit, but I still love it.
  • Jane the problem with that auto upgrade is your system is even less secured now. One should never give hackers the ability to access their db.. By having auto install this is exactly what you may be doing. Now all hackers really need to do is hack your admin and trust me that is easier then most think.

    Personally I have already ripped the coding out for auto upgrades on the "test" blog I have installed.

    James
    • [1] reply
    • Hey James,

      What if we did one of the following:

      1. Changed the default WP username from admin to something hard to guess.
      2. Added a second level of password security on the wp-admin folder, that way hackers would have to crack two sets of users/passes before they can access the admin and auto-upgrade feature?

      Ronnie
      • [1] reply
  • Hi guys,

    I'm fairly new to the world of Word Press blogs. I'm still running 2.3 because worried about updating messing things up. One thing I see mentioned frequently is backing up your database. How do you do that and is it critical to updating?

    Thanks for the help.

    Shane
    • [1] reply
    • Hi Shane -

      I back up everything from my hosting cPanel. I'm using Hostgator and cPanel but I'm had other set ups and they're pretty much the same. There's a WordPress plugin to download just the database but I like to download everything not just the databases.

      Once you login to cPanel or other control panel look for the Files section and there should be a choice there called Backups. Click it.

      You should now have several things you can back up. I have a folder on my computer just for back ups. In that I have a folder for each site.

      Say we want to backup Blog1. I have a folder Blog1. In that I have a folder for each component I can backup from cPanel. I name each folder so it's close to want they call it on the download button in the backup area in cPanel. Then in cPanel as I click - Home Directory and the download window opens I download it into a folder HDir. Blog1>HDir.

      I then do the MySQL Databases. Just click each one and download it into its own folder. I name all the folders close to what they are called on the backup page. If you just download them into the same folder you find it confusing until you have done it a few times especially if you need to do a restore. An example would be - on the backup page in cPanel under title - Download Email Forwarders - is a button called - Forwarders. On my computer is Backups>Blog1>Forwarders. Forwarders is the folder I'll download to. But the file that actually downloads aliases-yourdomainname.com That way I don't need to think about it if I need to do a restore. You do a restore from the same page you do a backup. Then I finish doing the email forwarder and filters backups.

      You can Backup just your MySQL databases if you want but I recommend you do the Home Directory, the databases, the Forwarders and the filters. If you only have 1 database that's only going to take 4 clicks to downland it all. If you have more that one database you'll need to download each one separately. You'll probably see what I mean when you get to the backup page in cPanel. It's easy and quick.

      I keep previous backups for a while just in case. At least the last three. The Blog1 folder I would have Blog1 2008-1215 using the date. Then the next time create a new folder Blog1-DateOfNextBkup etc.

      This is good to do just in case you need to do any type of disaster recovery. I do it when I do any thing that could have risk. Even some plugins use your database so if you install a plugin and it messes up your database you can uninstall it an do a quick database restore and your back in business.

      One other thing I noticed was there is a download like this -

      Full Backup

      Full backups can only be used for moving your account to another server or keeping a local copy of your account

      For some reason the Full Backup one doesn't like to work using Firefox it opens it like a web page but doesn't look like one. If you decide to do that option use Internet Explorer and it will work as a download. You don't need to do that one unless your moving to a different server. I've only done it twice. Just in case you try it you'll know. If Firefox doesn't want to play nice use IE instead.

      If you want to save your .htaccess file or WP_Content(if you have a custom theme or a theme you've modified the code or plugins) just use your FTP client to download them to a folder.
  • I just upgraded some of my blogs using Fantastico DeLuxe. Worked like a charm and the new version looks great.

    The fact that we can now upgrade from the wordpress control panel is the best new feature without a doubt.
  • Hmm, if 2.7.1 is out too quickly I may even wait for 2.7.2.

    Can't say I have an urgent need to be a bug-catching guinea pig!

    I'll just have to put up with a few weeks of "WordPress 2.7 is available! Please update now" on my dashboard!
    • [1] reply
    • I'm still working on a version from 2-3 years ago - not sure what version, but having seen the newer ones, it's clear this is outdated.

      The newer version (not this final upgrade you're talking about) allows you to set each post on a separate page, so that they all get their own proper URL rather than those /archives/83 endings. Then, the URL will actually be the title of that blog post.

      The version I'm using does not have this option.

      Since my blog is already set with those undesirable URLs, will they automatically change if I upgrade and add the right plugin to set each post on its own page?

      It would be great if it would, because I just looked at my Archives and although it lists 30 posts, it only shows me 7 and I have no idea how to get to the rest of them (as a visitor, not in the Admin area). Why do they not all show up when I click the particular categories? It appears now that my visitors are probably missing a whole lot.

      I'm definitely upgrading, but it would be good to know if this page vs post issue resolves automatically or whether I'm stuck with the original way until I make new posts.

      Thanks.

      Sylvia
  • Thanks You for this information. I am off to update
  • Take care updating to 2.7... It's a very big change. Do not use any auto-update plugins, I have yet to find one that doesn't make things worse with this update.

    Obviously backup your databases and any content not stored in the there. Remember if you have changed any of the code from within wordpress, make sure you download a copy with the changes in it.

    Deactivate ALL your plugins.... it's easy, and will save you a ton of potential bother.

    Do a manual update.... Yes, I realize this is a hassle, but is easier that fixing things after the fact.

    Re-activate your plugins one by one. That way you will know which ones (if any) do not work in 2.7.

    2.7 does not fix any major security problems.... that I am aware of, there are not major problems at the moment. With that in mind, if you do not have time to do manual updates on all your blogs, wait until there are specific plugins for the 2.7 update.
  • Thanks for the information. I am off to update my site
  • I think I wait with the upgrade to the newest version of Wordpress, there´s always some problems with the plugins.
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