VikEvents v1.10 - New Update Methods

A new version of VikEvents is now available for download! Like all the other extensions, this update introduces new installation methods for Patches and Updates: through the Joomla Update Sites and through the VikUpdater plugin.

VikEvents v1.10 is finally available! This new version has an entirely different framework from the previous versions. Support for the old Joomla 2.5 has been dropped, but the component is ready to support the future Joomla releases that will come out at the end of the year. Upgrading is fundamental in order to be able to install the future releases, and to support the future Joomla versions. It is free for all those who have an active Support License, while a copy of the paid version of the update is available for purchase for those who no longer have an active Support License, and that would like to renew it by also installing the latest version.

VikEvents v1.10 is finally available! This new version has an entirely different framework from the previous versions. Support for the old Joomla 2.5 has been dropped, but the component is ready to support the future Joomla releases that will come out at the end of the year. Upgrading is fundamental in order to be able to install the future releases, and to support the future Joomla versions. It is free for all those who have an active Support License, while a copy of the paid version of the update is available for purchase for those who no longer have an active Support License, and that would like to renew it by also installing the latest version.

The validity of the Support License is based on the release date of the new version: May 2018. All those who have purchased Vik Events, or a copy of the previous paid update, after the end of November 2017, will be able to upgrade for free.

To start the update process, download the Update Package from the Free Updates section of the site.

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. VikEvents v1.2 or higher must be installed on your Joomla website (if you are on the version 1.9 upgrading will be faster, if you are using an older version, you will have to follow the instructions inside the Update Package to go to the v1.9 first, then to the v1.10).
2. Joomla 3.x is required. Older versions are no longer supported.
3. The Update Package for VikEvents v1.10 must have been downloaded on your Computer.

Until the last version 1.9, 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 1.10 and this will make everything easier for the future releases.
VikEvents can now be updated through the Joomla Update system or through the plugin VikUpdater. In order to set this up on your current version of VikEvents, 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".

Do not forget to unzip the Update Package and read the instructions inside the README files.

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 "for_v1.9_users" (if you are currently using this version) 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_vikevents/ 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 page Extensions - Update Sites of Joomla, and click the Rebuild button to let Joomla scan all the update information from the XML files.
9. Open the component VikEvents 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.
10. At this point you are ready to update VikEvents 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 VikEvents, 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, it will never change to "Update Available", but it will rather open a different window.

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! VikEvents 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 VikEvents will be added to the list

Now open the component VikEvents 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 VikEvents. 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 VikEvents 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 VikEvents!