Upgrading to Dynamicweb 9

To upgrade to Dynamicweb 9 your current Dynamicweb version should be 8.8.1.12 or later. If it isn't, upgrade to the 8.8.1.12  in the standard manner before proceeding.

DO NOT downgrade an upgraded solution to DW8 again. This can lead to a number of problems, some of which are very serious indeed.

When upgrading to Dynamicweb 9, there are several things you must be aware of in order to prepare your solution and ensure a smooth transition to Dynamicweb 9.

Once you've upgraded to Dynamicweb 8.8.1.12 - which is a prerequisite for upgrading to Dynamicweb 9 - you will have access to a DW9 Upgrade Check node located at Management Center > System > DW9 Upgrade check (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2 The DW9 Upgrade Check node

From the DW9 Upgrade Check node you can:

• Prepare your database for DW9 (convert datatypes in db)
• Check your solution for potential problems

You need to pay attention to:

• The list of deprecated modules and features in Dynamicweb 9
• Changes to the public API and the places where they may affect you
• Other important changes, e.g. changes to the solution settings and removal of support for Access databases

Here’s a rundown of the key areas where you may encounter problems.

The following modules and features have been removed from Dynamicweb 9:

Note that many of these modules have been deprecated for years, and are only finally being removed from the codebase.

You must remove or replace any paragraphs using these modules, as they will no longer be available after upgrade.

The following checkout handlers have been removed in Dynamicweb 9:

• Buckaroo
• DIBS Mobile
• DocData
• GarantiBankOOS

Additionally, the following core features have been removed or changed in Dynamicweb 9:

• Customized URLs in Dynamicweb 9 can only be set to Path or default. Any other options will be converted to default on upgrade.
• Product field groups are no longer supported in Dynamicweb 9, and any Product Field Groups will be removed on upgrade.
• The Stylesheets implementation model has been removed. The model was replaced by Designs & Layouts in Dynamicweb 7.1. Any websites implemented using the old model must be reimplemented using Designs & Layouts.
• Likewise, the so called graphical navigation method for creating website navigation has been removed in Dynamicweb 9. Any websites using the graphical navigation method must be reimplemented using Designs & Layouts.

The public API has been extensively cleaned and refactored for Dynamicweb 9. This means that you need to validate any places where you use the API directly, for instance:

• Any Razor templates interfacing with the API should be examined and validated
• Any custom code you may have running on your solution must be validated, to ensure that it still compiles and does not use any deprecated parts of the API

You can explore the new API here - or check out the DW9 API cheatsheet.

Compatibility pack

Many of the upgrade issues related to Razor templates due to namespace changes are handled through a compatibility pack distributed by us.

This ensures that you will be have an easier time upgrading your solution do Dynamicweb 9 - but naturally this impacts performance and you should endeavour to correct your templates none the less.

If a template is run though the compatibility pack, a small note is added to the page source informing you of the fact.

Download the compatibility pack here.

The following tags have been removed from Dynamicweb 9, and you must find alternative ways to implement the functionality they provided:

A few assorted changes with disruptive potential have been made for Dynamicweb 9:

• Support for Access Databases has been removed, and Dynamicweb 9 will only run on SQL-Server databases
• The solution setting Internet Explorer Compatibility has been removed, and all websites will behave as if the Standards Compliance (Default) setting was selected
• The solution settings for Google API Includes has been removed. If you need any of these libraries, they will have to be manually included in your templates instead
• Only provider based editors are supported in Dynamicweb 9, and any changes you may have made to the default editor will be lost on upgrade, as the default editor is replaced by a default provider based editor
• The current Load Balancing  implementation has been removed. It will be replaced at a later date.