How to UPDATE ConfTool or ConfTool Pro

The following steps are necessary to update your ConfTool installation to a newer version.

1. Create a BACKUP of all your files and your database.

2. Check if your backup is complete and "in a safe place".

3. Updating the Database structure

The following steps are only necessary, if the database structure has changed. a) Export your data from the database: - Export only the data, not the structure. - Use "complete" and "extended" inserts for your export. If you use phpMyAdmin the according fields have to be marked. - You may also use mysqldump: mysqldump -C -c -e -t --user=user --password=pass database > conference.sql "user", "pass" and "database" have to be replaced by the according names of your database installation. The exported data can then be found in the file "conference.sql" (Of course, you may use any other file name as well).

b) Verify your exported database dump! The exported data should start with commands like this (not considering any remarks): INSERT INTO `biddings` (`personID`, `paperID`, `bidding`, `conflict`) VALUES (27, 15, 0, 0), (1, 105, -3, 0), ... So all fields of all tables are listet.

c) Drop the tables of your old ConfTool database and create the new table structure usind the "initdb.sql" file of the "install" directory of your new version.

d) Insert the exported data into your database. Use the same commands you usually use to import the "defaultdata.sql" (please check the installation instructions). Please note: the default data for ConfTool must NOT be inserted!

4. Installation of the new program version The new version of ConfTool will replace most of the former files. a) I recommend to move all files from "classes", "lib", "etc", "install", "pages" and "htdocs" to a backup-directory of your choice. The update includes all required files, so you need these files only for backup purposes and to copy your old configuration settings. b) Install the new version in the old directory, just like you had it before. c) The following files usually have to be copied from the backup to the new installation: Directory "etc/": - The "main" directory (if you did any alterations to the language files) - ConfTool.conf[.php] - siteheader.inc[.php] - sitefooter.inc[.php] - I hope you did not edit english.lang etc. directly, otherwise you might have to copy your changes to the new language file as well (or better do your changes in ConfTool/etc/main/english.lang) Directory "htdocs/" - Copy your custom graphics from the backup to the new directory, especially the site logos, logo-invoice.gif and logo-statement.gif. - If you altered the css-file, you might have to compare both versions as well.

5. Test your installation and the setup. Especially go to the backoffice and see if maybe some of the new options confer with your conference requirements.

So
Check ALL your settings in the backoffice, please.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know.

Harald Weinreich

Annual migration:

Note that, for the purposes of DH, we don't always want to carry forward every table's data from year to year (for example, registered participants from last year will not have registered yet this year). The image below shows zero entries in those tables that should be emptied, after the upgrade described above.

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