Updating modules

Last updated March 7, 2013. Created by hailu on April 24, 2008.
Edited by 2020media, mattgilbert, RoloDMonkey, arianek. Log in to edit this page.

Updating modules is a more involved process than installing or removing modules. The steps should be followed closely, as all these steps are necessary to ensure the stability of your website.

Check for Module Specific Update Instructions

Check the module's project page "Read Documentation" link as well as the tarball (ie README.txt, INSTALL.txt, UPGRADE.txt, etc) for any module specific update instructions. This is typically necessary when updating modules that involve the usage of 3rd party libraries. Be sure to read and understand all module specific requirements before proceeding with the updates.

Backup your Files and Database

Your website's database contains all of its content, as well as all of its settings and configuration. As such, any operation which modifies it could, although unlikely, be potentially damaging. Backing up your website's files will ensure that you can revert back to the point when things were working. We highly recommend you take steps to back it up before performing this procedure. More information about taking backups may be found at http://drupal.org/node/22281.

Disable Module

You must first disable the module. Here is a tutorial that covers how to disable a module Follow only part of the instructions listed there. Stop at the section labeled “Uninstalling a module” and only perform the first section of steps for disabling a module. Note that there is a discussion in the Drupal community about disabling or not modules before updating them.

• EDIT: According to the majority of the Drupal community it is usually recommended to leave the module ENABLED before updating it. Modules might need to access their code in order to run update code, and if the module is not enabled, it cannot do that.

Put site in maintenance mode (off-line)

Go to /admin/settings/site-maintenance

Reinstall Module

Next is reinstalling the module. The Update module also provides a download link which may be used to download the updated version instead of going to Drupal.org. Delete the outdated module's files and upload the new ones as if you were installing the module for the first time.

Run update.php

Update.php is a script that is used to update the database after modules, themes, or core have been updated/upgraded. (A new version of a module may change the structure of the database, and this script adjusts the database to fit the updated module.) As the database contains all of the content and the settings of your website, this is an essential step to ensure its continued operation.

• The update.php script can be called two different ways. You may go to the main administration page and click on the “update.php” link on the front page, or you may go directly to http://example.com/update.php in your browser.

• You will require admin privileges to perform this update. The first account created on your site will have the required privileges.

• If you do not have the proper privileges, you will receive this screen. Either log in or follow the instructions on the page to perform the update.

• Once you have the proper privileges, you will see this screen. Click on the “Select versions” link to expand the section.

• These dropdown boxes contain database updates specified by modules you have installed. If you are not developing your own module or troubleshooting, you should leave them alone and just click the “Update” button. The correct items should already be selected by default -- either “No updates available” if there have not been any database changes, or a number, which is simply an ID number of the database update being applied.

• This next page may take a small amount of time to load, as the server is modifying your database. This page will display any errors that may have occurred during the process. If none have occurred, your module updates are complete!

Put site online

Go to /admin/settings/site-maintenance