If you are responsible for managing and editing entries on your website you are an end user of ExpressionEngine. As an end user of ExpressionEngine you may feel that there is a bit of secrecy as to how EE works. Believe me, as a developer that builds websites with EE, I can relate. If you are an end user you may not know how to check to make sure that ExpressionEngine is up-to-date. This blog post will show you a quick way to do that. It's actually super easy, it's getting EE updated that is the tricky part. We'll talk about that after the tips.
The first step to checking whether you are current or not is to visit this page. It is the Change Log. This is what ExpressionEngine developers use to tell what has changed, been fixed or been added to ExpressionEngine from Release to release. You'll notice that right under the heading "ExpressionEngine 2.x Change Log" there is a number. It currently says 2.6.1. That is the latest version of ExpressionEngine.
The next step to checking whether you are using the latest version of ExpressionEngine is to log into your control panel. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see the footer. It looks a little something like this:
You'll notice right after the word ExpressionEngine there is a v2.5.5. That is the version number. If that number does not match what you saw on the Change Log then you may need to update.
If you are currently engaged with an ExpressionEngine developer then I would highly suggest that you contact them to have them make the update to ExpressionEngine. It's not really something that you want to try on your own unless you're very familiar with the system. Often times it involves not only updating EE but also making sure that all of the supporting add-ons are updated as well.
Whether you use your original developer or someone new you will want to make sure to have all of your licenses available. This is so they know the software license you are using is legitimate and they can proceed with good conscience.
As always, if you are not currently engaged with an ExpressionEngine developer then we would be happy to help.