Update Issues
We strongly recommend that you follow these procedures before you update the MasterStudy plugin, theme, or even WordPress itself.
What You Should Do Before Updates
Turn off any automatic updates. Check and make sure that you do not have the WordPress automatic update option on. Some hosts, including wordpress.com, may have automatic updates by default. Please check with your host to verify, and ask them to disable this option. This way, you will ensure that you don’t update anything without first checking that it will be compatible with your site settings.
Make a full site and database backup. You should do both automatic and manual back up your websites on a regular basis to avoid pitfalls. Before the release of any update, we conduct automatic and manual testing of our products. However, during the installation/update, there may occur unexpected issues related to the work of other plugins or problems with the server side. In such cases, you can contact the support department for assistance.
Read more about the update. Before updating, please read the documentation on the new release, including any blog posts, changelogs, and community announcements, when possible. These may include instructions and information to help you decide if you should update now or wait. You can check the MasterStudy LMS plugin changelogs here (Free) and here (Pro).
Test the update on a staging site. You should test the update on a staging site first before updating your live, production site. There are several options for using a staging site:
Host-provided Staging. Many hosting providers offer built-in staging environments as part of their hosting plans. These staging sites are separate copies of your website where you can test updates and changes before pushing them to your live site. Contact your hosting support or check your hosting control panel to see if this option is available.
Standalone Staging Site. If your hosting doesn't provide a staging environment, you can create a standalone staging site on a subdomain or a separate directory of your current hosting account. Duplicate your website's files and database to this staging location. This allows you to test updates and troubleshoot any issues without affecting your live site.
Local Development: You can set up a local development environment on your computer using software like LocalWP, XAMPP, WAMP, or MAMP. This creates a private testing server on your computer where you can replicate your website, perform updates, and observe the effects before making changes to your live site.
Managed WordPress Staging Services. Some third-party services specialize in providing staging environments for WordPress websites. These services often offer advanced features for testing updates, plugins, and themes in isolation before applying them to your live site.
How to Do Testing of the Update on a Staging Site Step by Step:
Clone Your Site: Duplicate your live site to the staging environment. This involves copying all files and the database to the staging location. Many plugins are available to help with this process.
Update Plugins, Themes, or WordPress: In the staging environment, proceed with updating the MasterStudy plugin, theme, or WordPress core to the latest versions.
Test Extensively: Thoroughly test your staging site after applying updates. Check various pages, functionalities, and interactions. Verify that everything works as expected, including forms, animations, third-party integrations, and any custom code.
Check Compatibility: Ensure that the updated MasterStudy components work seamlessly with other plugins and themes on your staging site. Pay attention to any warnings or compatibility issues that may arise.
Monitor Performance: Observe the performance of your staging site after updates. Check for any slowdowns or increased resource usage that could impact your live site's performance.
Feedback and Adjustments: If needed, provide feedback to the support team based on your testing experience. They may offer insights or solutions to any issues you encountered.
Backup Staging Site: Before making any updates to your live site, create a backup of your staging site. This ensures you have a restore point if anything goes wrong during the update process.
Possible Issues After Testing Updates on Your Staging Site
While some issues following updates may be actual code bugs, many more tend to be issues with specific, individual environments (e.g. installs with conflicting plugins and themes or with server settings that prevent MasterStudy from working properly). Occasionally, bugs may be related to specific settings that are not active by default and are discovered once those settings are turned on.
What to Do in These Cases
In all cases, there are steps you can take to quickly troubleshoot the problem.
Ensure that your server is configured to the minimum requirements for the plugin. You can see the required minimums of the server limits on the System Requirements page.
Clear all cache, multiple times if necessary. It includes browser cache, WordPress caching plugins, and server caches. Even if you aren’t using a caching plugin, your host may be caching your site server-side. Also, test your site in an incognito browser to be sure your cache isn’t taking control.
Contact our support team if any bugs seem to be strictly linked to MasterStudy LMS.
Once everything is working well on your staging site, only then should you update your live, production site.
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