VikRentItems v1.5 - New Update Methods

A new version of VikRentItems is now available for download! Like all our other extensions, this new version introduces two new ways to install Patches or Updates: through the Joomla Update Sites and through the new VikUpdater plugin. Get your installation ready to receive future updates with just a couple of clicks.

VikRentItems v1.5 has been released! The long-waited update is now available with a lot of new features and improvements. However, as a consequence of these changes, Joomla 2.5 users will no longer be able to receive updates for VikRentItems. Support for Joomla versions older than v3.0.0 has been dropped and so, the last version available for Joomla 2.5 remains the v1.4. Future releases will always support only Joomla 3.0.0 or greater versions.
Those that will be purchasing VikRentItems after August 2nd 2017, will already benefit of the new features but if you are using an older version and are willing to update, this article will be useful for upgrading.

VikRentItems v1.5 is now available! The long-waited update is now available with a lot of new features and improvements. Beside completing the tasks of a rich change-log, we have built also a new update system for a faster distribution of patches, bug fixes and new releases. As a consequence of these changes, Joomla 2.5 users will no longer be able to receive updates for VikRentItems. Support for Joomla versions older than v3.0.0 has been dropped and so, the last version available for Joomla 2.5 remains the v1.4. Future releases will always support only Joomla 3.0.0 or greater versions.
Those that will be purchasing VikRentItems after the release date of the latest version (August 2nd 2017), will already benefit of the new features but if you are using an older version and are willing to update, this article will be useful for upgrading.

First of all, VikRentItems users that need to update to the version 1.5 will have to download the Update Package from the Free Updates section of the site. Updates for Vik Rent Items are free for all our clients without any time limit. However, the access to support is still limited to 6 months after the purchase date, as described on our Support Policy.

Once you have downloaded the Update Package, you will be able to get started with the new update methods. Here are the basic requirements:

1. VikRentItems v1.2 or higher must be installed on your Joomla website.
2. Joomla 3.x is required. Older versions are no longer supported.
3. The Update Package for VikRentItems v1.5 must have been downloaded on your Computer.

Until the last version 1.4, updates were delivered with an apposite updater-extension that had to be installed on your website to execute the update process. We have completely changed the Update method with the new version 1.5 and this will make everything easier for the future releases.
In fact, VikRentItems can now be updated through the Joomla Update system or through the new plugin VikUpdater. In order to set this up on your current version of VikRentItems, it is necessary to upload and replace a few files onto your server, via FTP. You can use any FTP client you may like, for example "FileZilla".

Unzip the archive of the Update Package downloaded from the Free Updates section and open the extracted folder. Follow the steps below to transfer the necessary files onto your server:

1. Open the folder "Joomla_3x" and then open the inner folders called "VikUpdater_Plg_XML" and then "admin".
2. Inside the current folder "admin", you will find a couple of .php files, one .xml file and another folder.
3. Upload via FTP all the files and folder located in "admin", onto the directory /administrator/components/com_vikrentitems/ of your server.
4. During the upload via FTP, make sure to replace any existing file on your server.
5. Download the "VikUpdater" plugin from this link (you need to sign in to download the attachment).
6. Install the plugin from the Joomla Extensions Manager page on your /administrator section of the website, by simply uploading the .zip file you just got from the link above.
7. Open the Plugins Manager page of Joomla (menu Extensions - Plugins), search for the plugin "VikUpdater" and enable it.
8. Open the component VikRentItems from the Components menu in the Joomla administrator section of your website. You will see the page Dashboard, maybe with a success message saying that the system is ready to be updated via XML.
9. At this point you are ready to update VikRentItems to the latest version and you have two different ways to do it: by using the VikUpdater plugin or by using the Joomla XML Updates.

Let's analyse the two Update Methods. Feel free to choose your preferred method.

Update Method #1: VikUpdater plugin

Requirements: follow the steps above before proceeding
Recommended for: everyone

From the page Dashboard of VikRentItems, on the right side of the page, you should be able to see the "Check Updates" button with a light-blue background. Please notice that if you disable the VikUpdater plugin, this button will have a dark-blue color and it won't perform the same action.

Here is the light-blue button you should be seeing

Click on it to discover the update

And then click again on the "Update Available"
button to go to the download page, where the change-log will be displayed

Click the button "Download & Install" and wait for the process to complete:

All done! VikRentItems has been updated to the latest version, thanks to the VikUpdater plugin.

Update Method #2: Joomla XML Updates

Requirements: follow the steps above before proceeding
Recommended for: those that are using Joomla 3.2.0 or higher (hopefully everyone)

Open the Joomla back-end page "Extensions - Manage - Update Sites"

and then click the "Rebuild" button

at the end of the process, the Update Site for VikRentItems will be added to the list

Now open the component VikRentItems to see the Dashboard page and a "Success" message. This action is fundamental as the system will set your download information.

At this point you can let Joomla update VikRentItems. To do so, go either to the Control Panel page of the back-end, or just visit the page "Extensions - Manage - Update".
Click the buttons "Clear Cache" and then "Find Updates"

You will then see the VikRentItems update available in the list

Go ahead, tick the checkbox and click the Update button. All done!

What's good about this new framework?

Distributing updates or patches will be a lot easier and faster in the future. We strongly recommend to often check for updates or patches through the Update Method #1 (VikUpdater).

Enjoy your new VikRentItems!