The second and least used method of upgrading WordPress is the manual method. The method is least used mainly because the automatic method, discussed in the preceding section, is so quick and easy to accomplish. However, certain circumstances — probably related to the inability of your hosting environment to accommodate the automatic method — exist where you can manually upgrade WordPress, so we include the description of the process here.
To upgrade WordPress manually:
Refer to Steps 1 and 2 in the preceding “Upgrading WordPress Automatically” section.
This opens a dialog box that allows you to save the .zip file of the latest WordPress download package to your local computer, as shown in Figure 6-6.
The .zip file downloads to your selected location on your computer.
Use a program like WinZip (www.winzip.com).
Most FTP client software lets you select all the files to drag and drop them to your Web server. Other programs have you highlight the files and click a Transfer button.
Don't panic — your database still needs to be upgraded to the latest version; so instead of seeing your Web site on your domain, you see a message telling you that a database upgrade is required, as shown in Figure 6-7.
WordPress initiates the upgrade of the MySQL database associated with your Web site. When the database upgrade is complete, the page refreshes and displays a message that the process has finished.
Your browser loads the WordPress login page. The upgrade is complete and you can continue using WordPress with the newly upgraded features.
The upgrade process occurs on a regular basis, at least three or four times per year. For some users, this is a frustrating reality of using WordPress; however, this active development environment is part of what makes WordPress the most popular platform available. Because WordPress is always adding great new features and functions to the platform, upgrading always ensures that you're on top of the game and using the latest tools and features.
If you're the type of person who is uncomfortable with performing administrative tasks, such as upgrading and creating database backups, you can hire someone to perform these tasks for you — either a member of your company (if you are a business) or a WordPress consultant skilled in the practice of performing these tasks. Book I, Chapter 4 includes a listing of experienced consultants who can lend a hand.