WordPress is a widely accepted and extremely preferred content management system which offers a simplified and user-friendly operations and a lot more to look upon. Any software or application, when used in the latest version, offers the best of services and functions so possible and so does WordPress. The procedure of updating can be transported out in two ways namely Automatic and Manual.
• Automatic Updates: You may often get infurated with the update notifications of various kinds. WordPress relieves you with the automatic update option. For the version 3.7+, the user needs not to imprise an even bit of efforts. If the site is designed to install updates without the use of FTP credentials, the updates will itself run in the background allowing the version to update from 3.7 to 3.7.1, 3.7.2 etc. This is facilitated for minor and security updates however even for the purpose of major updates, the user just needs to click 'Update Now'.
WordPress provides the users with minor bug fixes with the minor latest versions as available. Therefore, a user is suggested to adopt minor fixes as and when available. Automatic updates are so very useful and valuable. Neverheless, if one wants to disable the option serving automatic updates, he can do it too.
If the notification conveys 'failed updates', the way out is to delete the file named .maintenance which is present in the WordPress directory. This will eliminate the message. If all the efforts of automatic updates go in vain, the user can turn up to Manual Updates.
• Manual Updates: Manual Updates can be time-consuming and tiring, however, the sense of accomplishment is satisfactory. The Manual Updates option can be exercised if the blog's URL is in the form [http://example.com/wordpress/].
The procedure involves few steps that are mentioned below.
1. The User needs to download the latest available version of WordPress.
2. All the plugins are to be deactivated which can be done by using the deactivate button in the drop-down list after selecting all the plugins.
3. Replace the previously annexed WP-includes and WP-admin directories with the latest installed ones. This can be done using the FTP or Shell Access)
4. The users without deleting any WP-content folder or directory are required to overwrite the existing WP-content folder's individual files with the new files. This can be done using FTP, file manager or shell SSH.
5. The same process needs to be followed by the rest of the files. All new files available in the root directory of the new version must overtake the old files in the existing directory.
6. The default files so customized must not be overwritten or else you will lose access to the preset ones.
7. Try the WP-config-sample.php as it might have certain new settings that could attract you and fascinate you to implicate your own WP-config.php.
8. Just in case, you hired the manual procedure after the auto-upgrade failure, a file named .maintenance will hamper you. This needs to be deleted from the directory through the FTP.
9. Log in to your database and further follow the database update instructions which are offered with an update link to assure compatibility. Also, reactivate the plugins and at this note, the task is accomplished.