Upgrading to Apache Forrest 0.10-dev

This page describes some changes to Apache Forrest that affect people who are upgrading to the 0.10-dev version. If you have other issues, then please discuss on either the dev or user mailing lists. As more experience is gained, this document will be updated.

(If you are upgrading from a version prior to 0.9 then you will need to see the notes for the previous upgrade.)

The following list shows some of the key new features. See also the RELEASE-NOTES document that was provided with the release package. For the full list of changes, see the main change log and also for each plugin.

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Some new initial plugins are in the "whiteboard". See the entries in the change log and see each plugin's documentation and changes log. This includes the new Dispatcher. See Status of Themes: Skins and Dispatcher.

After each release, the "Versioned Docs" are copied to form the new "dev" set. Ideally the docs are then upgraded in readiness for the new release. This has not been completed for recent releases. In particular there are example snippets of sitemaps which have not yet been upgraded to reflect the changes to the sitemaps and the separation of some core stuff into plugins. See issues FOR-546 and FOR-922 and others.

Compare your configuration with that of a fresh seed site.

For example, synchronise your project's skinconf.xml and forrest.properties files:

Take advantage of the separation of concerns. In a new workspace, create a fresh 'forrest seed' site, then tweak its forrest.properties and skinconf.xml until it reflects your old site. When it is ready, replace your project's skinconf.xml and forrest.properties files.

Other configuration files should also be synchronised with the default files which you copied. For example, a project Catalog Entity Resolver or symbols entities (see notes). Other potentional files that you might be using are: the Apache Cocoon cli.xconf file to control Cocoon (for example to include/exclude some URIs); the Jetty server configuration file (for example to do 'forrest run' on a different port) ; etcetera. You might also have a necessary project sitemap (see next section).

Any remaining issues should concern other aspects of your configuration, such as site.xml and your actual content.

It has come to our attention that some people have a project sitemap even though they are not using it. Such un-necessary sitemaps should be removed to avoid maintenance issues.

If you do use a project sitemap, then pay attention to the 0.8 upgrade instructions "Forrest configuration simplification".

...as more issues are discovered/remembered :) Please send feedback to the mailing list.