I just upgraded to [MT 3.2 beta 5](http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/beta/2005/08/beta5_is_out.html) which like every other beta upgrade was criminally easy. The longest part of the process is the actual uploading of the files. The release version is coming and for those of you that are worried that it’s a big deal to upgrade, just do the steps in this order and you’ll be fine:

1. Back up your database. Do this every time, even for the minor upgrades. It takes about 30 seconds. [Easy step-by-step instructions are here](http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/docs/3.2/01_installation_and_upgrade/mysql_backup_restore.html) I have a copy of my original Movable Type folder (the one that contains the mt.cgi file) saved on my drive, mostly so I could remember what plug-ins I had installed before. It’s probably not a bad idea to back this up before making a major upgrade, but I don’t do it in between betas.
3. Download the package from the SixApart website, and then upload to your server in the same location as the previous files. I use [CuteFTP](http://cuteftp.com/cuteftppro/) for the PC, and [Transmit](http://panic.com/transmit/) for the Mac. Both do a great job in “auto” mode.
4. I replace my mt-config.cgi file each time. It’s good practice, you never know what has changed from version to version. Open the mt-config.cgi file that’s there and copy your CGI path, database settings and static path (if used). Most folks leave everything else at the default and that’s fine, otherwise copy (or remember) anything else you’ve changed. You don’t have to do this separately, good FTP applications as the ones I’ve mentioned above allow you to edit text files directly on the server. Open mt-config.cgi-original and enter the correct values (CGI path, static path, database). Save and close the file. Delete the mt-config.cgi file and rename mt-config.cgi-original to mt-config.cgi. Took me longer to type than to do.
5. log in to Movable Type as always. You should see a screen informing you that it’s time to upgrade. Hit the button to let it do its thing.
6. That’s it.

If you know how to upload files with an FTP application you can upgrade Movable Type to 3.2. It was never *that* hard before but in comparison, the steps seem positively archaic.

My goal for this weekend: finish the templates on this blog. I still have some “system” templates to update, and the search results page. Once that’s done, I can finish the templates on [Eric’s site](http://www.9to5andotherwise.com) and move on to another Movable Type-related project that I have on my plate.

A thought just occurred (don’t worry, not straining myself)… Now that Movable Type has “system-wide” settings, I wonder why the search template is not there. For those familiar, you can edit a blog’s templates easily within the Movable Type interface, but what you get when you search is not included because it’s not blog-specific. Appears to be an oversight that I still have to dig in the search_templates folder for that default template to modify (and then be careful not to overwrite it in a future upgrade). I guess that’s a question for the beta forum.

**Update:** Previewing your comment should now auto-fill what you entered.