The One Stop Blog Shop

How To Update Your WordPress Software

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:51:54 +0000

From time to time you may want to update your WordPress installation to the latest version. You might want to do this because you’ve seen a message at the top of your Dashboard telling you that a new release is available, because you’ve been made aware of some useful new functionality, or because a security fix has been released.

WARNING: The upgrade process will affect all files and folders included in the main WordPress installation. This includes all the core files used to run WordPress, two plugins (Akismet and Hello Dolly) and two themes (Twenty Eleven and Twenty Ten). If you have made any modifications to those files, your changes will be lost.

Whatever the reason for updating, before getting started it is best to check the current minimum requirements page first to make sure that your web host has the required versions of PHP and MySQL. (If you are not sure, then your hosting provider should be able to tell you.)

Take a Backup

The next thing to do is to take a backup of your database. All your posts and Pages are held in the database, so you will need to have a copy of it in case, for whatever reason, you change your mind after upgrading and need to go back. If you are not sure how to backup your database, then complete instructions can be found in the WordPress Backups section of the Codex.

Disable Plugins

The final preparation step is to disable plugins. Now, you don’t have to do this, but every now and again a plugin hasn’t been updated to work with the latest version of WordPress, and causes a problem after the upgrade. So, it’s best to try and avoid that, yes? You can easily disable your plugins by heading to the Manage Plugins page in the Dashboard, changing the “Bulk Actions” pull down menu to “Deactivate” and clicking “Apply”.

Ready to Update

Now that you’ve checked that you’re ready to update, you’ve turned off your plugins and you’ve got your backup, it’s time to get started.

There are two methods for updating – the easiest is the Automatic Update, which will work for most people. If it doesn’t work, or you just prefer to be more hands-on, you can follow the manual update process.

Automatic Update

Current versions of WordPress (2.7+) feature an Automatic Update. You can launch the automatic Update by clicking the link in the new version banner (if it’s there) or by going to the Tools -> Upgrade (or Update for version 3) menu. Once you are on the “Update WordPress” page, click the button “Update Automatically” to start the process off. You shouldn’t need to do anything else and, once it’s finished, you will be up-to-date.

For Automatic Update to work, at least two criteria must be satisfied:

(a) file ownership: all of your WordPress files must be owned by the user under which your web server executes. In other words, the owner of your WordPress files must match the user under which your web server executes. The web server user (named “apache”, “web”, “www”, “nobody”, or some such) is not necessarily the owner of your WordPress files. Typically, WordPress files are owned by the ftp user which uploaded the original files. If there is no match between the owner of your WordPress files and the user under which your web server executes, you will receive a dialog box asking for “connection information”, and you will find that no matter what you enter in that dialog box, you won’t be able to update automatically.

(b) file permissions: all of your WordPress files must be either owner writable by, or group writable by, the user under which your Apache server executes.

On shared hosts, WordPress files should specifically NOT be owned by the web server. If more then one user owns different files in the install (because of edits made by deleting and re-uploading of files via different accounts, for example), the file permissions need to be group writable (for example, 775 and 664 rather then the default 755 and 644). File permissions (in general) should be adjusted as appropriate for the server environment (the shared host RackSpace CloudSites for example recommends 700 and 600 for a single ftp user, or 770 and 660 for multiple ftp users). See the file permission section for more (some files and folders require stricter permissions).

Automatic update has been known to fail if you’re not using PHP5. If you see the message indicating that the update is downloading the zip file and then nothing else happens, it may be because you are not running PHP5. Many hosts offer both PHP4 and PHP5, and switching is usually very easy, often a simple entry in your .htaccess file. If you can’t switch to PHP5, and experience this problem, use the manual update below.

If you have customized the TwentyTen or TwentyEleven theme, you should not use the automatic upgrade, as it will overwrite your changes – you should use a manual update instead.

If you see a “failed update” nag message, delete the file .maintenance from your WordPress directory using FTP. This will remove the “failed update” nag message.

If the automatic upgrade doesn’t work for you, don’t panic! Just try a manual update.

KevinKmetz.com

admin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:17:42 +0000

http://kevinkmetz.com is a website that was created to showcase some of the events by Kevin Kmetz. Born in Pensacola, Fl, he has sought after a life of competitive inline skating, short track speed skating and currently now competes in MMA (Mix Martial Arts) fighting. We built this site for locals and area friends, family and others to follow his success and accomplishments.

