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ECI Installation   

Feb 4th, 2011 // In: Easy CSV Importer, Help, Wordpress // By: Ryan BayneComments 1

This guide covers upgrading to new versions and first time installation. It is especially important to read if you would like to upgrade to a new version on a long term project. First time installation is fairly simple but the guide covers some of the main things all users should familiarize themselves with.

First Time Installation

There are two ways to install your plugin, you may use the WordPress interface method or upload the plugin using your hosting or another ftp software. I would like to go over some main points before describing each installation method.

1. The plugins own folder must currently be named “easy-csv-importer-2″, this may change in future and can be changed should anyone require it.
2. Ensure you have deleted the Demo version of the plugin so that the files do not get mixed up.
3. Should you experience problems, please take screenshots and send them to info@webtechglobal.co.uk
4. If your zip file is named different from “easy-csv-importer-2″, the zip should contain a folder named “easy-csv-importer-2″ which contains the plugin files.

WordPress Installation Method

I’ve never found a plugin or a situation where I could not use this method and there is no reason you cannot with Easy CSV Importer so I recommend it. Go to Plugins in your administration menu, then select Add New, this will open the Install Plugins page. Click on Upload and you will see the upload form shown below. Click on Browse then navigate and select the “easy-csv-importer.zip” file, or other zip file if it is named differently. If your zip file is named something different, it will still work providing the plugins files are within a folder named “easy-csv-importer-2″, WordPress installs that folder and the contents. Once your finished browsing, click Install now. You will then have the option to Active the plugin and you are finished.

FTP/Hosting Installation Method

Due to the variations in ftp software or hosting file upload I cannot provide screenshots or accurate description. Please refer to your software or hosting documentation on how to get started. What I need to tell you is where to install the plugin. Simply locate the folder named “wp-content” in your WordPress installation and in that folder you will find a folder named “plugins”, that is where you need to put the plugin.

The resulting path: wp-content/plugins/easy-csv-importer-2/

Once uploaded, you will need to log into your blog and activate the plugin. Do this by opening the Plugins menu in your administration. Click on the Plugins option to open a list of your existing plugins. Easy CSV Importer should be in the list. Click on Activate and your finished with the installation.

Upgrading To New Versions

The important thing to realise is that the plugin uses around one hundred global settings or project settings to create or update a single post. New versions may have changes to those settings i.e. new settings, re-named settings or the default value of settings have occasionally required changing. These setting values are stored in multiple arrays and the structure of these arrays often need to change to accommodate new features. The problem there is I can’t make the plugin automatically change your existing setup because the results may not be what you want. I can even think of scenarios where it may damage the previous work done on the blog.

Moral of the story is, please browse the notes for each update, mainly the blog post which is done for every new version. If the plugins change notes state anything to do with new settings being added or changes to data arrays then I recommend not upgrading existing projects without a 100% backup for the database. I will try to indicate caution where needed and will make more effort to indicate this or tell you when no backup is needed.

Upgrade Tips

1. Find out of changes to data structure or settings data have been made.
2. Backup your database if changes have been made and backup a copy of the plugin you are already using.
3. Once the new plugin is installed, have a quick browse over all pages and check every panel on the Settings page.
4. If there are Undefined variable errors this can indicate a new setting that needs initialised, simply save it to do so

Helpfull?

Please comment below letting me know how much this post helped you and if there is anything I can do to improve the information provided.