Upgrading to Indexhibit 2 from version 0.73 or older

As of July 4th we have a new upgrade process. The new upload tool is much safer and does not change your existing Indexhibit site database. If you are simply updating your Indexhibit version 2 to a newer version read this tutorial.

We would like to stress that in many cases simply starting with a new installation may be better than upgrading your older version Indexhibit. Read through all of the tutorial before you attempt the upgrade. We also recommend that you read this tutorial about changes to Indexhibit.

The good news is that you can update your older version of Indexhibit to the new version and keep your site relatively the same as it was before (if you choose). However, the more you have customized your site, the more work it may require to fully complete the upgrade.

The upgrade to Indexhibit 2 (from all previous versions) is not simply a one-to-one translation - you will need to complete a series of steps involving:

- uploading new CMS and upgrading the database
- updating your theme/CSS
- updating your exhibit formats

You might consider installing Indexhibit as a new installation and starting over with your content. You could still follow these directions for updating your theme and exhibit formats.

Preparing for the upgrade

Backup the files for your site. Using your FTP application archive all Indexhibit related files to your computer. You must backup the following folders:

/files/
/ndxz-studio/

You must do this! Failure to do this could result in a total loss of your site should something go wrong during the upgrade process.

Uploading the new files

Note: we have changed the name of the /ndxz-studio folder to /ndxzstudio (without the hyphen). We did this because we wanted to be certain that people could not lose their customizations during the upgrade. If you have backed up your site, this should not matter, but we know that many people skip that step. Again, backup your site now.

After you have downloaded the files from Indexhibit, unzip the folder and upload:

index.php
/ndxzsite/
/ndxzstudio/

Folders to the same directory as your existing site (aka the 'root' directory) via your FTP application. If you wish to move your new Indexhibit site to a folder afterwards (working on it privately) you can do this later.

DO NOT upload the /files/ folder as you already have this.

Add a folder called 'dimgs' to your /files/ folder.

Next, place 0777 (0755 if your host permits it) permissions on the following folders:

/files/dimgs/
/ndxzsite/config/
/ndxzstudio/cache/

Database Update

Direct yourself to the following url:

http://www.yourwebsite.com/ndxzstudio/install.php

Select your language and proceed.

The upgrade tool will try to find your previous Indexhibit installation - it will automatically detect your previous database connection into. If you wish to use the content from your previous site be certain that you have followed the previous instructions. If something is not right, post a note to our forum.

If you are not running PHP5 you might seem some error messages immediately - ask your host to upgrade you (they are almost always very happy to do so with out additional fees).

Fill in the additional fields before you submit the installation.

Indexhibit will now ask you if you wish to import the content from your previous site. Simply push the button and it will proceed.

When completed, it will log you into the preferences area of the Indexhibit studio (the default login/password is index1/exhibit just in case). You should change the login information to something you can easily remember.

Note: Indexhibit will auto generate section pages for every section in your site. If you have been utilizing 'section sections' you will need to make adjustments for them.

Your website is now upgraded but you still have some work to do updating your themes/templates and exhibit formats.