XF 2.0 General Upgrade Questions

[Slyk]

I'm finally taking the plunge and have been performing some initial upgrade testing (from 1.5 to 2.x). I have some general questions:

• Add-Ons
  • Is it best practice to uninstall ALL add-ons prior to upgrade, even ones that have xf2 variations that you plan to install post-upgrade to xf2? Or leave the legacy add-ons in place that you anticipate installing a xf2 equivalent for? I left some in place, and post-upgrade, it seems like there may have been no point to doing so (?) Is it just dead weight in the database now?
  • My 1.5 site currently uses close to 70 add-ons (many of which were custom built by a 3rd party dev). I've been performing analysis to identify what will be needed moving forward and have cut it to about half. That said, if I previously purchased an add-on through the resources here, do I need to re-purchase the updated xf2 version? Or does my payment from the xf1 version carry over and I'm able to download the xf2 version free of charge?
• Styles
  • I have a heavily modified style which no longer exists (not available in xf2). Upon performing my test upgrade to xf2, it appears that nearly all of my template changes vanished...what's my best bet here? I'm not going to settle for a turnkey style, so best guess is that I'll need to create my own from scratch? If so, can you point me to the process for doing this? Assuming I'd need to start w/ the default style?
• Widgets
  • is there a conversion process when moving from widget framework to the new xf2 widget system? I have ~80 widgets in xf1.5.

This is going to be a long and expensive and arduous process, but I appreciate the support!

 

[M@rc]

Is it best practice to uninstall ALL add-ons prior to upgrade, even ones that have xf2 variations that you plan to install post-upgrade to xf2? Or leave the legacy add-ons in place that you anticipate installing a xf2 equivalent for? I left some in place, and post-upgrade, it seems like there may have been no point to doing so (?) Is it just dead weight in the database now?

Uninstalling the addon will likely remove the data from the database. If you're upgrading an addon, you should just upgrade it, assuming it has an upgraded version available. Any XF 1 addon you have will not work with XF 2.

I'd uninstall any addons you don't want before upgrading. You may still have to look for its data in your database to remove because I believe some addons don't always remove it from uninstallation. If the developer is still active, they can send you an SQL query to run.

My 1.5 site currently uses close to 70 add-ons (many of which were custom built by a 3rd party dev). I've been performing analysis to identify what will be needed moving forward and have cut it to about half. That said, if I previously purchased an add-on through the resources here, do I need to re-purchase the updated xf2 version? Or does my payment from the xf1 version carry over and I'm able to download the xf2 version free of charge?

This relies on the developer. Most do transactions through their own site. Their licenses are different too. Some may require that you purchase their XF 2.2 version while others might just want you to renew your yearly license.

I have a heavily modified style which no longer exists (not available in xf2). Upon performing my test upgrade to xf2, it appears that nearly all of my template changes vanished...what's my best bet here? I'm not going to settle for a turnkey style, so best guess is that I'll need to create my own from scratch? If so, can you point me to the process for doing this? Assuming I'd need to start w/ the default style?

You'll have to remake the theme. XF 1 themes will not work on XF 2.

is there a conversion process when moving from widget framework to the new xf2 widget system? I have ~80 widgets in xf1.5.

You'll likely have to do it one by one, if it exists in XF 2.

 

[Slyk]

Uninstalling the addon will likely remove the data from the database. If you're upgrading an addon, you should just upgrade it, assuming it has an upgraded version available.

Thanks for the quick reply. Regarding this piece, I may be dense, but for example, I left my xf1 Aggregating Forums add-on in place during the upgrade. Post-upgrade, I don't see an option in xf2 ACP to upgrade to the xf2 Aggregating Forums add-on. Am I missing something on how to properly upgrade the add-on post-xf2-upgrade?

 

[Paul B]

You would need to upload the files for the XF2 version, then perform the upgrade, assuming there is an upgrade path from XF1 to XF2.

 

[Slyk]

assuming there is an upgrade path from XF1 to XF2

This is the piece I'm looking for clarification on. What would that path look like? Ex: I've used Post Areas add-on in the past and have uploaded the new files to my xf2 install:




Should I expect there to be an "upgrade" option in the dropdown of the legacy add-on?

 

[M@rc]

Should I expect there to be an "upgrade" option in the dropdown of the legacy add-on?

I think it'll show in a dedicated area to the top like "Installable Addons", just worded something like "Upgradable Addons". That specific addon probably doesn't have an xF 1 to xF 2 upgrade path, but you can confirm with Xon in his addon thread.

 

[Slyk]

I think it'll show in a dedicated area to the top like "Installable Addons", just worded something like "Upgradable Addons". That specific addon probably doesn't have an xF 1 to xF 2 upgrade path, but you can confirm with Xon in his addon thread.

Helpful!

If I'm reading between the lines correctly, if there's not an "upgradable addon" option, then it may be best to uninstall the addon entirely prior to upgrading to xf2, as it will only result in orphaned data in the database thereafter (?).

2nd follow-up: is there a way to identify if there is an upgrade path without needing to reach out to each dev?

 

[Paul B]

if there's not an "upgradable addon" option, then it may be best to uninstall the addon entirely prior to upgrading to xf2, as it will only result in orphaned data in the database thereafter (?).

Correct.

is there a way to identify if there is an upgrade path without needing to reach out to each dev?

No.
Only the developers can confirm that.

 

[Slyk]

This is why we test

Thanks!

 

[DigNap15]

The above shows why we should all keep fairly up to date with new versions.
Now the OP has a big job,

 

[Paul B]

Nuke the entire site from orbit - it's the only way to be sure.

 

[Slyk]

Nuke the entire site from orbit - it's the only way to be sure.

this serious???

 

[Paul B]

No

It's a quote from Aliens.

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Before your time, perhaps

 

[Slyk]

The above shows why we should all keep fairly up to date with new versions.
Now the OP has a big job,

to be fair: ALL of this has been obstacles & requirements since the announcement of xf2. And is precisely why I've waited so long to upgrade...xf1.5 has sufficed to this point. The truth of the matter is that the leap from xf1.5 to xf2 isn't an easy task for an established, complex forum. I wish this was taken into account when developing xf2. Porting is awful.

 

[Paul B]

XF2 has an entirely different codebase to XF1.

If XF2 was compatible with XF1 code then it wouldn't be a progression at all.

The change in codebase was necessary to modernise, improve, and streamline the code, putting it in a much better position going forward.

 

[Slyk]

XF2 has an entirely different codebase to XF1.

If XF2 was compatible with XF1 code then it wouldn't be a progression at all.

The change in codebase was necessary to modernise, improve, and streamline the code, putting it in a much better position going forward.

I do understand. I'm merely emphasizing the fact that it's a large undertaking regardless of if I would have done it 2 years ago versus tackling it now.

 

[Paul B]

I don't disagree.

I ditched all of my XF1 custom add-ons when I upgraded and still haven't got around to rewriting them.