Movable Type 4.2 Upgrade Guide
Movable Type 4.2 has a number of new features that can dramatically improve performance for your installation. In addition, it contains a number of key bugs fixes and refinements to Movable Type’s templates that you may want to incorporate into your blog and web site. This guide augments the official Movable Type upgrade guide and instructs users on what they should be mindful of when upgrading specifically to Movable Type 4.2.
» Answering the Important Question: Should I Upgrade?
How to Upgrade
Step 1. Upgrade to Movable Type 4.2
Follow the instructions found in Movable Type’s upgrade guide to upgrade from any previous version of Movable Type to Movable Type 4.2.
Step 2. Remove/Disable Obsolete Plugins
Two plugins have been completely folded into the core application. Therefore it is possible for users upgrading from previous versions for MT 4.2 to create an unintended conflict between the core application and a plugin that was previously installed. These plugins are:
- Widget Manager
- Template Refresh
After upgrading users should either:
- Physically remove the Widget Manager and Template Refresh plugins by deleting them from:
/path/to/cgi-bin/mt/plugins/WidgetManager/path/to/cgi-bin/mt/plugins/TemplateRefresh
- Disable the Widget Manager and Template Refresh plugins from the System > Preferences > Plugins screen.
Another plugin that has been rendered obsolete by this release is Simply Threaded, however, removing it is not necessary as we have remained 100% backwards compatible with it. Users wishing to remove this plugin should follow the upgrade instructions associated with the threaded comments feature.
Other plugins:
- iMT - iPhone Interface for Movable Type plugin will cause navigation issues in MT 4.2 if not upgraded to version iMT 1.02.
Step 3. Upgrade Your Templates (optional)
Movable Type’s default templates contain a number of enhancements that:
- help improve publishing performance
- address a variety of minor bugs
- take advantage of ajax search pagination
- implement improved commenter authentication
- offer a much simpler structure
Your site should not break just by upgrading and should continue to publish just as it did prior to upgrading (except it should be faster of course). These changes are completely optional.
The quickest and easiest way to upgrade your site’s templates are to refresh your templates. This will take you back to Movable Type’s “factory defaults.”
However, most users will probably not want to start over with a new design just to take advantage of these features. Most users will want to modify an existing design to add these features to it. The following documentation will assist users in this process by clearly outlining the changes necessary to take advantage of each individual feature.
» Manually Upgrading Your Templates
Additional Reading
Now that you have successfully upgraded to Movable Type 4.2, here are some additional resources to help you make the most out of this great release:
