Audience: System/Security Administrators

Skill Prerequisites: Backup Procedures, System Maintenance

Updating Plant an App

This article explains how to keep your Plant an App environment up to date from the Updates screen. You can install three kinds of updates there:

• Cumulative hotfixes – fixes for the Plant an App version you already have installed.
• Major version updates – a move to the next Plant an App version (for example, 1.27 to 1.28), optionally with a DNN upgrade.
• Add-ons – optional modules available for your version and license.

Install them in this order: cumulative hotfixes first, then the major version update. A major version update is blocked until every cumulative hotfix for your current version is installed.

Take a full backup before every installation

Every installation on the Updates screen changes your site's database and files. That includes a hotfix, a major version update, a DNN upgrade or an add-on. If an installation fails partway through, the site can be left unusable. The only way back is to restore from a backup.

Before you click Start or Install, take a full backup of:

• The site database – a full SQL Server backup, not a differential or log backup.
• The site file system – the entire website root folder, including web.config, App_Data, bin, DesktopModules and Portals.

Take both backups at the same time, right before you install, and store them somewhere other than the web server. Make sure you can restore them: a backup you've never restored is not proven. If you're updating a production site, practice the update on a staging copy first.

For what users see during an installation (lockout, maintenance screen, progress and logs), see Understanding the New Upgrade Process.

Support agreement required

Installing hotfixes, major version updates and add-ons requires an active support agreement. If yours has expired, the installation is refused with a message telling you to renew your subscription.

The Updates screen

To open it, go to Configuration and select Updates. Starting with version 1.28, the screen has four tabs:

• Overview
• Cumulative Hotfixes
• Changelog
• Add-ons

Overview

The Overview tab opens by default. It shows:

• Your installed Plant an App version.
• Every installed module and component, with its version number.

Use the search box at the top of the list to filter modules. To export the list to an .xlsx file, click the … (horizontal ellipsis) in the top-right corner and select Export.

When a newer major version of Plant an App is available, an Update to version <version> button appears next to your current version. This button starts the major version update.

Cumulative Hotfixes

The Cumulative Hotfixes tab lists the hotfixes available for your installed Plant an App version. It only shows hotfixes that apply to that version.

Each cumulative hotfix bundles every fix released before it. You don't install them one by one: install the most recent one and you get all earlier fixes too.

You must install all cumulative hotfixes before you can install a major version update.

Watch an example video of a cumulative hotfix being installed.

Changelog

The Changelog tab is a history of the changes applied to your environment. Each entry shows:

• Change Type – for example, Product Enhancement or Bug Fix.
• Release Date
• Feature Type – the module or platform area affected.
• Version

Filter the entries with the Feature Type dropdown, or narrow them with the search box.

Add-ons

The Add-ons tab lists the add-ons available for your Plant an App version. Which add-ons appear depends on your installed version and your license.

• Buy – purchase an add-on your license doesn't include yet.
• Install – install an add-on your license already includes. Installation starts right away.

warning

Installing an add-on changes your site's database and files. Take a full backup before you click Install.

Installing cumulative hotfixes

1. Go to Configuration > Updates and select the Cumulative Hotfixes tab.

   

2. Click Check for Updates to refresh the list.

3. Select the most recent cumulative hotfix. It includes every earlier fix in the list.

4. Review what the hotfix contains. Scroll through the list of fixes, and hover over the information (i) icon next to a fix to read its description.

   

5. Click Prepare Update. The installation screen opens.

6. Read the confirmations on the installation screen. By checking them, you acknowledge that:

   • All users are locked out of the site as soon as the installation starts, and any unsaved work, such as a half-filled form, is lost.
   • You have a current backup, or you accept the risk of proceeding without one.

   

   Don't proceed without a backup

   Don't check the second box to "accept the risk" unless the site is disposable. Take a full backup of the database and file system now, before you click Start.

7. Check both boxes and click Start.

8. Wait for the installation to finish. Progress is shown on screen, and how long it takes depends on the size of your site and the hotfix. Don't close the browser or recycle the application pool while it runs.

9. Click Continue to return to the Updates screen.

10. To confirm the result, open the Cumulative Hotfixes tab and click Check for Updates again. The hotfix you installed, and the earlier ones it included, are no longer listed.

Your site now has every fix released for its current version.

Installing a major version update

A major version update moves Plant an App to its next version, for example from 1.27 to 1.28. You can also choose to upgrade DNN in the same run.

Watch an example video of a major version update being installed.

Before you start

• Install all cumulative hotfixes. If any are missing, the update is blocked and you're asked to install them first. See Installing cumulative hotfixes.
• Read the release notes for the new version, including any breaking changes and required changes to your applications.
• Test on staging first. For production or business-critical sites, run the update on a copy of the site and check your applications before you update production.
• Schedule downtime and tell your users. Everyone is locked out while the update runs.
• Take a full backup right before you start. If you install hotfixes first, take a fresh backup after them, so your backup matches the state the update starts from.

A major version update can't be undone

A major version update, and a DNN upgrade even more so, changes your database schema and replaces files throughout the site. There is no uninstall or rollback. If the update fails, or your applications don't work on the new version, the only way back is to restore the database and file system from a full backup taken right before the update.

Steps

1. Go to Configuration > Updates and check your current version on the Overview tab.

2. If you're asked to install cumulative hotfixes, install them first and then return to the Updates screen.

3. Click Update to version <version> and review the release notes shown.

   

4. If a newer recommended DNN version is available, choose how to proceed:

   • Yes – upgrade Plant an App and DNN together.
   • No – upgrade Plant an App only.
   • Cancel – close without making changes.

   

   warning

   This is the last point where you can stop without changing anything. Confirm that your full backup of the database and file system is complete before you choose Yes or No.

5. The update is prepared. If you chose to upgrade DNN, the DNN installer starts automatically.

6. Watch the progress. The DNN installer lists each step as it runs, and you can scroll back through completed steps and security checks. Don't close the browser or recycle the application pool while it runs.

7. When the update finishes, click Click here to access your site.

8. Go back to Configuration > Updates and confirm that the Overview tab shows the new version.

9. Check that your key applications work. Then go to the Cumulative Hotfixes tab and click Check for Updates: hotfixes may already be available for the new version.

Best practices

• Back up before every installation. This applies to hotfixes and add-ons, not only major version updates. Back up the database and the file system together, and test your restore.
• Use a staging environment for production and business-critical sites. Update staging first, test, then update production.
• Schedule downtime and tell users before you start.
• Install hotfixes regularly. Staying current makes the next major version update smaller and less risky.
• Never install beta versions in production.

If you need help with staging, backups or planning an upgrade, contact Plant an App support.

Revised 10/06/2026