Phoenix Cart Forum

Hi,

When I "moved over" to phoenix I downloaded the latest version (1.1.0.6) onto my test server and thought "Great, I'm on the latest software at last" So I started busily modifying it to my needs (all without core changes).

However, we now have 1.1.0.7 and 1.1.0.8 with 1.1.0.9 in development - Now, like many shop owners I'm sure, I would like to keep up with the new releases to prevent being stuck 20 or more, releases behind in a few years time.

Looking at the new releases I see each contains a worrying warning: "If you are certain you wish to move to 1.1.0.x" then do the following......

What I am missing is what the effects could be of updating, there is a list of new and deleted files but from a non-developer view the question I am left with is "will my store work after updating, especially the addons that work on 1.1.06 - will they work on newer versions?

Once my test site becomes the Live store I wont have the luxury of Updating and fixing errors as they come to light.

Thoughts?

Try it on a test shop which is a copy of your live shop.

No one can guess what effect an update will have on Your Phoenix, as your phoenix is just that - only you know what it contains.

Have a look at this add-on. It will identify any changes that you've made to core files that are likely to get clobber on a Pheonix update. IMO, as a community, we need to get behind this.

app.php/addons/free_addon/ce_phoenix_upgrader_utility

Dan

burt wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2026 10:11 am Try it on a test shop which is a copy of your live shop.

No one can guess what effect an update will have on Your Phoenix, as your phoenix is just that - only you know what it contains.

We did this and eventually stopped updating the current website at 1.0.9.1 as the next update caused so much grief and a few problems we decided to stop updating and the site is still working now.

We are only updating now as the hosts are supposed to be stopping supporting PHP8.0, which is the latest version we can get the old site to tun on without errors. Once again we will carry out updated on a test site until it either breaks something or causes errors as something else needs doing. Like most store owners we need the site working to generate an income and that's more important than having a up to date site with all the bells and whistles.

We had a lot of code created for us and it seemed silly to keep updating it just for the sake of updating with the costs that would be involved. Luckily now we have figured out how to use AI to make small changes and updates and its been helpful, but not always.

OK here we go - Firstly I love phoenix, and am grateful to Gary for keeping everything going with a handful of helpers.

But..... The last three answers make me think that there is a massive problem looming down the line.

I can see the development of phoenix continuing with releases every few months or annually or whatever is decided because developers love to develop. I only joined in June this year and downloaded the latest version 1.1.0.6 and there have been 2 updates since with a third in development now.

There will be shop owners using every version released, because they maybe tried updating but found that something broke.

There will eventually be an addon area full of addons for various releases, which may or may not work on later or earlier versions.

Shop owners will ask questions in the forum, only to be told that version is too old - you need to update. (this happened a lot on OSC as some were still using RC2! - so they drift away.

So, for the run of the mill shop owner, who does not like to dabble too much, who cant set up a test site to do a test upgrade and has limited funds I guess they will stay on the version they are using, without ever updating until something breaks the site such as a php change - and then move away from phoenix.

I think that what you are mentioning here is important and very difficult.

The approach with more and smaller updates is a way to try to avoid the big leaps that were in OSC and made it very difficult for shopowners to update (of course, combined with the frequent use of core-code changes). These smaller and more frequent updates (along with the ability to create add-ons without touching core) makes the steps smaller and easier to do.

However, most shops will have add-ons and you never know which update might break one or more, so each update requires extensive testing from the shop-owner. That is something not all shopowners can do too frequent.
These past years, the core-team has done well to preserve backwards combability whenever possible, and cadeau to them for that! Still, sometimes something will break with an update. I have been thinking quite a bit about this for a while, without coming up with any good ideas.

In my case, I have two shops I look after (neither are mine) which are on 1.0.8.21. my plan is to find the time to update them (using the upgrader-add-on) on a mirrored test-site until a version that breaks most add-ons (the introduction of BS5 would be my guess), update alle the add-ons and test a lot. Update the live-sites and catch the small hiccups not found in my own testing. Fix them, and then update the test-shops again until the same happens, or the newest version is reached. Test, update add-ons, test, implement on live-sites.
I don't mind being a couple of versions behind, but I would like to be on the most recent x.x.x.x, so if time allows, that will be the one I'm aiming at following. Time has just been too little since the 1.0.8.21-days in my case.

//Daniel

I think we should divorce shops that have modified core from the ones who have not.

Modified Core: You are a sinner and sorry, but you are on your own

Not Modified Core (as most recent addons don't): Then unless an update changes the way the shop actually works, or uses new / changed functions that are not recognised by say php 8 then surely addons should still work on the update?

Or maybe I'm reading this completely wrong?

Change core always redirect you to hell, isn't new

For many years, I can't upgrade for my modified core and less time to spend on it. So, since the migration to 1.1.05 (now i'm on 1.1.0.6) don't touch core, only override or clone modules.

This time, I think it will be easy to update, even if I'm not up to date.

Mort_Lemur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 17, 2026 10:54 am Modified Core: You are a sinner and sorry, but you are on your own

I probably wouldn't go that far. What I would say is;

Modification of core files breaks the "No Coding Needed" contract, not only in Core but also in Addons.

User breaking that contract is perfectly fine, no one has ever told a user what they must (or must not) do.
But User must then understand the consequences.

See this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=43&t=3390

@burt I still prefer a combination of mine and @PiLLaO response So that would now read: "You changed Core ! You are a sinner and are going to Hell"