Pageflex® Storefront 9.8.1 Upgrade Guide
1.
1.
OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................. 1
2.
REVIEW YOUR EXTENSIONS ................................................................................... 2
3.
MAKE BACKUPS ........................................................................................................ 3
4.
UNINSTALL OLD PAGEFLEX SOFTWARE ............................................................... 3
5.
INSTALL NEW PAGEFLEX SOFTWARE ................................................................... 3
6.
ACTIVATE LICENSING .............................................................................................. 4
7.
CONNECT TO THE SERVER DATABASE ................................................................. 4
8.
TEST DEPLOYMENTS IN LEGACY MODE ................................................................ 5
9.
UPGRADE DEPLOYMENTS ....................................................................................... 5
10.
UPDATE CUSTOMIZED THEMES AND STRINGS ................................................... 7
11.
UPDATE PAYMENT STEP .......................................................................................... 8
12.
REVIEW AND TEST UPGRADED DEPLOYMENTS .................................................. 8
Overview
Upgrading Pageflex Storefront involves upgrading your Pageflex Server software and associated
database, and then upgrading each of your Pageflex Storefront deployments. Depending on what
version you upgraded from there may be special settings that require adjustment so please
carefully review the steps on the following pages to confirm your upgrading skills are completely
up to date.
If any of the steps in the upgrade process seem unclear, or you need guidance with your particular
configuration, please contact Pageflex Support (support@pageflex.com).
Once you complete the upgrade, your deployments will have the same products, users, and order
history as they did before, but they will have an entirely new appearance as a result of the latest
features and changes introduced by the version 9.x family.
This upgrade guide is for Pageflex Storefront customers who are upgrading from Storefront
version 8.6.x. If you are on any version earlier than 8.6 you must first perform the upgrade to
8.6.5 before you may move to 9.8.1.
If you are a Pageflex Server customer but do not have a license for Storefront then this upgrade
guide does not apply to you. Instead please refer to the upgrade instructions found in the
Pageflex Server Upgrade Guide.
For valuable information about the contents of this release, refer to the Pageflex ReadMe.
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We recommend pre-flighting deployment upgrades on a development or test server. The Pageflex
Storefront Deployer Guide, Chapter 19, explains how to copy and move deployments for just this
purpose. If you do not already have a development license, request one from keys@pageflex.com.
2.
Review Your Extensions
How you handle Storefront extensions during the upgrade depends on the type you are using.
Pageflex-provided Storefront Extensions
Sixteen extensions are bundled with Pageflex Storefront for installation with each new, sample, or
upgraded deployment. These extensions can be found on the Extensions page of the Pageflex
Storefront Administrator. These extensions are all fully compatibility with the version 9 series of
releases (9.x).
Extensions developed by you or other third parties
Storefront 9 took advantage of several modern web technologies that fundamentally change how
the application interacts with certain Storefront extensions. You will need to thoroughly test any
custom extensions used by upgraded deployments within a debugger-equipped development
environment before attempting to upgrade production deployments to version 9.8.1. If you do not
yet have a development license you should submit a written request to keys@pageflex.com to
obtain one for free.
Here is a simple rule of thumb to help you prioritize the testing of your custom extensions:
• SINI extensions that simply write to the Storefront deployment database are most likely
to continue working “as is” with version 9.x.
• Extensions that manipulate the Document Object Model (DOM) are guaranteed to
require modification to work with version 9.x.
• Extensions that use the long-deprecated SXI event ValidateForm() should be updated to
use the new-in-9 sfjs API instead, as the event is incompatible with the current default
server-side handling of client forms.
API methods are all fully documented; refer to the Programming Reference Guide for details, or to the
“What’s New” section of the Pageflex ReadMe for a summary of the specific API additions to
versions in the 9.x family.
All other extensions from Pageflex Services
Many of the extensions developed by Pageflex Services over the last decade belong to the category
known to be incompatible with version 9.x. Most will only be upgraded as necessary, upon a
commission from a customer interested in migrating the legacy functionality to a version 9.x
deployment. A few, however, will be upgraded by us for eventual sale, or for distribution to
customers current on their Services extension maintenance plans. Among the latter are these
popular extensions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
BudgetPlus.services.pageflex.com
PageControlsVisibility.services.pageflex.com
BudgetAutoApproval.services.pageflex.com
HideOldOrders.services.pageflex.com
ExternallyDrivenHTMLContent.services.pageflex.com
PayPal_IPN_WebsitePaymentsPro.services.pageflex.com
PayPal_WSPS.services.pageflex.com
PayPal_IPN_WebsitePaymentsStandard.services.pageflex.com
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9. AuthorizeNet_HostedCIM.services.pageflex.com
Please do not proceed with upgrading production deployments until you have confirmed all your
required extensions are compatible with this version.
