Moving WordPress – New host new domain – nightmare

Andrew Dickinson
(@sharptongue)

10 years, 9 months ago

We have a current WP site apollo.net.au , built by a developer who has been unsupportive, to put things mildly. My task is to upload an improved version onto a new domain (at a new host), while keeping the current site running. Current site will eventually be switched off (probably in about 3 months).

Having read codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress and similar pages, have found the task is not nearly as straightforward as this.

After a couple of long conversations with the new hosts, I have managed to install WP here apolloblinds.com.au (WP 3.5.2), and have uploaded our images library, but hardly anything else works as it does on apollo.net.au (WP 3.5).

The new host firmly dismissed simply uploading the SQL database and pages as a possibility. This is quite a blow, as it means I will pretty much have to rebuild the site from scratch.

He also said that simply pasting the working code from and to the equivalent pages won’t work either. The apollo.net.au pages are mostly chunks of html code, apparently being lots of generated shortcode.

As an example, http://apollo.net.au/ and http://apolloblinds.com.au/?page_id=142 should have the same content, different themes notwitstanding, yet the latter renders the shortcode simply as text.

Also, there are some controls on apollo.net.au which did not first appear in apolloblinds.com.au . I have found and activated the Links and Contact plugins. There was one called Banners (Gallery Slide Sets), for which I found a similar plugin, but it seems to behave differently. And there is one called Profile that I cannot match.

As you can see, this is quite a tangle. Any help (beyond being directed to more pages like the above) would be appreciated.

Viewing 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

catacaustic
(@catacaustic)

10 years, 9 months ago

There’s probably a fair chunk of the functionality and setting sthat you are having problems with that are part of the theme, so when you change themes, you loose that functionality. The shortcode that you’re missing is the biggest indicator of that.

If you want to jsut move the iste it is easy to do. You need a copy of all of the sites files, and a dump of the database (normally form phpmyadmin). Then you upload the files to the new server, and impor tthe database dump file back into the new database, change your wp-config.php settings to point to the new database and yu’re done. changing the URl is slightly more complicated, but if you use this tool it makes it very quick and painless.

10tklz
(@10tklz)

10 years, 9 months ago

There are also various backup plugins which allow you to clone a site. For instance: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-clone-by-wp-academy/ has almost always worked well for me.

SharptongueAtHome
(@sharptongueathome)

10 years, 9 months ago

Thanks for replying. This is me at home. Some more questions.

There’s probably a fair chunk of the functionality and settings that you are having problems with that are part of the theme, so when you change themes, you lose that functionality. The shortcode that you’re missing is the biggest indicator of that.

Yes, that occurred to me later the same day. So that means I’m expecting too much by going straight to a different theme, yes ?

The new host tried to tell me that html should not be pasted into the new pages. Is there a better way to migrate existing content ? I mean with a page-by-page rebuild, if it becomes necessary.

If you want to just move the site it is easy to do. You need a copy of all of the sites files, and a dump of the database (normally form phpmyadmin).

It would be good to start that way, but things are not that simple 🙁

1. We don’t have cPanel or FTP access to apollo.net.au

2. Of course we have WP access to apollo.net.au, but that doesn’t allow stuff like FTP. All I can do is copy and paste from it.

3. The new site has a new & customized theme and different pages, though it also includes quite a lot of content from apollo.net.au.

And here’s another problem. I’ve looked in the themes folder, and the files for the new theme don’t seem to be present. There is some doubt as to if the original developer made them available. Is there a definite way to tell ?

Then you upload the files to the new server,

We do have the pages and the database for the new site, which I uploaded to apolloblinds.com.au.

and import the database dump file back into the new database

How to import ?
The new host has said that, on a one-click-install of WP, simply uploading and importing the files/database is simply not workable.

change your wp-config.php settings to point to the new database

More detail please. I have programmed in several structured languages, but PHP isn’t one of them.

use this tool it makes it very quick and painless.

Looks intimidating for a non-PHP programmer. I’ll start by struggling through with one-by-one replacement. Pretty sure not many of the links are absolute URLs. And I need to do a link audit anyway. The existing links were mostly long keyword-stuffing monstrosities, formulated by smartarse SEO-mad loonies who thought they could outwit Google but really didn’t have a clue :& . I’ll be shortening them to something approaching sanity.
But if the task looks too big, I’ll give it a go.

There are also various backup plugins which allow you to clone a site. For instance: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-clone-by-wp-academy/ has almost always worked well for me.

Looks good. I’ll give it a try. btw, the FAQ link on the page is broken.

10tklz
(@10tklz)

10 years, 9 months ago

Yeah, its too bad about the FAQ but the plugin explains itself pretty well. You basically just follow the directions it gives you.

Thread Starter Andrew Dickinson
(@sharptongue)

10 years, 9 months ago

“There are also various backup plugins which allow you to clone a site. For instance: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-clone-by-wp-academy/ has almost always worked well for me. “

Bugger. This plugin needs to be installed on the WP to be copied from.
Unfortunately, apollo.net.au does not have the PlugIn control installed 🙁
So I cannot use this tool.

catacaustic
(@catacaustic)

10 years, 9 months ago

Is it a wordpress.com site?

