phpBB :: Knowledge base - Viewing article Changing the phpBB version in the overall footer

Hello,

In this article I will attempt to provide a quick guide to changing the version number of phpBB which (should) appear in the overall footer of phpBB.

Whenever an upgrade for phpBB is released, it is strongly recommended to run the upgrade to annihilate the possibility of any known security risks being used to attack your forum. In other words, upgrading your forum keeps it safer and more up-to-date.

When phpBB offers a new version of their product, what are us old users of a few versions back supposed to do? Simple, they always provide an upgrade solution aside their full package. In other words, if you have your forum MODded (modified) and do not wish to completely re-install the forum (thus, overwriting the MODs), you may run the upgrade which will complete all of the changes.

However, one very common error that has been raised several times in the support forums of phpBB is the complaint that when the upgrade script had been completed, the version number of phpBB at the bottom of the page would not show the new version. Rather, it would display the old version, even though all of the changes had been done. (example: If you had upgraded to 2.0.11, it would still display 2.0.10, or earlier.)

Changing this number CAN and most likely will NEED to be done manually. It can also be done in two different ways. The first (not recommended) will involve editting the template file of the footer to indicate which version of phpBB you are running; you will need FTP access to your forum to complete this. The second method will involve changing the version number of the forum by changing it directly in the database. This can be done through phpMyAdmin, a database manipulation utility which is frequently provided by hosts these days.

The first method:

This method is generally not recommended as it involves direct modification to the template file which would usually call to the database to retrieve the version number of the forum. Changing the actual template instead of the database will not harm your forum in any way, nor will it affect performance, security, etc. But, changing it through the database is simply more recommended for the fact that it is neater and keeps all of your files unmodified. However, this method is much easier and almost fail-proof.

First, you will want to open your FTP explorer and navigate to the root folder of you phpBB installation (something similar to "public_html/phpBB/").
Second, you will need to open the templates folder.
Third, you will need to open the folder of your template (in most cases, subSilver).
Fourth, you will need to download the overall_footer.tpl file which should be located in this folder.
Fifth, you will need to open this file with a pure text editor such as Notepad.
Sixth, run a search with the program for "{PHPBB_VERSION}".
Seventh, replace this text with the number of the version which you have upgraded to. (ie: 2.0.11)
Eighth, save and close this file.
Ninth, upload this file to the same location as was mentioned before. ("public_html/phpBB/templates/subSilver/overall_footer.tpl")
Now, the version number should appear to be whatever it is that you have replaced it with.

The second method:

This second method is generally more recommended yet is quite more difficult than the earlier method. First of all, you must be sure that you have access to your forum's database through phpMyAdmin. This is a luxury which is usually not available to those who are using free hosting or especially free-forum-hosting services. However, if the latter is not your case and you do possess full access to phpMyAdmin, then please use these steps, as they are not too difficult to follow and shall serve you well. Smile

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage to your forum which may occur during the following of these steps. If these steps are followed carefully, no damage will arise. However, phpMyAdmin can and will be a tricky place to work with if you do not know what you are doing. Proceed with caution. By following these steps, you are bound by this disclaimer.

First, open up phpMyAdmin.
Second, select the database of the desired forum on the left.
On the right screen, a new window should have appeared, providing you with several options such as Structure, Browse, SQL, etc.
The choice we want here is SQL, click it.
The SQL Query box should have appeared.
Now, enter the following code into the Query box for SQL, which should have appeared. BUT DO NOT HIT GO, YET.

Code:

UPDATE `phpbb_config` SET `config_value` = '.x.xx' WHERE `config_name` = 'version' LIMIT 1 ;
Now that code is in the box, look at if carefully. Where I have placed the '.x.xx' is where you will need to place the desired version number.
Ex: If you have upgraded to 2.0.11, instead of .x.xx, you will need to place .0.11.
This would be your final code:

Code:

UPDATE `phpbb_config` SET `config_value` = '.0.11' WHERE `config_name` = 'version' LIMIT 1 ;
Once you have made the appropriate change, click "Go".
If all was completed appropriately, the following message, or something similar, should appear.
Now, the version number should appear to be whatever it is that you have replaced it with.

And you are done!

Please remember that whenever phpBB releases an upgrade to a newer version, it is always highly recommended to do so as soon as possible. When your forum is running on an older version, it renders it rather unsafe and when your footer displays an old version, it is a ticket to hack-world. Hackers or malicious coders will know right away that you are running an old version and begin attempting several know exploits on your forum... nobody wants that. phpBB has made the upgrade process relatively speedy and so fixing this somewhat common error shouldn't be too long or much of a drawback. Wink

Thank you and enjoy,

PianistSk8er