Documentation on upgrading Portable npp

hemanti0503

I want to upgrade from v8.6.7 (64-bit, portable) to the newest v8.8.1 (64-bit, portable). I’m trying to follow the follwing documentation: https://npp-user-manual.org/docs/upgrading/#upgrading-a-portable-edition

I’m very confused by it, though. In particular, I can’t make sense of this section:

4. After updating the config files, then you can exit Notepad++, copy the notepad++.exe and plugins\config\nppPluginList.dll from the old to the new, and restart Notepad++ to start using your upgraded portable edition.

So I get this:

Unpack fresh download to new folder
Adjust config files in old npp folder

Now, why should I copy the old npp.exe to the new folder (replacing the new exe)? Also what about all my plugins?

Maybe it’s a typo in the doc, and it should read copy ... from the new to the old (because that’s where all those changed config files are after step 2). But even if so, will this be enough? Did nothing else change in the new version other than the exe (and that nppPluginList.dll)? Am I reading the documentation wrong?

Lycan Thrope

Deleted

Coises

@hemanti0503 said in Documentation on upgrading Portable npp:

Now, why should I copy the old npp.exe to the new folder (replacing the new exe)? Also what about all my plugins?

Since no one who knows much about this has answered yet…

You are correct — replacing the new exe with the old cannot be right.

If it were me — and I emphasize, this is just what I would do if I used portable versions regularly — I would first make a backup copy of your current working folder. I would then open the new folder, select the entire contents, deselect config.xml, shortcuts.xml and any files I knew I had manually customized, then copy the remaining selections from the new folder into the working folder, letting files be replaced.

Then run from the working folder, which is now upgraded, and see if any customizations appear to be missing. If they are, try to identify which files from the backup copy you need to copy into your working copy.

That’s not “official” advice, just what I would do. There might be flaws, since I don’t use portable copies except for testing. However, since you’ll have an unmodified backup copy of your old version, it should be “safe.”

Coises

I’ve added an issue in the user manual repository about this:

“Upgrading a Portable Edition” documentation is confusing and possibly incorrect #800

PeterJones

@hemanti0503 said in Documentation on upgrading Portable npp:

Unpack fresh download to new folder
Adjust config files in old npp folder

Correct.

Now, why should I copy the old npp.exe to the new folder (replacing the new exe)?

You shouldn’t. That was a mistake in the documentation.

Also what about all my plugins?

What do you mean, what about the plugins? Since you are copying the new version into the original directory, your plugins are all still there. New versions of plugins plugins don’t come with the portable version, true, so there’s nothing to copy from; but they also don’t automatically come with the installed version, either, so that’s behaving no different. After doing your upgrade of Notepad++, run the Plugins Admin and upgrade any plugins it tells you need updates.

Maybe it’s a typo in the doc, and it should read copy … from the new to the old

Yes

Did nothing else change in the new version other than the exe (and that nppPluginList.dll)?

Config files were explained; executable and DLL were explained (though with an accidental order swap); what else do you think there might be that could change?