There’s only two possibilities if you can’t see plugins there. Those are that it’s on wordpress.com (which is a very different thing them being a self-hosted wordpress system) or you’re not an administrator on the site.

Unfortunately moving a site like this is going to get technical, and there’s no way around that. It’s going to be a learning curve, but it will make your understanding later on a lot better.

Remember, you’re not really moving a site – you’re re-building it. That’s where most of your issues are coming into it. Without more experience in moving installations, trouble-shooting problems, and actual theme/plugin development experience, you’re going to find it extremely hard.

2ninerniner2
(@2ninerniner2)

10 years, 9 months ago

After reading through this a couple times, it sounds as though you do not have access to the Dashboard on the old site; is this correct?

In other words, are you able to log in at http://apollo.net.au/wp-admin?

If so, then you can install the backup plugin mentioned and use that to restore back to the new site.

If not, well, then you are in a pickle 🙂

Thread Starter Andrew Dickinson
(@sharptongue)

10 years, 9 months ago

Is it a wordpress.com site?

Can’t say for sure. How can I check ?

Unfortunately moving a site like this is going to get technical, and there’s no way around that.

It has looked very much that way all along, unfortunately.

Remember, you’re not really moving a site – you’re re-building it.

That’s one of the few things that have been painfully clear all along !
I was considering trying a page-by-page rebuild i.e. by cut-and-pasting each page, but I see no evidence that this would do anything.
And, as you say, the lack of the proper theme is a (perhaps *the*) major issue.

After reading through this a couple times, it sounds as though you do not have access to the Dashboard on the old site; is this correct?
There is a Dashboard control, but when I click on it, there is only a blank screen. So, practically speaking, No.
And this is the major issue we are migrating the site. The initial developer refuses to give us anything above basic access.
The bugger has given us cPanel access but, as stated above, that hasn’t been much help.

In other words, are you able to log in at http://apollo.net.au/wp-admin?
If so, then you can install the backup plugin mentioned and use that to restore back to the new site.

Yes, I can login but, as I said above, there is no Plugin control on the menu 🙁
So I cannot install any Plugins.

If not, well, then you are in a pickle 🙂

You got it.
The job of migrating the site was given to another external provider, but the guy has put us off for more than 3 months, so the job fell to me. Looks like I’ll have to bring in another external. *sigh*

Thread Starter Andrew Dickinson
(@sharptongue)

10 years, 9 months ago

PS I really need guidance on this question too :

“3. The new site has a new & customized theme and different pages, though it also includes quite a lot of content from apollo.net.au.

And here’s another problem. I’ve looked in the themes folder, and the files for the new theme don’t seem to be present. There is some doubt as to if the original developer made them available. Is there a definite way to tell ?”

2ninerniner2
(@2ninerniner2)

10 years, 9 months ago

1. We don’t have cPanel or FTP access to apollo.net.au

The bugger has given us cPanel access

OK, which is it 🙂 And let’s get crystal-clear on what cPanel we are referring to in this case … the cPanel that will solve all your problems is the one that is for your hosting account for the old site.

If you are referring to “cPanel” as the WordPress admin area (Dashboard after you log in with your domain/wp-admin or /wp-login, then from what you have said:

There is a Dashboard control, but when I click on it, there is only a blank screen.

that sounds as though that login is not an “Administrator” login, and as such, you would not be able to see, let alone add or change, themes or plugins.

Thread Starter Andrew Dickinson
(@sharptongue)

10 years, 9 months ago

And this is what the new site should look like
http://74.204.167.138/~newapoll/

We don’t have WP access to this one.

SharptongueAtHome
(@sharptongueathome)

10 years, 9 months ago

OK, which is it 🙂 And let’s get crystal-clear on what cPanel we are referring to in this case … the cPanel that will solve all your problems is the one that is for your hosting account for the old site.

The correct answer is
“1. We don’t have cPanel or FTP access to apollo.net.au”
… unfortunately. And that has been the rub all along.
We have not been given sufficient access to the existing site, apollo.net.au, to effect anything useful or wide-ranging.

The cPanel access that the bugger has granted is to the new site (to be uploaded), not the old/existing site, which he has consistently refused to unlock in any meaningful way.

If you are referring to “cPanel” as the WordPress admin area

No. cPanel is an interface that allows access to all the files, database etc, including mySQL and phpadmin, which I have only used over the past ten days. Looks like powerful stuff. Nothing to do with WordPress.

that sounds as though that login is not an “Administrator” login

Yes, that has been my main complaint since near the start of my job here.

Using chess as a metaphor, I conceded this morning, in the face of now-certain defeat, and have called in an external developer, to my boss’s mild dismay, though the reaction is mainly financial.

Also, I have taken a good look at the Themes folder, and am now satified that the new themes files are indeed present. And that is certainly a welcome piece of good news.