I have been working on the new 1.8 version of the forum for almost 2 months, simply because version 1.7 was completely broken. It used PHP 5.3 constants which didn't work on 99% of the users machines. This problem has now been corrected in the new 1.8 version, but that's not all that changed. All topics, forums and forum categories now use the sluggable behavior for pretty URLs. Furthermore, the Installer has been rewritten completely for faster and easier usage. The main purpose of this post is to direct you in the 1.8 upgrade process as there are many things you need to do.
Overwriting an older version
You will need to overwrite ALL files within the plugin. Basically every view, every model, every controller, etc has been modified in some way; primarily to support the new slugs. Sorry to all those who have changed the HTML.
Patching your plugin
The new installer system creates a legacy config file to be used for future upgrades and to maintain the current installation. If you are doing a fresh install, you can skip this step. Once you have updated all the files, you will need to patch your installation to build that config file. You can do this from within the install controller.
The patch process will require 3 things: the database config you want to use, the table prefix value (if you have one) and a checkbox that determines if you used the plugins native user table or a pre-existing one.
Upgrading the database
With the new slug changes, it requires you to upgrade your database tables with the new column and all rows to be populated with their slug equivalent. This process takes 2 steps to achieve, the first having you run an SQL command from within the installer. You can access this process at the URL below.
The second step requires you to use the Cake console and to run the slugify shell. This shell will populate all the empty slug rows (it can be used any time, not just the upgrade process). Your shell command may look like the following.
Fresh install
If you are running a fresh install, the process is extremely simply. Just go to the install controller, hit the "Begin Installation" button and follow the steps. The process will check your database for conflicts, create the tables, patch the install and create the admin user. I tried to make it as simply and straight forward as possible.
See if it's working!
Whether you did a fresh install, or patched an old one, the last thing to do is actually use the forum. You should be checking to make sure all the slugs were generated, the pages work, the links link correctly, so on and so forth. If you find a bug or problem, PLEASE report it to me so I can fix it.
Enjoy! (Sorry for the long wait time)
Overwriting an older version
You will need to overwrite ALL files within the plugin. Basically every view, every model, every controller, etc has been modified in some way; primarily to support the new slugs. Sorry to all those who have changed the HTML.
Patching your plugin
The new installer system creates a legacy config file to be used for future upgrades and to maintain the current installation. If you are doing a fresh install, you can skip this step. Once you have updated all the files, you will need to patch your installation to build that config file. You can do this from within the install controller.
www.yourdomain.com/forum/install/patch
The patch process will require 3 things: the database config you want to use, the table prefix value (if you have one) and a checkbox that determines if you used the plugins native user table or a pre-existing one.
Upgrading the database
With the new slug changes, it requires you to upgrade your database tables with the new column and all rows to be populated with their slug equivalent. This process takes 2 steps to achieve, the first having you run an SQL command from within the installer. You can access this process at the URL below.
www.yourdomain.com/forum/install/upgrade_1_8
The second step requires you to use the Cake console and to run the slugify shell. This shell will populate all the empty slug rows (it can be used any time, not just the upgrade process). Your shell command may look like the following.
cake -app /path/to/app slugify
Fresh install
If you are running a fresh install, the process is extremely simply. Just go to the install controller, hit the "Begin Installation" button and follow the steps. The process will check your database for conflicts, create the tables, patch the install and create the admin user. I tried to make it as simply and straight forward as possible.
See if it's working!
Whether you did a fresh install, or patched an old one, the last thing to do is actually use the forum. You should be checking to make sure all the slugs were generated, the pages work, the links link correctly, so on and so forth. If you find a bug or problem, PLEASE report it to me so I can fix it.
Enjoy! (Sorry for the long wait time)