Foswiki on Linux shared hosting without shell access

I just upgraded my foswiki site from 2.1.5. to 2.1.6 on a shared hosting environment without SSH access.

I want to add the following to https://foswiki.org/Download/FoswikiRelease02x01x06#Upgrade_Instructions:

Upgrade instructions for shared hosting environments without SSH access

Problem

If you unpack the .tgz file on your shared hosting environment, it is unpacked in a Foswiki-upgrade-2.1.x folder by default.

If you then try to move the files and folders to the location where your foswiki is installed on your shared hosting environment, this is impossible: files are copied, but directory's aren't. You get an error:

e.g. in DirectAdmin file management: "cannot copy directory ... into an existing directory"
e.g. in WinSCP: Error moving file '' to '/path/where/your/foswiki/is/installed/' - Rename /path/where your/foswiki/is/installed/: Directory not empty

Solution

download the Foswiki-upgrade-2.1.x.tgz file
open the .tgz archive
open the .tar archive
rename the Foswiki-upgrade-2.1.x folder to the folder name of your wiki installation on your shared hosting environment (e.g. wiki if your foswiki is installed in /domains/mydomain.ext/public_html/wiki/)
close the archive and confirm the prompt to save the modified archive
copy the modified .tgz file to your shared hosting environment in the folder above your wiki folder (for example, in /domains/mydomain.ext/public_html/ if your wiki is installed in /domains/mydomain.ext/public_html/wiki/)
unpack the .tgz file: all files are correctly overwritten

I didn't quite mean to add it "literally" to the general upgrade instructions, but a footnote pointing to another topic would be convenient.

If I'd use your suggestion, wouldn't I overwrite the corrections of the upgrade with the previous file versions (number 1: copy your current wiki dir into Fw-upgrade-2.1.x dir)?

-- StijnBousard - 09 Mar 2018

No, I meant first, before doing anything with the archive, first copy your wiki into a new directory Foswiki-Upgrade-2.1.x, Then overlay it with the upgrade archive, and then finally rename the directories.

-- GeorgeClark - 09 Mar 2018

Thanks George, that's probably the most efficient way on shared hosting environments without shell access!

-- StijnBousard - 10 Mar 2018

I'm hesitant to add instructions specific to a small subset of installations into the general instructions. I'll add a note that suggest another option is to rename the directory name in the zipfile. But I think step-by-step instructions would be too much.

I suspect another (safer?) option would be to:

Copy your current wiki directory into the Foswiki-upgrade-2.1.x directory
Unzip / expand the upgrade.
rename the current wiki > =wiki-backup and rename Foswiki-upgrade-2.1.x to wiki.

-- GeorgeClark - 09 Mar 2018