Update via the Update Manager

Update via Joomla Update Manager

You can use the Joomla Update Manager to be informed about updates of the Visforms Subscription. You can then install these directly via the administration of your website. You must provide a valid Download ID to install a Visforms Subscription update directly through the Joomla Update Manager.

Where can I find my Download ID?

You can find your download ID on your invoice. You can also find your download ID on our website: vi-solutions .

To do this, log in with the user account that you used to purchase the Subscription. You can access the login dialog by clicking on the user menu with the user icon in the top right-hand corner.

Note: You will only see the additional menu item "My Downloads" if you are logged-in with the user account that you used to purchase the Subscription.

After you have logged in, you will find an additional entry “My Subscriptions” in the user menu. Please click on this entry. You will find your personal download ID at the bottom of the overview page for your Subscriptions.

What do I have to do with the download ID?

In your website administration, go to Components » Visforms. In the “Visforms Dashboard” in the “Manage Subscription” area, click on the “Update” button. In the following dialog, enter your download ID in the input field and click on “Submit”.

The changes you make are only loaded in the actual Update Manager when a new search for updates is actively carried out. To be on the safe side, go to the “System” menu item in the administration of your website and then to the “Extensions” entry on the “Updates” tile. Click on the “Check for updates” button there.

HTTP Error 403

Error in Joomla Update Manager

Suppose you see an update of the Visforms Subscription in the Joomla Update Manager, but have entered no or an invalid (inactive) download ID in the “Visforms Dashboard”. If you still try to install an update of the Visforms Subscription with the Update Manager, this leads to an “HTTP error 403”.

In this case, you will also receive a message that you can download and install the update manually. This message is generated by the Joomla Update Manager and contains a link. The link is also generated by the Joomla Update Manager.

Unfortunately, if you click on this link, you will also get an “HTTP Error 403”.

Direct access to the Subscription download is protected

This is because direct access to the Subscription download is prevented without a valid download ID. Unfortunately it is not possible for us Joomla developers to prevent this misleading link from being displayed.

Solve the problem

To fix the problem, as detailed above, you must:

  • determine the correct download ID,
  • enter the Download ID in Visforms Dashboard,
  • clear the memory of Joomla Update Manager and
  • Install the Visforms Subscription update with the Update Manager.

HTTP error 403 despite valid download ID

Note: This point affects Joomla 3.

In rare cases it can happen that the download ID is valid and the HTTP error 403 still occurs. Then the download ID was not saved correctly by the download manager or was not used correctly. Under Joomla 3 this circumstance happened from time to time.

Solution

The following steps always helped with Joomla 3.

Steps in Visforms Dashboard

  • Click on the “Update” button and empty the input field in the following dialog
  • Click on “Submit”.
  • Click on the “Update” button again and enter your download ID in the input field in the following dialog
  • Click “Submit” again
Visforms Dashboard: Activate updates for Subscription

Steps in Joomla 3 installer

Menu item “Update” under Main Menu » Extensions » Manage » Update:

  • clear the Update Manager cache: click on the button “clear cache”
Joomla Installer: Update Extensions

Now the Visforms Subscription Update should start successfully.
To do this, select the “Visforms Subscription Package” and click the “Update” button.

Background

The Update Manager primarily uses information from its update sites cache, which it updates very infrequently.

Under certain circumstances, several update sites with the same update URLs are stored in the Update Manager for a Joomla extension. Not necessarily all update sites for the Visforms Subscription then also contain the saved download ID.