Updating the Script

Before You Update

Updates are distributed as a ZIP archive via your purchase receipt or account at trafficexchangescript.com. Do not apply an update without completing the pre-update checklist below.

Pre-Update Checklist

• [ ] Back up your database. Export a full MySQL dump before touching any files. See Backups for the recommended procedure.
• [ ] Back up your .env file. Your .env file contains all your credentials and configuration — keep a safe copy before overwriting any files.
• [ ] Back up your storage/app/ directory. This folder contains uploaded files (avatars, ad images, etc.) that are not in the script package.
• [ ] Read the release notes. Every update comes with a changelog. Check whether the update contains database migrations — if it does, you must run php artisan migrate after updating files.
• [ ] Put the site in maintenance mode (optional but recommended for busy sites): bash php artisan down

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Applying the Update

Shared Hosting (cPanel)

1. Download the new script ZIP from your account.
2. Upload the ZIP to your server via cPanel File Manager or FTP.
3. Extract the ZIP into a temporary directory (not your live directory).
4. Do not overwrite your .env file. Copy all other files from the extracted archive into your live installation directory, overwriting existing files.
5. If the update includes a new .env.example, compare it to your existing .env and add any new variables — do not replace your current .env.
6. If the release notes mention new migrations, run: bash php artisan migrate --force If you do not have SSH access, contact support for migration assistance.
7. Clear the application cache: bash php artisan config:clear php artisan cache:clear php artisan view:clear Without SSH, delete the contents of bootstrap/cache/ via File Manager (keep the directory itself).
8. Bring the site back online if you put it in maintenance mode: bash php artisan up

VPS

1. Download or pull the new version files.
2. Put the site in maintenance mode: php artisan down
3. Copy the new files into your installation directory, preserving your .env and storage/ directory.
4. Install/update Composer dependencies: bash composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
5. Run database migrations: bash php artisan migrate --force
6. Clear and rebuild caches: bash php artisan config:cache php artisan route:cache php artisan view:cache
7. Restart queue workers so they pick up the new code: bash php artisan queue:restart
8. If using Reverb for WebSocket, restart the Reverb server.
9. Bring the site back online: php artisan up

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After the Update

• Browse the site as a member and as an admin to confirm nothing is broken.
• Check storage/logs/laravel.log for any new errors introduced by the update.
• If the update adds new .env variables (listed in the changelog), configure them in Admin → Settings or directly in .env as instructed.

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Troubleshooting Update Issues

Q: After the update, I see errors that were not there before. What should I do?

A: First, check storage/logs/laravel.log for the exact error. Common post-update issues:

• Missing config values — the update added new .env variables that are not in your file. Check the updated .env.example and add any missing keys.
• Cached views are stale — run php artisan view:clear and php artisan config:clear.
• Migrations not run — if you forgot to run migrations, run php artisan migrate --force now.

Q: Can I roll back an update?

A: The safest rollback is to restore your database backup and your backed-up files. If you only need to roll back the database schema, you can attempt:

php artisan migrate:rollback

However, this only rolls back the most recent batch of migrations. For a complete rollback, use your full database backup.

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Always back up before updating. If an update goes wrong and you have a current backup, recovery is straightforward. If you do not have a backup, recovery may not be possible.

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