3.
Make Backups
It is vitally important to backup all of your Storefront deployment’s associated resources to be well
prepared to roll back to your pre-upgrade deployment should anything malfunction during or after
the upgrade to 9.8.1. Follow these two steps:


4.
Create backup copies of the deployments’ SQL database files.
Use Microsoft’s SQL Server Management Studio to accomplish this important task.
Make backup copies of each deployment’s entire WebPages directory.
The default location for this is Pageflex\Deployments\[DeploymentName]\WebPages. This
backup should capture all your themes, string resources, ASPX and HTML files.
Uninstall Old Pageflex Software
Deactivate Pageflex Server from within Server Administrator (Machine > Deactivate This Host),
or right-click on the purple Pageflex icon in Windows’ system tray and select “Deactivate This
Host…”. Then select Add or Remove Programs from Windows’ Control Panel and uninstall
Pageflex Server (and Pageflex Studio, if present). After removal is complete, please reboot your
system. Please note that your existing Storefront deployments and virtual directories will remain
in their original locations, so it isn’t necessary to move or copy any of these files to new locations.
If you have more than one machine in your Pageflex cluster, uninstall Pageflex Server from each
machine before proceeding, making sure to reboot every time. Then perform the following three
steps on the machine with the dongle attached (the licensing server). Finally, repeat those steps
(5, 6, 7) on the rest of the machines in your cluster.
5.
Install New Pageflex Software
Run the version 9.8.1 Setup.exe file from the downloadable Install kit. Click on “Pageflex Server
9.8 Applications” to install the server components needed for your Pageflex Storefront upgrade.
The InstallShield Wizard will take you through the steps needed to specify your installation
directory and copy necessary files.
If .NET is not yet installed on your machine, it will be installed and configured for you. While
this happens the install process may appear frozen; after a few minutes, however, it will
resume. Installation of .NET must not be interrupted.
If the installer prompts you to upgrade or install new Microsoft components, it is a sign that some
of the Pageflex system requirements are missing from your operating system. Refer to the
Pageflex Read Me for both a list of those requirements and links to the online Support
Knowledgebase article detailing Windows Server Roles and Features required by our software.
When the Wizard has finished, exit the Pageflex Setup.
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6.
Activate Licensing
Launch the Deployment Wizard (Start > Apps > Pageflex > Deployment Wizard). The Wizard
will check the license status and, upon discovering that licensing isn’t turned on, prompt you to
run the Pageflex Licensing Administrator to activate your license. Close the Licensing
Administrator’s dialog box after it confirms your licensing is active. (If you need to reconfigure
licensing in future, see Chapter 3 of the Pageflex Server Guide for help.)
Version 9 introduced the option for licensing your Pageflex cluster via an internet connection to a
cloud-based licensing service in place of your USB dongle. To switch to cloud licensing involves a
three-step process:
• Requesting a temporary cloud license from Pageflex Keys (keys@pageflex.com).
• Returning your dongle(s) to Pageflex.
• Upon receipt of your dongle(s), Pageflex Keys upgrades your temporary cloud license to
match the policy on your dongle(s). No action on your part is required for this last step.
Contact keys@pageflex.com to get this process started.
7.
Connect to the Server Database
After activating licensing, the Deployment Wizard will try to re-establish a connection to your
cluster’s Pageflex Server SQL database, the main database for all Pageflex Server interactions. This
“clusterbase” is entirely separate from the databases used by your Storefront deployments.
If the Wizard is able to locate and reuse the clusterbase connection file from the previous version
(which is deliberately left on the file system when uninstalling Pageflex Server), the first screen
that you will see is the Wizard’s Create or update a deployment page. In that event you may
skip straight to step 8, “Test Deployments in Legacy Mode,” below.
If, however, the clusterbase connection file cannot be found, the Pageflex Server Database
Connection Required dialog box will be displayed.
Again, this dialog box refers to your host’s clusterbase, the main database for all Pageflex Server
interactions—it does not refer to your deployment databases. Click Launch Database Connection
Wizard… and follow the steps to connect to the SQL Server instance that you wish to use. For
help on this topic, please refer to the instructions in Chapter 4, “Configuring and Managing the
Pageflex Cluster Database,” of the Pageflex Server Guide.
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IMPORTANT: when you connect to a new clusterbase, you will not be able to use your deployments
without upgrading them first, in which case you must skip to step 9, below. Using existing
deployments in legacy mode is only possible with a clusterbase that has been upgraded from a
legacy version.
