Compass Designs .net

Migrating from Joomla 1.6 to 1.7 is very simple. However, depending on where you're starting in your Joomla 1.6 site, this may take a few steps to complete.

Step 0: BACK UP FIRST

As always, you need to make a backup of your site first, before changing anything. I also strongly recommend downloading the backup to your hard drive, rather than leaving the backup on the server. There has been a bug report (which, in theory, is resolved) which can delete all but 4 files in your Joomla site -- and you don't want that to happen to you.

I recommend Akeeba Backup for making your backup.

Step 1: What version of Joomla 1.6 are you running?

Ideally, you have kept up with new versions of Joomla as they are released. If you want to know when new versions of Joomla are released, the best ways to know are:

• Follow @joomla on Twitter
• Subscribe to the security mailing list (top of this page where it says "sign up to get security updates")

To determine which version of Joomla 1.6 you are running:

• Log into the back end (administrator side) of Joomla.
• Go to Site - System Information, and look for Joomla Version, 2nd item from the bottom.

If you find the System Information running under the Help menu, you are running some version of Joomla 1.5, and these instructions will not apply to you.

Step 2: Are you running Joomla 1.6.5?

If the answer is yes, proceed to step 3.

If the answer is no, you will need to upgrade your site to Joomla 1.6.5 first. This is easy -- follow Step 3 below. Instead of finding the Joomla 1.7 update, you will find an update for Joomla 1.6.5 instead. Install that according to the instructions in Step 3, then repeat the same process a second time. This time you should find Joomla 1.7 for installation.

Step 3: Make the migration happen

In the back end of Joomla, go to Extensions - Extension Manager, and then choose the Update tab across the top.

Now click the "Purge Cache" button in the upper right, to clear out any old information that might be held on your site.

Finally, click the "Find Updates" button, just next to Purge Cache.

You should see a message stating that an update is available.

Place a checkmark next to the update, and then click the Update button in the upper right, next to Find Updates. You should get a success message.

Step 4: Test Carefully

Test your new site very carefully. Make sure you can complete basic Joomla functions, like creating and editing articles. Also check any third party extensions and templates to make sure they are still working.

Some templates and extensions may need additional updating. For example, RocketTheme has announced their Gantry Framework must be updated to version 3.2.7 be compatible with Joomla 1.7.

If the 1.7 update causes problems or issues with extensions or templates, you may need to roll back to your site backup and wait for fixes to be available for your site. Alternatively, you could disable extensions and templates causing issues with your site.