Receive updates through the connected account

Funnelforms Pro gets its updates from the Funnelforms update service. For this, the website must be connected with your Funnelforms account, and your plan must be running. The update then shows up in WordPress like any other plugin update. Every version is signed by Funnelforms, and Funnelforms checks the downloaded file before WordPress unpacks it.

Requirements

• Funnelforms Pro. This feature is not included in Funnelforms Free. Free gets its updates from the WordPress plugin directory.
• The website is connected with your Funnelforms account (Funnelforms → Account).
• Your plan is running. The account page then shows On under Updates and services.
• Your website meets the minimum versions of the new version. Funnelforms Pro 5.0 needs WordPress 6.5 and PHP 8.1.
• You may update plugins.

Where to find it

• Updates: Dashboard → Updates and Plugins, as for every WordPress plugin.
• Release notes: the link to the version details next to Funnelforms Pro in the plugin list.
• Connection and state: Funnelforms → Account

Features at a glance

• Updates come from the Funnelforms update service and appear in the normal update list of WordPress.
• Every version is signed by Funnelforms. Without a valid signature, no update is offered.
• Before unpacking, Funnelforms compares the checksum (SHA-256) and size of the file. If anything does not match, nothing is installed.
• The version details show the release notes in your language.
• If the website is not connected or the plan is not running, a notice appears below Funnelforms Pro in the plugin list.
• If Funnelforms withdraws a version, the service offers the previous version to install.
• If you want, the website gets beta versions.

Step by step

Install an update

1. Open Funnelforms → Account and check that Updates and services shows On.
2. Open Dashboard → Updates and click Check again. WordPress then asks the Funnelforms update service for a new version.
3. If Funnelforms Pro is listed among the plugins with updates, tick it and click Update Plugins. Or click update now on the page Plugins.
4. Wait until WordPress has installed the update. Funnelforms checks the file before it is unpacked.
5. Then open Funnelforms → Overview. On the first visit after the update, Funnelforms adjusts the data tables if needed.

Set up the connection for updates

1. Open Plugins. Below Funnelforms Pro it says "Connect this website with Funnelforms to get updates from your account."

2. Click Connect now. The account page opens.
3. Connect the website in the browser, with the key of Funnelforms 3 or with an activation code.
4. Then check under Dashboard → Updates with Check again whether an update is ready.

Read the release notes

1. Open Plugins or Dashboard → Updates.
2. Click the link to the details of the new version next to Funnelforms Pro.
3. Read the release notes in the window. If there are none, it says "This release has no notes yet."

How it works

How does my website get an update?

When WordPress looks for plugin updates, the website asks the Funnelforms update service for the current version of Funnelforms Pro. It sends the product, its Funnelforms version, its address, the versions of WordPress and PHP, the update channel and the secret from the connection. The answer names the version, the download, the checksum, the minimum versions of WordPress and PHP, the release notes and a signature by Funnelforms. Funnelforms Pro 5.0 no longer uses the update checker of Funnelforms 3 and cleans up what it left behind.

How is an update checked?

In two stages:

1. The signature: Funnelforms checks that the offered version is signed by Funnelforms and that product, version and checksum match it. If the signature is missing or does not match, the website offers no update.
2. The file: after the download, Funnelforms computes the SHA-256 checksum and compares it and the file size with the signed details. If anything does not match, Funnelforms deletes the file, forgets the stored answer and shows: "The downloaded update does not match the release of Funnelforms and was not installed. Please try again."

What happens without a connection or without a running plan?

• Without a connection, Funnelforms Pro gets no updates. The plugin list shows "Connect this website with Funnelforms to get updates from your account." with the link Connect now.
• If the plan is not running, it shows "Updates are paused because the license of this website is not active. Your forms keep working." with the link Open the account.
• If your website had a license key of Funnelforms 3, it connects with it by itself after the update.

Your forms, entries and appointments keep running in any case.

What happens to the download link?

The download link is valid for a short time only. If it has expired when WordPress loads the update, Funnelforms fetches a new link once. If Funnelforms no longer offers the version, "This update is no longer offered by Funnelforms. Please check for updates again." appears.

What happens when Funnelforms withdraws a version?

Then the update service offers the version before it as an update, even though its number is lower. You install it like any other update. Rolling back to an older version of your choice is not possible per website. The plugin files cannot be rolled back to Funnelforms 3.8 this way either. This feature is currently in progress.

How do I get beta versions?

With one line in the file wp-config.php of your website: define( 'FUNNELFORMS_UPDATE_CHANNEL', 'beta' );. The website then asks for beta versions. Without this line it only gets stable versions. There is no setting in Funnelforms for this.

Why do I see an update later than others?

Funnelforms decides which website gets a new version when. Also, the website keeps the last answer for up to twelve hours. With Check again under Dashboard → Updates, WordPress asks again right away.

What happens if Funnelforms cannot be reached?

The website keeps the last known answer. If there is no answer or an error, the update list does not change.

Best Practices

• Update at a quiet time, not in the middle of a campaign with many visitors.
• Read the release notes in the version details before updating.
• After the update, check Funnelforms → Overview and a form on your website.
• Use the beta channel only on a test or staging website.

Troubleshooting

Tips

• After a successful update, Funnelforms forgets the stored answer and asks anew next time.
• The release notes appear in the language of your user account, otherwise in English.
• If you connect the website again, it also asks for updates afresh.

FAQ

Do I get updates without a Funnelforms account? Not for Funnelforms Pro. Updates only come to a connected website with a running plan. Funnelforms Free gets updates without an account from the WordPress plugin directory.

How do I know that the update file is genuine? Funnelforms checks the signature of the version and then the checksum and size of the downloaded file. If anything does not match, nothing is installed.

What data does my website send when looking for updates? The product, the Funnelforms version, the address of the website, the versions of WordPress and PHP, the update channel and the secret of the connection.

Can I go back to an older version? Not of your own choice. If Funnelforms withdraws a version, you are offered the previous one as an update.

Related articles

• Connect your website to your Funnelforms account
• Plan status and what it means
• Installing and updating Funnelforms