Upgrading VP-ASP to Version 6.00
 

Summary

This document is only for customers upgrading from an earlier version of VP-ASP. If you are a new customer using VP-ASP Shopping Cart for the first time, then please stop reading now.

The upgrade to VP-ASP 6.00 involves a number of steps. Some are done automatically by utilities that are provided and others manually by following the steps below. This is a quick summary of the steps necessary to upgrade.

  1. Install VP-ASP into a new folder
  2. Update shop$config.asp to point to your existing database
  3. Run utility convert600.asp to update the database.
  4. Manually assign new menus and tables to your administrative userids
  5. Manually update shop$colors.asp
  6. Copy over your shoppage_header.htm and shoppage_trailer.htm and other site specific files
  7. Download the 6.00 language files and change any site specific language words.
  8. Download latest electronic gateway interface
  9. Update your Shop Configuration Options (required for 3.x customers only)
  10. Convert categories. This is only for VP-ASP 3.x customers and 4.x customers in old category mode
  11. Other add-ons
  12. VP-ASP 3.x specific notes

1. Install VP-ASP 6.00 files 

VP-ASP 6.00 is a complete replacement for previous releases of VP-ASP. You will have received a file called vpasp600....zip. We recommend you create a separate folder and unzip VP-ASP into that folder.  We also recommend that you make a copy of your database, if possible. VP-ASP does not alter your data in any way.

2. Update shop$config.asp

Manually edit shop$config.asp to point to your existing database. We recommend using a backup copy of your real database. Then run the diagnostic tool diag_dbtest.asp to verify the database can be read/written. If not check your settings or see www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_databasesetup.htm

3. Upgrade your database

Start file convert600.asp from your browser (eg. go to http://www.vpasp.com/convert600.asp). This file is in the new VP-ASP 6.00 folder. It adds the required new fields and tables to your database.

  1. In the filename text box, you need to enter the following file names, one at a time, and click Convert.

    The files for Microsoft Access are:
    convert600access.txt, create600admin.txt, convert600config.txt

    MySQL and SQL Server support is available in the VP-ASP Value, VP-ASP Plus and VP-ASP Deluxe packages. If you wish to use these database types, you will need to upgrade to one of these packages.

After this utility file runs, the database will be updated to VP-ASP 6.00 format. Your existing data will remain unchanged.

Close your browser and start a new session. 

If you are upgrading from VP-ASP 3.x see section on VP-ASP 3.x before continuing

4. Update VP-ASP administrators

The VP-ASP administration has been completely revamped for version 6.00.

You will need to assign all of the new menu items to your admin users before you can access the admin.

To do this, go to convert600admin.asp in your browser and enter the name of your admin user (eg. admin or bobuser).

Click Admin Convert.

Any existing menu items that aren't put into sections, such as custom menu items, will be assigned to the admin menu "Advanced". You can remove any of these that are un-need by logging into your admin and going to Occasional Tasks/Navigation/Admin Menus.

Please note, some of the menu items from previous versions that may be added to the Advanced menu, such as shopa_editstock.asp have been replaced in VP-ASP 6.00 by new, improved pages. They remain in 6.00 for compatibility, but are no longer supported.

5. Update Languages

To update your languages with the new keywords for 6.0, please download latest language files at www.vpasp.com/sales/languages600.asp

Languages are handled totally differently in VP-ASP after version 5.0. They are now stored in the database in a  new table called languages.

If you have made no changes to the captions and are using English, then you need do nothing.

Otherwise the steps to use your current language files are:

  1. Download the latest languages(s) you require from our web site. www.vpasp.com/sales/languages.asp
  2. Unzip the language files into the VP-ASP folder
  3. Logon to the VP-ASP administration
  4. Select Occasional Tasks
  5. Select Languages
  6. Click on Add New language and type in the filename shop$language_spanish.asp. Spanish is just an example. Use the file name you just downloaded. This will add the new language to the VP-ASP language table
  7. Repeat the above for each language
  8. If you have made changes to the language file, copy your shop$language_spanish.asp and shop$language2_spanish.asp to the VP-ASP 5.50 folder. Repeat the add language. VP-ASP will then update any words and not actually add a new language a second time. If English is not the default language you want, go to Shop Configuration. Search for xlanguage and change it to Spanish (or your default language)

5. Update shop$colors.asp

shop$colors.asp controls many aspects of the font and formatting. We recommend that you use the supplied version 6.00 shop$colors.asp. If you are converting from a release of VP-ASP before Version 4.0, you cannot keep your shop$colors.asp and you will need to manually modify the supplied copy.

