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1. wlpdrpat
   Member
   Posted 2 years ago #
   

   Hi,

   I am trying to migrate a blog from one installation to another using the WordPress Export and Import functions.

   I have done this previously while using 2.9.2 with no problems.

   The problem I am experiencing relates to the download and import attachments function. It is not working. The urls for all images are staying on the old blogs url and the images are not being imported into the new blog.

   Is this a bug with 3.0.4? Is there a reasonable work around?

   I have hundreds of posts and images and the thought of downloading all the images one at a time and uploading them - then updating all the urls manually is giving me a migraine.

   Thanks,
   Pat

2. stvwlf
   Member
   Posted 2 years ago #
   

   Hi

   Although you may need some help with doing it, I have found a faster and more reliable approach, if you are moving an entire site, is to move the entire database. This requires using PHP My Admin

   The old database is exported to a SQL dump file. On a good sized WP site there will be hundreds to thousands of references to the existing domain in that dump file. Using a search and replace I replace all references to the old domain with the new domain. Then I save that file.

   Then I go to the new site and using PHP My Admin import the revised database dump file into the new database, overwriting everything that is in it. Thus all references to the old domain are gone. Occasional tweaks are necessary for odd cases but in general its 98 - 100% successful and accurate.

   Now, this requires that all the files, including image files, are all stored in folders with the same name as they had on the original server. Considering the # of images and posts you said you have, this is a much faster approach.

   One thing that can happen in this kind of move is text widgets often lose their text. I've taken to copying and pasting from the old site to the new site's widgets. If the old site will no longer be available then you have to save the text from the old site's widgets in text files while it is still available. Ive also found there are issues moving the new WordPress custom menus - I've had to recreate them from scratch, again copying along from what exists on the old site.

   Hope this is helpful.

3. wlpdrpat
   Member
   Posted 2 years ago #
   

   Fully understand how to do the database, but this doesn't help with a multisite installation.

   This functionality worked perfectly with WordPress 2.9.2, is this a bug with 3.4? Is it going to be fixed?

4. wlpdrpat
   Member
   Posted 2 years ago #
   

   Previously, when migrating a WordPress MU site from one installation, e.g. site.olddomain.com, to a new installation, e.g. site.newdomain.com, you would use the WordPress Export feature on the olddomain site and the WordPress Import feature on the newdomain. It would provide a checkbox to download and import all file attachments and if this box was checked it would download all the images and other attached files from the olddomain and import them into the newdomain media and it would update all of the image and files urls in your posts automatically.

   This was an incredibly cool feature.

   Now when I use the same procedure (and check the box) the media files are not downloaded and not imported into the newdomain and the urls are not updated.

   Why did WordPress remove this functionality and yet leave the checkbox for using the functionality?

   This has to be a bug!

   Where do you report this type of bug?

   Pat

5. Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)
   Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
   Posted 2 years ago #
   

   trac.wordpress.org but.

   Make SURE you're testing this on a CLEAN, no plugins, default theme build before you report it.

   Also make sure your uploads folder is set correctly (with permissions 777 for example) before you import. I would THINK it would error, but it might not.

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