Yesterday we informed you of the recent arrival of the new version of the most popular CMS (Content Manager System) in the world. And it comes loaded with important improvements and a succulent default theme (find out about the others what's new in WordPress 3.6).
The novelty is the novelty, and if you like to be up to date (and the message of "there is a new version ..." bothers you) you are probably thinking, if you haven't already, the to update your version 3.5 to the recently released 3.6.
If you have already faced an update of WordPress, what we are going to say here you probably already know. Our instructions are aimed at all those clueless, newbies or those who are afraid of updates because they want their website to remain pristine.
Don't be afraid of updates - if you take proper precautions, they don't have to mean problems or headaches.
Before updating WordPress: backups
1. Make a backup of ALL your files.
Create a folder on your computer with the name you prefer (Web Copy, for example) and access your FTP program. Once you enter the data corresponding to your website (server, username and password), connect and select the folder where your website is hosted. Generally, this folder has the name of public_html. Right-click on it and download it. NOTE: you can also do it from the FTP program that all hosting services usually make available to you, directly from Cpanel.
2. Back up your database.
Access your hosting account and go to Cpanel. Go to PhpMyAdmin and select the database that corresponds to your website. Then click on Export and Continue. Ready!.
3. Export the content of your website.
As a precaution, go to your WordPress Dashboard (http://yourdomain.com/wp-login.php) and access the Tools> Export section, and select the option to download a copy of all content (pages, posts, categories , tags, comments, users).
4. Finally (and optional): you can take an inventory.
You can write down all the plugins you have installed, the themes, the user accounts ... In case something strange happens after updating and you need to know this (very unlikely, but you have your back).
These steps should be done from time to time, update or not
Should I update?
Updates are good- Remove bugs from previous versions, debug code, and add some services. But it is necessary to make certain points: they are not completely prepared when they are launched. By this I mean that not all problems are detectable before users implement them on their websites and submit their complaints. Therefore, you must always be aware of the small margin of error with which they work as soon as they go on the market.
A new version goes through different phases before being "ready to go." All, absolutely all WordPress updates, go through an alpha phase, then a beta, and then candidate versions.
The safest version and that comes with less errors will be the next one to come out: version 3.6.1
My personal experience, after update to version 3.6, it has not been bad. Therefore it does not seem crazy to me to update now.
I've updated and I can't see the Visual Editor, it helps!
If this is your problem after update your WordPress, do not despair: it has an easy solution.
If this has happened to you, it is most likely that a plugin you have installed is backfiring your WordPress. What should you do then?
- Access your Desktop (http://yourdomain.com/wp-login.php) and go to the Plugins section> Installed Plugins. Disable all plugins.
- Go now to create a new entry on your blog, and check if the Visual Editor looks good. If so, congratulations! It is confirmed that a plugin is touching your nose.
- Now comes the laborious. You will have to activate all your plugins one by one and check which is the one that does not let you see the Visual Editor correctly. Once you know what it is, you have several solutions:
- Uninstall it, reinstall it and activate it.
- Check that there is no update for this plugin. If it exists, there is the error: you must update it.
- Dispense with that plugin (this will happen if you get very angry with it: you will delete it, believe me).
If you have any other error, you can access the MASTER LIST where problems and solutions appear.
More information - What's new in WordPress 3.6: What's new, old?
As soon as I upgraded to wp 3.6, the visual editor stopped working on my 2 sites. I already tried disabling the plugins but it doesn't work. Any other tips?