If you are upgrading from 4.x
If you are upgrading from VP-ASP 4.x,  locate this line in the new shop$colors and paste all of the lines following it into your shop$colors.asp:

        ' VP-ASP 5.0

Copy this and all of the lines below it from the VP-ASP 6.00 shop$colors.asp to your shop$colors.asp and replace the shop$colors.asp in the new VP-ASP 6.00 folder.

The xproductfields and xproductcaptions, previously in shop$colors.asp are now in the Shop Configuration. This allows you to alter the product fields and captions being displayed if you do not use templates. You will need to manually update these values if you have changed them.

 

If you are upgrading from 5.0
If you are upgrading from VP-ASP 5.0,  locate this line in the new shop$colors and paste all of the lines following it into your shop$colors.asp:

        ' VP-ASP 5.50

Copy this and all of the lines below it from the VP-ASP 6.00 shop$colors.asp to your shop$colors.asp and replace the shop$colors.asp in the new VP-ASP 6.00 folder.

 

If you are upgrading from 5.50
If you are upgrading from VP-ASP 5.50, you can just copy your shop$config.asp file into the new VP-ASP 6.00 folder.

6. shoppage_header.htm and shoppage_trailer.htm

shoppage_header.htm controls the top navigation and shoppage_trailer.htm controls the bottom navigation. You can use your existing files but you will need to change a few lines if language variables are used.

If you find statements such as langsearch or any others that start with lang, then you must edit these and change them to getlang("langsearch").

8. Electronic Gateways

All the electronic gateways have been rewritten. We recommend you download the VP-ASP 6.00 version of the gateway you are using. To download the new gateway code, go to http://www.vpasp.com/sales/epdownload.asp. If your gateway is not on the list contact us.

10. Categories - if upgrading from 4.x or earlier ONLY.

If you are upgrading from VP-ASP 5.0 or later, please skip this section.

The way VP-ASP handles categories and subcategories has been completely changed in this release if you are using a release before 4.x. 

If you are using VP-ASP 4.0 or 4.50 and are not using compatibility mode, there is no change and you can skip this section.

VP-ASP 6.00 does not have a compatibility mode. This means, that if you are converting from version 3.x or VP-ASP 4.x and were using compatibility mode, you will need to convert your categories. This involves running a supplied file called convertcategories.asp. 

If you have VP-ASP 4.x, determine if you are using compatibility mode by going to Shop Configuration and look for xoldcategorymode. If set to Yes, compatibility mode is being used and conversion will be necessary. See the Developers Guide for more details on this feature.  

Convert categories will alter the categories table and we therefore ask that you read the section in the Developer's Guide before proceeding. 

The VP-ASP 6.00 method eliminates the need for the subcategories table, subcatlevel3, subcatlevel4, subcatlevel5 and prodsubcategories tables. The only two tables used are categories table and the prodcategories table. See the Developer's Guide  for more details.

11. Add-ons

Many of our free add-ons are now incorporated into the VP-ASP product. Some may require the VP-ASP Option Package. The other add-ons can be obtain by going to www.vpasp.com/sales/addons.asp


Release Specific Changes
From 3.xx only

This section is only if you are converting from VP-ASP 3.x. The shop$config.asp file has almost entirely been replaced by a browser based Shop Configuration. For details see the Merchant's guide. To keep your current configuration settings, you will need to run a utility called convertconfig.asp. 

  1. Copy the current shop$config.asp and rename it oldshop$config.asp

  2. Copy oldshop$config.asp to the VP-ASP 6.00 directory

  3. Start convertconfig.asp from your browser

  4. Type in file name oldshop$config.asp

The configuration is now updated.

If you have been using our shopproductformat_withhtml.asp then you will need to switch to HTML template formatting. Template formatting should be easier to use. A template called tmp_productformat.htm is supplied as an example.  In the Shop Configuration you set the following values:

xproductwithhtml=Yes
xproductcolumns=3
3 is an example of the number of products per column.
See the Developer's guide for using template formatting

If you added your own code, that references some configuration variables, they may need to change. If previously you had

abc=xemailsubject

 it would now be 

abc=getconfig(“xemailsubject”)

If you have added code that references the internal VP-ASP cart, the names have changed

arrCart = Session("MyCart")
scartItem = Session("cartItem")
becomes
arrCart = Session("cartarray")
scartItem = Session("cartcount”)

When you have completed these steps, continue reading Section 4 of this document.

 

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