• Version 3 and 4 main differences
• Upgrade procedure
• Upgrade from v.3.6
• Upgrade from VERY old versions (2.x.x - 3.5.x)

Sometimes upgrade to new version is a necessity. The main reason is usually upgrade of PHP on the hosting server. It is a fact that only latest versions of ViArt Shop support all the new changes in PHP 5.3+. This article will be useful to those who run a very old version of ViArt and now are faced with upgrade. Upgrading a VERY old version may not go as smoothly as upgrade from a few versions back.

Version 3 and 4 main differences

Version 3 and 4 have a number of very significant differences.

• Structure:
  Version 3.6 and all previous ViArt versions are based on tables. This means their CSS and HTML templates are designed with certain set of styles applied only for tables structure and that blocks' content in previous versions is placed within three main tables (columns).
  Starting from version 4.0 we introduced a completely different structure - all blocks content is placed not in tables but wrapped in DIV tags. All HTML templates were redeveloped on DIVs and a new set of styles specifically for DIV structure was implemented.

*Note: because of this reason designs developed for version 3.6 and earlier versions will not work on version 4.0, you will need a new design created on DIVs.

• CMS:
  Another big change in version 4.0 is new powerful CMS system. It has a great variety of functionalities of true Content Management System:
  • now you can add on a page as many copies of the same block as you want;
  • you can specify to use a different template for any block right in CMS;
  • you can build-in one block into another (for example, Small Cart into Header block);
  • you can set styles and HTML code for every frame (groups of blocks);
  • you can specify individual styles for blocks;
  • you can use any blocks on any page (for example, Products Listing on articles pages, Special Offer on basket and so on);
  • you are not limited to three columns layout anymore and you can create your own layouts with your own blocks positioning;
  • you can add/delete/edit any block options and assign them to specific CMS modules and pages;
• Zend Optimizer
  When upgrading PHP version on a hosting server many users have encountered a problem that Zend Optimizer is no longer compatible with latest PHP versions (starting from PHP 5.3) which also disables ViArt Shop. Zend Optimizer is a necessary requisite for version 3.6 and all previous versions of ViArt Shop. Starting from version 4.0 we refused from Zend Optimizer and use our own encoder.
• New Functionalities
  In addition to structure changes and new CMS in v.4.0 was added a number of new functionalities, such as Shipping Calculator, Export Templates, new coupon settings, new invoice settings and many many more. Please read the full features list in this article:
http://www.viart.com/viart_shop_v.4.0_released.html

Upgrade procedure

You can perform upgrade by yourself or we can do it for you for an extra cost.

• make a backup of all files in your current version;
• make a dump of your current database;
• download a new version from http://www.viart.com/php_shopping_cart_free_evaluation_download.html
• unzip the archive with new version and replace your old files with the new ones (except the ones you've modified, e.g. templates, styles, images);
• copy the var_definition file from your backup 'includes' folder and paste it in the 'includes' folder of your new version
• go to your Administration panel ('Tools > System Upgrade') and click the Upgrade Database button;
• apply custom changes (if any) from previous version to the new version files;
• your shop is now updated to the latest version.

Please read this article for more information about upgrade and check Upgrade FAQ below.

Upgrade from v.3.6

If your site is running on version 3.6 and you would like to upgrade to latest version please take into account these points.

• Design - if you don't use one of the default designs i.e. Default, Curved, Silver, Convex, Fashion, Rainbow, Classic, Marine, Ecommerce, Demo, Double or if you modified the CSS file of one of these designs then it means you have a custom design and it won't work on new version so you will need to redevelop it according to new structure (please contact our support team for more information).
• Customizations - by customizations are considered any changes in default files, this can be a minor change to site header, some block's template or a completely new functionality, in any case these customizations are not likely to work after upgrade so be ready to develop them once again.
• Updates Extension - each type of ViArt Software license has an unlimited period of use unless you decide to upgrade your license to the latest version. In this case your license is valid for free updates within 6 months (for Light Edition), 9 months (for Standard Edition) and 12 months (for Enterprise Edition). After this period expires to upgrade your license you will need to buy an Updates Extension.

Upgrade from VERY old versions (2.x.x - 3.5.x)

If your site is running on older version (2.x.x - 3.5.x) please add to the above points one more.

• Upgrade Service - because of a big structure leap between version 2 and 4 you won't be able to perform upgrade by yourself like instructed in this article because upgrade in this case will require manual changes in some scripts. That's why it is strongly recommended to order the Upgrade Service from our programmers.