when to run update.php [#842680]

This is my frist module upgrade.

Installed 6.3.7 upgrading from 6.3.6.

Ran update.php with no action there.

I understand there must not be any database configuration necessary in this case. Is that correct, and is there an easy way to tell if update.php should do anything when making an update, or is it best to simply check and trust update.php?

Thank you.

Comments

Comment #1

quicksketch

he/him

commented 1 July 2010 at 15:35

Status:

Active

» Fixed

I understand there must not be any database configuration necessary in this case.

That's right, the update from 3.6 to 3.7 doesn't require any database updates, so there's nothing in update.php.

is there an easy way to tell if update.php should do anything when making an update, or is it best to simply check and trust update.php?

The best approach is just to check update.php after updating any modules. If no updates are needed, it's still a good idea to clear your caches at admin/settings/performance.

One more thing to remember when updating, NEVER select a different update number. Drupal should never have provided the option to change update numbers to users. It was meant as a developer tool and may cause permanent damage to your database (it's also been removed in D7). It doesn't sound like you tried to change the update numbers, but just keep in mind that Drupal will select the appropriate update for you and you never need to change it.

Comment #2

itserich commented 2 July 2010 at 00:37

Thanks.

About not selecting a different update number, do you mean to not select a module version in update.php, that if update.php does not indicate a module, to simply not pick one and leave it alone? Because that is what I did.

Thanks for your answer, for new users I think fear of messing up the database, if people even know how important it is, can stop people from running updates.

FWIW, one common question people seem to have when updating modules is whether to disable the old module version prior to update. I am using the book Using Drupal and it does not mention disabling the module so I do not. Elsewhere I have read disabling the module can harm the database update which seems possible.

Thanks again for your answer.

Comment #3

quicksketch

he/him

commented 2 July 2010 at 00:52

Sounds like you did everything right. I don't disable modules before updating them and indeed, sometimes that can cause problems because updates run even if the module is turned off, but sometimes they'll fail in that situation because the updates can find the module file if the module is turned off.