Installing Cumulative Patches

Please note: The contents of this article apply only to licensed versions of the ProductCart software. They do not apply to stores running as a hosted application under a ProductCart Live agreement.

Overview

Do you need it?

Generally, it is a good practice to periodically check for software updates.  Each update will be posted along with a description or change log.  If the issues defined in the change log apply to you, then we recommend you install the patches.

Back Up!

Cumulative patches typically don't require a database update or effect commonly modified files, however it is always a best practice to backup your existing files and database prior to installing any patches.

Downloading the Updated Files

You can download updates by using the "Check for Updates" feature in your ProductCart Control Panel. Depending on the version of ProductCart that you are using (Standard vs. Configurator (formerly BTO) vs. Configurator Plus) and the add-on's installed on your store, the Update Management System will prompt you to download the correct file.

Unzipping the Downloaded Files

• Unzip the files to a new directory on your desktop (e.g. "v5 Patch Files").
• Do not copy the unzipped files onto an existing set of ProductCart files.
• Synchronize customized files as required.
• If you want to have a copy of the entire ProductCart folder on your desktop, including the latest files, download the store to your desktop after you have finished the update process.

Performing the update

Synchronize overwritten files

One commonly modified file is "languages.asp", so if you made changes to this file you will need to merge them with the version contained in any patch or update. There may be other files that you customized and that are included in this update.

Step 1 - Back up your store

If you haven't already done so, back-up your store.

Step 2 - Turn off your store

Log into your Control Panel and select General Settings > Store Settings Enter a descriptive message in the field Message displayed when store is off. Select Turn store off, then click on the Update button. This ensures that customers do not browse the store while you are updating it.

Step 3 - FTP new files to your server

Upload the files to their respective folders, overwriting the existing files. For instance, you will update the contents of the "pc" subfolder on your Web server with the files contained in the "pc" subfolder in the zip file that you have downloaded from the ProductCart Update Management System.

Please note that the "pcadmin" folder has likely been renamed on your store. We recommend that you rename the same folder in the update files locally on your computer so that when you FTP the files there is no chance that a new "pcadmin" folder is created, which would mean that some of your store files are not being updated.

DO NOT delete any of the files that are currently on your Web server.

 

Confirm successful transfer

FTP transfers sometimes fail. Make sure that once the process has finished, your FTP client reported a success message. Most FTP programs have a way to show you whether some files were not uploaded successfully. If that happens, make sure to upload them again until all files have been uploaded successfully. For example, Filezilla separately reports "Failed Transfers" and "Successful Transfers". The "Failed Transfers" tab should be empty.

Step 4 - Update the Store Database

The database will not be updated automatically with this ProductCart update. When you log into the Control Panel after uploading the files to the Web server, you will also be redirected to a script that updates the version number.

Step 5 - TO DO List

A message will confirm that the version number have been updated. If there are any "To Do" items, they will be mentioned here.

Step 7 - Turn your store back on

When all To Do items have been completed, you can now turn your store back on and verify that the storefront is working properly. We recommend that you place at least one test order to go through the entire checkout process.