Upgrading from a previous version

Additional pages:{toc}

Before you start...

... read this because it is very important: Always backup the files and the database of your current installation!

You can do this using a database administration tool like phpMyAdmin and a file manager! If you don't know how to do this, you should not proceed further and ask someone who knows or use the ComfortUpdate instead.

The normal way (from 2.x or newer to any later version)

Please follow these instructions:

• Backup your files and database (did we already mention that?).
• Delete all the old files/folders except for:
  • /application/config/security.php -Important!! This is the key to all encrypted data in LimeSurvey (version 4 and later)
  • /application/config/config.php;
  • /upload directory

Note: If you have any customized templates in /upload/templates, make sure you 'refresh' those with any changes that come with the new LimeSurvey version. The easiest way to check for such changes is to file-compare your old template with the new version of the default template. If you see any differences other than your customizations, a refresh is needed.

• Copy the new files from the new LimeSurvey package to the existing location.
• Open the admin page in your browser (e.g. https://www.example.com/limesurvey/admin) and check if a database scheme upgrade is necessary.
• After the upgrade: Clear your browser cache and cookies!

The thorough way (for big version jumps)

Unfortunately, there are a couple of things to consider, so please read the following instructions carefully.

Upgrading from version 1.50 or later to any later 2.xx version

• Download the latest version of LimeSurvey
• Prepare and backup the old installation by backing up your complete installation directory files and your LimeSurvey database, just in case. Do not proceed further without having done that first. The most important files are config.php, any modified template directories, and the /upload directory.
• Replace all the installation directory files
  • Delete all old files in the existing installation directory
  • Upload and unpack the new files of the new version into the same installation directory
  • If your previous version is older than 1.90, copy any customized templates to /upload/templates - you will also need to rename each template directory whose name matches an existing template in /templates
  • Copy your /upload directory back to the old location
  • Double-check the permissions set on the directories (write access to /tmp, /upload, and their subdirectories is required) as described in the installation wiki
  • Open http://<yourdomain>/<yourlimesurveydir>/admin in your browser and follow the instructions (You will find the database data in the old config.php). The existing database will be automatically detected and if necessary, upgraded after confirmation.
• Check if any special manual checks apply as listed below
• Now, clear your browser cache and cookies and you are good to go

  If you upgrade from e.g. 1.92, it might be necessary first to upgrade to the latest 1.92 release, then to 2.00, then to 2.06, and then finally to the latest version (e.g. 2.55.x). Read below for further details.

  Please note that the template structure has changed with the update from 2.0x to 2.50 or later. Your old templates will not be working anymore as the template system is now using responsive templates.

Special checks after an upgrade:

• from any earlier version to 2.xx: Proper question codes are mandatory now. After upgrading the installation, check the survey logic of all surveys and correct the codes where necessary
• from a version earlier than v1.53: When upgrading from a version before v1.53 to the latest version, please check the global user rights of each user. There was a new superadmin right introduced in v1.53 that can give a user the same privilege as the master administration account created during the installation. The upgrade script is guessing to whom this permission should be given in the older versions. As this is not perfect, it should be carefully checked.
• from any earlier version to v2.06: From 2.05 to 2.06, some unused permissions when editing global permissions for 'surveys' were activated. For example, if a user had only the 'create' permission in 2.05, the other permissions located to the right of 'create' would also get activated with the update to 2.06 (View/read, Update, Delete, Import, Export). Please check whether the admin users got any other global permissions besides the 'original' ones after the update. If yes, please edit them accordingly.

Upgrading from version 1.50 or later to any later 1.xx version

• Download the desired version of LimeSurvey
• Prepare and backup the old installation
  • Backup your installation directory files and SQL-based database just in case
    • At the command-line level, make a .zip or similar archive of the whole installation directory tree of files. For example, in Linux 'tar cvzf foo.tgz cps100' will tar and zip the whole of the cps100 directory
    • Using phpMyAdmin or similar to export all tables; or using the LimeSurvey Administration button to backup the entire database
  • Copy your config.php file, modified template directories, and the /upload directory separately for quick access later
• Replace all the installation directory files
  • Delete all old files in the existing installation directory
  • Upload and unpack the new code version into the same installation directory
  • Edit or replace the config.php file:
    • If your previous version was < 1.70: Edit the new config.php in order to reflect the changes from the backup config.php file. Do not just overwrite the new config.php with your old one!
    • If your previous version was >= 1.70: Simply replace the new config.php with your backup config.php file (as the file format has not changed)
  • If your previous version was older than 1.90: Copy any customized templates to /upload/templates - you will also need to rename each template directory whose name matches an existing template in /templates
  • Copy your /upload directory back to the old location
  • Double-check the permissions set on the directories of LimeSurvey (write access to /tmp, /upload, and to their subdirectories is required) as described in the installation wiki
• Finish the installation/upgrade process
  • Once you open the URL to your LimeSurvey administration, the database tables will be updated after confirmation
  • Remove or rename the /admin/install directory as/if instructed by the installation script
  • Check if any special manual checks apply (as listed below)

Special checks after an upgrade:

• from any earlier version to 1.92: The templates have been changed. Please check your customized templates if they are still looking right. If not, you will have to edit your templates accordingly (check out the original templates to see what was changed)
  
• from a version earlier than v1.53: When upgrading from a version before v1.53 to the latest version, please check the global user rights of each user. There was a new superadmin right introduced in v1.53 that can give a user the same privilege as the master administration account created during the install. The upgrade script is guessing to whom this permission should be given in the older versions. As this is not perfect, it should be carefully checked.

Upgrading from a version earlier than v1.50 (v1.0 through v1.44)

Since the data structure and a lot of other things were changed, upgrading from any version previous to v1.50 is NOT possible. If you have old survey structure files with an *.sql extension, the only way to get these into a newer version is to install version 1.50, import the .sql file(s) there, then upgrade that version to the most recent LimeSurvey version. Check the page related to how an installation can be transferred for more details.

Upgrading using CLI

You can upgrade Database via PHP Cli: php application/commands/console.php updatedb. This allows you to set up an auto-upgrade system via command line (for example, in a crontab).

FAQ

Can I upgrade even if I have active surveys?

Yes, you can. Exceptions may be mentioned in the thorough instructions above. We strongly advise to test your surveys after upgrade to check if your design templates still work alright.

What is the best way to conert *.sql/*.csv survey structure files to the latest LimeSurvey version?

Install version 1.50, import the file, and export the survey structure to the newer .csv format. Then install the latest Version 2.x and import the .csv format and export it to the current .lss format.