# Updating your project

This guide shows you how to safely update your existing LightningRails project to get the latest features, bug fixes, and improvements.

You can decide to update the [whole project with our Update Script](#update-script-heavy-conflicts-resotution), or cherry-pick specific Pull requests.

### 📋 Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

* ✅ A clean git working directory (commit or stash your changes)
* ✅ A backup of your project (or be on a feature branch)
* ✅ 5-10 minutes of time
* ✅ Basic familiarity with git commands

### 📃 UPDATE SCRIPT (Heavy conflicts resotution)

#### 🚨 For Projects Before v1.5.0 (Before July 2025)

If your LightningRails project was created before v1.5.0, you won't have the update script yet. Don't worry - we'll get you set up!

#### Option 1: Download the Script (Recommended)

From your project's root directory

```bash
# Make generators directory
mkdir generators

# One-time setup per user
gh auth login

# Fetch the update file and add it to your folder
gh api repos/LightningRails/lightning-rails/contents/generators/update_project.sh \
  --jq '.content' | base64 -d > generators/update_project.sh

# Commit this change
ga . && gc -m "Added generator folder"

# You're ready to go!
bash generators/update_project.sh
```

### 🚀 How to Use the Update Script

#### Step 1: Choose to Apply Updates

When prompted, choose option 1 to apply all updates.

<figure><img src="/files/sqTxO4Ip0KxS4cS1r4OD" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### Step 3: Resolve Conflicts (If Any)

If you get merge conflicts, here's the general rule of thumb:

📁 For View Files (your customizations):

* Keep YOUR CURRENT changes in app/views/ files
* These contain your branding and custom content

⚙️ For Config Files (framework updates):

* Keep Most INCOMING changes in config/ files
* These contain important framework updates

🔍 Always check case by case - don't blindly accept all changes from either side.

#### Step 4: Complete the Update

After resolving conflicts, commit the merge

`git commit -m "Update: Merge latest LightningRails improvements"`

Install any new dependencies

`bundle install`

Run any new migrations

`rails db:migrate`

Test your application

`dev`

### 🍒 Cherry picking specific PRs

If you don't want to update the whole project, but bring a specific PR to your project.

1. **Add the Lightning Rails repo as a remote:**

```bash
git remote add lightning-rails https://github.com/LightningRails/lightning-rails.git
git fetch lightning-rails
```

2. **Find the commit(s) in the PR:**

From the PR page: <https://github.com/LightningRails/lightning-rails/pull/128>\
At the time of writing, the main commit is likely something like:

```bash
# Example (replace with actual commit SHA from the PR)
git cherry-pick abcdef1234567890
```

You can see this by clicking the “Commits” tab in the PR and grabbing the SHA(s).

3. **Resolve any conflicts** and commit the changes.
4. **Remove the remote (optional):**

```bash
git remote remove lightning-rails
```

### 🆘 Quick Troubleshooting

If something breaks after updating:

Return to your backup

`git checkout backup-before-update-[timestamp]`

If you're unsure about a conflict:

* When in doubt, keep your current changes for anything customer-facing
* Keep incoming changes for technical/framework files

### 💡 Pro Tips

* Update regularly - smaller, frequent updates are easier than big ones
* Test immediately - catch issues early
* Update during low-traffic times - be safe with production updates

That's it! The script handles the complex parts - you just need to make smart decisions about which changes to keep.

***

Remember: Your customizations in views are precious - protect them. Framework updates in config files are usually safe to accept.

Happy updating!&#x20;


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