Upgrading WordPress with a Plugin

By Cory Miller

I just upgraded (manually) this site to test out the new 2.5 version of WordPress. I’m totally in love with the new interface! (Here’s more detailed account of all the great new features in 2.5 here) It’s elegant and such an upgrade for usability.

Anyway, one of the new features with 2.5 is it includes links to the plugin repository in the Dashboard and I just found a great plugin called WordPress Automatic Upgrade.

It automates the upgrading process …. and I tried it out on a 2.3.3 version blog and it worked great. All I did was upload the plugin, activate it and start the process.

Upgrading can be scary the first time you do it (not with the plugin) … but if you’re really scared, go ahead and manually export and backup your blog before doing so (even though this plugin does it for you).

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11 Responses

Nathan Rice Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 1:08 pm

I upgraded (manually) from my laptop during one of the Saturday sessions. you were sitting right beside me But yes, it can be intimidating the first time though.

But it’s so worth it this time. 2.5 is off the chain.

Cory Miller Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 1:13 pm

Nathan, yeah, totally crazy to be at a conference where they release the software and literally seconds later have it updated! That was cool.

I recall vaguely the first time I did an upgrade and it was scary … that’s what I’m referring to. Even without the plugin, it’s super, super easy.

Rock on, WP! And good to finally meet you in person, bro!

Micah Fries Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 5:37 pm

Cory-

Thanks for the heads up. This really is an impressive plugin. For all the wordpress amateurs that I know, this is going to be a lifesaver.

Wordpress 2.5 | Micah Fries :: Husband Daddy Pastor Learner Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 7:54 pm

[…] HT: Cory Miller […]

Upgrading to WP 2.5 | Blogging | Success with Todd Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 3:16 pm

[…] I successfully upgraded one of my blogs to wordpress 2.5. As advertised, the new interface is very cool. The process itself was actually pretty easy, and only took about 15 minutes. Much thanks to Cory Miller for making this post about upgrading wordpress with a plugin. […]

Todd Morris Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 3:22 pm

Hi Cory,

I used this plugin yesterday to upgrade one of my blogs … went very smooth. Makes me feel much more comfortable upgrading all my blogs. Thanks for sharing.

Todd

Peter Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

Cory,

Thanks so much for this post! I just found another plugin that does the same. Your thoughts?
http://www.zirona.com/software/wordpress-instant-upgrade/

From some initial research, some of these plugins can do some weird things like mess with permissions or write files to unwanted directories.

I’ve never upgraded WP before, and am quite intimidated (currently in 2.0.2 on Yahoo! Hosting), are there any general or version-specific cautions I should know about before attempting this? I guess I’m just wondering, how safe is this?

Cory Miller Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pm

Peter, not sure …. I go with one and if it works that’s what I suggest. It just saves time. Any reason you don’t want to go with the one above? I’ve had a number of people tell me they used it and it worked great.

Peter Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 6:46 pm

Cory,

I have no aversion to the one you recommend above, in fact I will likely use it, I was just wondering if it would be subject to some of the same problems listed (in the comments) here: http://weblogtoolscollection.com/pluginblog/2007/07/17/wordpress-automatic-upgrade-plugin/

I guess I’m just being paranoid. Thanks!

Cory Miller Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 7:08 pm

Peter, understand the paranoia … especially the first time I upgraded (way, way back). I would always do a backup of your blog before doing any kind of upgrade.

Peter Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 8:03 am

Cory, besides copying all the WP files, and doing a database backup, is there anything else I need to backup? How do I restore the database if need be?