XOOPS 2.5.11

The XOOPS Development Team is pleased to announce the availability of XOOPS 2.5.11 final.

XOOPS 2.5.11 introduces a significant change: Smarty 3

Unfortunately, this change may potentially disrupt some older themes. Therefore, before proceeding with the upgrade, please ensure that you follow these steps:

- copy the /upgrade/ directory to your XOOPS root directory
- Run /upgrade/preflight.php to check for any outdated themes or module templates.
- If any issues are identified, consult this document to understand the necessary modifications before proceeding with the upgrade.
- After making the required changes, run preflight.php again.
- If there are no more issues, you can begin the upgrade process.

In addidion, this version includes numerous improvements and fixes, including:
- PHP 8.0 compatibility
- MySQL 8.0 compatibility
- Copying in a new XOOPS release does not overwrite existing configuration files
- New Bootstrap 4.5 theme
- Template overload capability in system admin themes
- Security updates
- Updated libraries
- and many more fixes and updates

See the Changelog for more details.

A complete manual for installing and upgrading XOOPS can be found here:
https://xoops.gitbook.io/xoops-install-upgrade/

System requirements
-----------------------------------

PHP:
Any PHP version >= 5.6.0 (PHP 7.3 or higher is strongly recommended)

MySQL:
MySQL server 5.5 (MySQL Server 5.7 or higher is strongly recommended)

Web server:
Any server supporting the required PHP version (Apache or Nginx recommended)


Downloading XOOPS
-----------------------------------

You can get the release package from GitHub: https://github.com/XOOPS/XoopsCore25/releases


Installing XOOPS (new installation)
-----------------------------------

    1. Copy the content of the htdocs/ folder where it can be accessed by your server
    2. Ensure that these directories:
        - uploads/
        - uploads/avatars/
        - uploads/files/
        - uploads/images/
        - uploads/ranks/
        - uploads/smilies/
       and this file:
        - mainfile.php
       are writable by the web server
    3. For security considerations, you are encouraged to move directories "/xoops_lib" (for XOOPS libraries) and "/xoops_data" (for XOOPS data) out of Document Root, and change the folder names.
    4. Make the directory xoops_data/ writable; Create (if not already present) and make the directories xoops_data/caches/, xoops_data/caches/xoops_cache/, xoops_data/caches/smarty_cache/, xoops_data/caches/smarty_compile/ and xoops_data/protector/configs/ writable.
    5. Access the folder where you installed the htdocs/ files using your web browser to launch the installation wizard


Installing Protector in XOOPS
-----------------------------------
We highly recommend installing the PROTECTOR module in your XOOPS system. It adds additional security protection
and logging capabilities to your site.


Upgrading from previous versions
--------------------------------

Upgrading from 2.5.x:
---------------------
 - Make a full backup of site files and database. (We've done lots of testing, but it is always best to be safe.)
 - It may be helpful to enable debugging in System Options - Preferences - General Settings.
 - It is wise to turn your site off in System Options - Preferences - General Settings.
 - Copy the contents of the distribution htdocs directory into your web root directory.
 - Copy the contents of htdocs/xoops_lib to your relocated/renamed xoops_lib as applicable.
 - Copy the contents of htdocs/xoops_data to your relocated/renamed xoops_data as applicable.
 - Copy the distribution upgrade directory into your web root directory.
 - Point your browser to http://your-site-url/upgrade/ and follow the prompts.
 - Log in and step through any needed updates.
 - At the end, follow the link to upgrade the system module.
 - Also update pm, profile and protector modules if installed.
 - Don't forget to turn your site back on, if needed.

Now the system should be upgraded and running. You may want to consider updating any modules you have
installed to their latest versions.

Upgrading from versions older than 2.5.0:
------------------------------------------
The same basic process as described above applies. The upgrade process for 2.5.9 has been tested using fresh
installs of XOOPS 2.0.2, 2.3, and 2.4. By 2.3, it becomes difficult to install the distribution on a modern
system due to the number of changes in both PHP and MySQL. This means there may be issues we may not have
encountered in testing.

If you are upgrading a older system and need help, please visit our support forums at
https://xoops.org/modules/newbb/

How you can contribute to XOOPS
-------------------------------
Bug reports and feature requests: https://github.com/XOOPS/XoopsCore25/issues
Patches and enhancements: https://github.com/XOOPS/XoopsCore25/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md
Documentation: https://www.gitbook.com/book/xoops/xoops-documentation-process/details
Support Forums: https://xoops.org/modules/newbb/

XOOPS Development Team
December 2023
