Dizkus

I'm fairly new to this, so I have a probably strange question. We have a site running 0.750 that we've done numerous modifications to.

Is it possible to run a new install of 0.760RC5 on a different folder, /folder2/ as opposed to /folder/ where the 0.750 version currently runs, and have the new installation use the old site's database, without screwing up the current site (or the new one)?

The plan would be to remake our modifications on the new installation while keeping the old one "open".

Can this be done safely? Thanks for the help!

I haven't tried it with those versions, but have done this with a .726 install at the root and a .750b install in a sub-dir and it worked.

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Photography | PHP | Other

You run the risk of the .760 site changing the database to where .726 gets confused... but you could always make a database backup and give it a try!

If you do chose to do this, don't install the .760 site, just unarchive the files, chmod the pnTemp subfolders appropriately, enter the required data into config.php, and give it a go. Installing would just become complicated.

Frank

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Frank, this reminds me of something...perhaps you'll have some info...

Is there a list of changes made to the database from version to version maintained somewhere? I prefer to do upgrades by transferring DB's and it's a pain to compare two full installs column by column. :)

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Photography | PHP | Other

I don't know if there is one - I'd be surprised if there isn't. I tend to trust the devs. However, I do know that any recent changes to the database are at the module level - upgrades to modules like Xanthia, modules module, blocks, etc. The table structure changes little (if at all - additions only, never removals) - it's mostly adding rows to existing tables. I don't know of any interesting changes to the database since .726 beyond these.

Frank

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.760 makes a few changes to the DB structure so you can't simply take a .750 database and use the .760 files. Once the .750 database is upgraded to .760 then .750 won't necessarily understand...

The main key DB change in .760 is addition of a couple of fields to the blocks table allowing individual blocks to be collapsable and to have thier default collapsed state defined. Apart from this there are a couple of changes of field type, some additional indexes but nothing major.

The main issue isn't the DB schema but the DB contents. Many of the modules change type from .750 -> .760 so there's a fair bit of change to the data in the modules table. Many of the modules also have thier directory changed (removing the NS- prefix).

Bottom line pointing .760 at a .750 DB won't work without upgrading the database.

-Mark

This takes trial and error out of the equation, so thanks. Aside of going through the SQL, is there a managed list of changes to the DB structure from version to version? Maybe somewhere at the NOC? Thanks for chiming in on this...

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Photography | PHP | Other

Thanks for clearing that up, Mark.

Frank

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No there's not a complete list at the moment. The aim here will be to get every table 'managed' by a module. At this point the module init scripts become the documenation.

-Mark

I noticed that about the new module install with the Example module...it kind of walks you through step by step. I have a lot of questions about things in module development...but I won't go there here in this thread. :)

Thanks for the info!

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Photography | PHP | Other

The (optional) interactive install feature... A nice addition (thanks to landseer) for the larger module (e.g. PNphpBB). Any questions about it post them in the module developers forum.

-Mark

Oh it's optional... I'm still scrambling to get up to speed on things...but I hope to contribute something useful someday. Thanks for ALL your assists!

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Photography | PHP | Other

Thanks so much for the help, and steering me clear of disaster....

I wrote a something in my blog about the interactive installation and how to use it as a module dev.

Frank

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"He is not dangerous, he just wants to play...."

hotstreets, the safest bet is probably to duplicate your database and test the new system against a duplicate. That way you have the benefit of your old data without messing up your old site.

Frank

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