ALSO IMPORTANT: If you perform a clean installation of this version on a machine that has not
had Pageflex software installed on it before with the intention of eventually migrating
deployments from any version prior to 9.3, you must adjust the encryption mode for Server
objects within the Data Protection tab of the Other Settings > Options window in Pageflex
Server Administrator prior to migrating the legacy deployments. A clean install will default to the
highest level of encryption (AES always), but legacy deployments that predate 9.3 require 3DES
encryption for Server to Storefront communications, as highlighted below:
8.
Test Deployments in Legacy Mode
Once a Pageflex Server database and licensing are active, we recommend you test your Storefront
deployments and Extensions in legacy mode. Open them just as you would in the previous
version. Your deployments will run with their original set of features. If instead you want to
immediately upgrade your deployments, skip to step 9 below, “Upgrade Deployments.”
9.
Upgrade Deployments
When you are ready to upgrade the deployments, return to the Deployment Wizard left open from
step 7 above (or re-launch it if you exited while testing your deployments in legacy mode). You
should see the Wizard’s Create or update a deployment page, like this:
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Select Upgrade deployments to the current version, and click Next. On the next page select the
specific deployment you want to upgrade (it is highly recommended that you upgrade your
deployments one at a time):
You can check any of the three options shown above. It’s a good idea to check Before upgrading
also backup deployment database(s) using SQL Server backup. Note that your SQL login account
must have Backup Operator Permissions to use the SQL Server backup option. You also need DB
Owner permissions to restore the backup if the upgrade fails.
If you want to work with a smaller database (which takes less time for the upgrade process), and
do not need the old logs in the deployment itself, choose Backup logs to a separate file and omit
them from the upgrade. (Note that these logs do not refer to your order history. The order history
is always included with the backup file.)
The third option, Upgrade with database XML file, is used more often when moving a deployment
from one host to another, rather than upgrading a deployment in place.
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Click Next.
Do not interrupt the Deployment Wizard while the upgrade is in process, no matter how
long it may take.
When the process is finally complete a confirmation window will appear that tells you the upgrade
is complete.
10. Update Customized Themes and Strings
The process for upgrading Pageflex Storefront deployments preserves any customizations that you
may have made to the deployment themes and associated strings.
Update themes
Log in to your customized deployments admin site and navigate to the Edit Themes tab on the
new Themes page, the version 9 replacement for Site Skinning.
Select your custom theme from the dropdown. If it can be upgraded to version 9.8.1, an Update
to Storefront 9 button will appear:
Click the button to perform a non-reversible conversion of your custom theme to one that version
9.8.1 can use. You may return at any time to make changes to your updated themes: simply select
the theme within the dropdown and click the Edit button to begin modifying the various new CSS
attributes now available within version 9.x.
Update strings
Version 9 added more than 200 new text strings to the Storefront interface, and modified the
wording of more than 50 existing strings. To ensure your upgraded deployments are fully
compatible with the new features and functionality you must incorporate all of these changes into
your custom RESX files.
Using your favorite file-merging tool or the free open-source WinMerge (winmerge.org), merge
the default Strings.resx that ships with Storefront, found in the WebPages\MasterTheme\Strings
subfolder of any upgraded deployment, with your own Strings.resx file.
Refer to the Pageflex Storefront Deployer Guide for more details on working with strings and
localizing deployments.
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11. Update Payment Step
Because of changes made in version 9 to the payment form and how the payment step works in
compared to prior versions, you must make a series of manual modifications to any upgraded
deployments in which you accept online credit card payments. Detailed instructions are contained
in the Appendix to this guide. Follow them before proceeding to the twelfth and last step of the
upgrade process.
12. Review and Test Upgraded Deployments
Log in to each Storefront site and test it. Depending on what version you upgraded from you will
notice many changes; please refer to the Pageflex ReadMe for a summary of new features and
known issues, and to the Pageflex Storefront Deployer Guide for more detailed information on those
features.
Retired and incompatible extensions are unloaded from upgraded sites
Storefront will avoid loading extensions made obsolete by or known to not yet be compatible with
version 9. The list of such deprecated extensions will appear at the bottom of the admin
Extensions page, like so:
Do not be alarmed to see that Authorize.Net, PayPal, and Configurable Job Ticket are listed
among the deprecated extensions—all of these have been replaced by new, version 9.x-compatible
copies.
Thank you for choosing Pageflex!
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Pageflex Storefront 9.8.1 Upgrade Guide
July 6, 2023