0800implants.com

admin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 20:19:13 +0000

Facebook Landing Page:

LaVidaFemme.com

admin — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 17:00:38 +0000

When you need the real deal, Elizabeth Webb is just that. We got the chance to work on a new website for http://lavidafemme.com . Elizabeth Webb, founder and CEO of La Vida Femme, is regarded as New York’s premiere Lifestyle & Relationship Coach. Dubbed “Lady E” by her clients, Elizabeth specializes in helping women attract and build luscious, radiant, fabulous relationships! So they needed upscale look, upscale site and upscale images. The One Stop Blog Shop was able to provide just that. Estore will soon be added as well as newsletter and tips. We took their old website and turn it into a real online presence.

Divaleadership Academy

admin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:30:48 +0000

Time to revamp an old website! Party Plan Divas, Inc. came to us to revamp their popular etraining website http://divaleadershipacademy.com/ We took their website and created an emember based super site. Now their every so popular system will be available to paid members with reoccurring billing, as well as private/protected content sections. Ebooks, Online Training and other specialties are now all available in one easy to find location.

Party Plan Divas Store

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:30:24 +0000

Once again when Party Plan Divas, Inc. needed a web store, they knew exactly who to turn to. We were approached with the idea that Party Plan Divas wanted a web store with affiliate tracking and shopping cart options. Something that E books, Training material, Videos and other material could be sold to their customers and award others for sending traffic to their site. We setup their store on a word press software that is easy to use and manage, as well as very affordable to customize. We included both shopping cart system and affiliate software. We took care of their logo, image and product graphic needs as well. You can find their store at http://store.partyplandivasinc.com

Quality Alarm Systems

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:07:26 +0000

When we were contacted by http://qualityalarmsystems.com, they need a website and needed it quick. After failed attempts at other local ‘design’ companies, they came to The One Stop Blog Shop and we set them up with site and took care of all their needs right away. Their site features a Flash Banner on the top, followed by a simple post section in the middle. The site is very ‘page’ heavy and not so much post/content thick, but it gets every bit of information they need out to their clients and they soon hope to expand into a shopping cart, Google merchant services as well as customer database in the future.

Facebook Landing Pages

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:14:44 +0000

We all know that first impressions, mean so much and always last. Our Facebook Fan Pages are a great way to give that first impression to let your potential customers know you mean business. Here are a few samples we have done.

We’ll make it easy; Just Choose a Template:

Here is some information we will need to make things super simple and easy.

Graphic Design

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:41:04 +0000

The One Stop Blog Shop offers multiple types of Graphic Design. Our graphic designers can do edits, re-sizes, or create something new from scratch.

Logo & Headers

Buttons

and other image types

Animated & Flash files are also available

Facebook Fan Landing Pages:

Facebook Timeline Package

The FB Timeline Package will help give your page that professional look. First impressions are most important; let your customers know you mean business! No worries, there is no limit to the images or graphics creativity we will use as we don't limit your success.

Price: $50.00

Price: $30.00

Ad Banners

Do you need a custom banner to plug into an advertising spot? Are you ready to start promoting your website with others and increasing your traffic? The purchase of this graphic service is for 1 x 125x200, 200x300 or 468x60 size banner* (custom sizes also available)

*Graphic must be already created and available. If you need a header/logo created first, please purchase that graphic service.

Price: $15.00

Price: $9.99

Buttons

Do you need to reduce your logo or header to fill an advertising spot? Are you ready to start sharing your brand with others and increasing your traffic? The purchase of this graphic service is for 1 x 125x125 size button* & 1 x 150x150 size button*. If you need the 'grab my button' code, just ask! Free with purchase of any button!

*Graphic must be already created and available. If you need a header/logo created first, please purchase that graphic service.

Price: $15.00

Price: $9.99

Header | Logo

Do you need a new header to fill that new theme? Are you having a hard time finding that perfect "whatchamacallit" that represents YOU? Are you ready to start branding YOU! Then you need a custom header/logo! Purchase of this service is for 1 x Header/Logo design.

Price: $50.00

Price: $39.99

Website Design

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:55:33 +0000

Take Your Mark.. From the start to the finish line, this package offers everything you need. This is great for Small Business Owners, Mompreneurs, or Bloggers with a medium to large customer base or following. The package offers:

-1 yr hosting (can discount if you already have your own)
-custom images (can discount if you already have your own)
-custom website design
-static home pages
-custom email address (name@yourdomain.com)
-plug-in installation & configuration
navigation & category hierarchy setup
-any other custom page templates

This package usually runs: $499-$999 depending on needs and wants from the business owner.

Please Contact Us directly with your ideas, so we can give you a personal quote

Here are some samples: More available in our Portfolio section.