Can't import WordPress xml
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i’m trying (unsuccessfully) to import categories from a self-hosted WordPress site to wordpress.com, so I dutifully spent ages downloading all the categories, one-by-one ready to import.
I selected the site I wanted to import into, selected the file and uploaded it. Problem: it won’t import, telling me there’s no author!!
Wordpress is turning into a nightmare of complexity and obstacles at every turn.
The author on the source site (williambowles.info) is InI (I only use one author), so I thought maybe I’d add the author InI to the new site but typically, how do you an author? I’ve searched and I’ve searched but the GUI is so awful and complicated that i couldn’t find out how to add an author.
BTW, I tried two different kinds of export from the site, the one that comes with WordPress and a differentone called ‘Advanced Export’. Both exports were rejected. What am I missing here?
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Hi there,
To what WordPress.com site are you trying to import? And are you using the importer at My Site ->Import, or the one in WP-Admin?
On the self-hosted site, if you go to Posts ->All Posts, do you see an author assigned to the posts there?
I’m also curious why you’re downloading per-category? If you’re trying to move all your posts a full export, or if you have a lot of content incremental exports by date, is a more efficient way to do it. Can you please try that instead of a category export and see if that makes any difference?
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Hi,
Initially, I wanted to move my self-hosted site to wp.com and relocate my domain but it proved to be a real nightmare, largely down the the convoluted and complex wordpress ‘help’. So for example, I only have one email address, my domain with the company that hosts my site. So I go through the transfer process as per wp.com’s instructions but find that I can’t use my email address! So forget that. Then it was suggested to me that I map the site and I’m still trying figure out what that means. So I gave up on that and created a new site here and tried to import the content, only to be told there was no author!All the posts on my self-hosted site have one author, me and it’s listed as such (actually my author name is InI). So I figured, okay, I’ll add an author to the new site. Gave up on that one too.
As to why separate categories? Well firstly, the site is enormous, nearly 20,000 posts, half a gig when I exported the categories and secondly, I didn’t necessarily want to import them all to the new site.
BTW, I was using the Import function on wordpress.com. Is it different from the import function from Admin?
Bill
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PS: I managed, in theory anyway, to upload a category from the Admin page into one of my sites, got the email telling it was successful (but no author), checked the site and nothing was imported!
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Hi Bill,
I’m confident we can get you all sorted :) It looks like you’ve created multiple sites here at WordPress.com which one are you trying to import into? Once we know this we can take a look at the site and import file to look for any errors. It looks like the site you’re running the import on may be
investigatingimperialism.wordpress.comis that correct?If an author/username can’t be found when you run the import you should be given the option to assign the posts to a current user on your site, in your case
barovskyif you’re not seeing that option let us know. Please make sure to select “WordPress” as the import type as selecting another option may result in an error like the one you describe.You’ve also mentioned that the importers look different, that sounds like you’re using the importer at My Sites > Settings > Import. You may want to try the one at:
https://example.wordpress.com/wp-admin/import.php (note you’ll need to replace
example.wordpress.comwith your site’s name.One important tip is to not move your domain to WordPress.com until the import is complete. Keep it at your current host. As for email, we can totally help you find an email hosting option for that one inbox once you’ve completed the migration and pointed the domain to us.
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Hi Bdukes,
The situation is a little more complicated. The site I’m trying to import is one I’ve been editing for 15 yrs. It’s big, nearly 20,000 posts. Essentially the hosting company are trying to get rid of me I know not what for but I have my suspicions. So what they’ve done is not upgrade the PHP and also put in place all kinds of ‘security measures’ which have made it almost impossible for me to keep the software current. Hence the need to move the content.Then they ‘offered me’ a VM server at a vastly increased price, which of course I’m not in a position to take. I had just renewed my yearly contract with them when this all went down, so as far as I’m concerned, I have plenty of time to do whatever, even fight them over the situation.
The upshot is that the exported categories are somehow ‘corrupted’ and they won’t import into a site here (I’ve tried all different export options, and none work). I can send you one of the xml files if you need it.
Initially, I was going to create an ‘analog’ of my site here on wp.com and transfer my domain to wp.com but this proved impossible to do using my (only) email address.
So then I decided to create another site here and just import the contents and deal with the domain etc, later but then the export/import problem cropped up.
Now the hosting company have ‘offered’ to move the site to a server with the correct version of PHP so I can export. We’ll see.
BTW, the site you mentioned consists of my writing that I successfully exported awhile back, investigatingimperialism.wordpress.com.
Bill
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BTW, the site you mentioned consists of my writing that I successfully exported awhile back, investigatingimperialism.wordpress.com.
Can you please give the URL of the site to which you’re trying to import now?
And does the file you’re uploading to import end in the extension .xml?
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Hi Kokkieh,
I deleted the one I was going to use but it doesn’t take long to create another one.And yes, it does end in xml. Here’s the first few lines:
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″ ?>
<!– This is a WordPress eXtended RSS file generated by WordPress as an export of your site. –>
<!– It contains information about your site’s posts, pages, comments, categories, and other content. –>
<!– You may use this file to transfer that content from one site to another. –>
<!– This file is not intended to serve as a complete backup of your site. –><!– To import this information into a WordPress site follow these steps: –>
<!– 1. Log in to that site as an administrator. –>
<!– 2. Go to Tools: Import in the WordPress admin panel. –>
<!– 3. Install the “WordPress” importer from the list. –> -
Hi there,
Please go ahead and create a new site then upload one of the xml files using the WordPress importer.
Once the file is upload to the site staff will be able to look for it as well as see any errors.
Looking forward to hearing back from you. Once the new site is created post it in this tread and we’ll take a look.
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Okay, I’ve created a new site and attempted to import an xml file from my original site and there’s nothing there. It also said that there were no authors.
As an aside, I have to tell you that I’ve been working with GUIs since the 1980s, and frankly the design of the WordPress.com interface really sucks! The text is so light it’s difficult to read and the actual process of setting up the site is complex and totally confusing. What should be straightforward is more like a minefield or ‘options’. Clearly a programmer has been let loose on the interface. Not a good idea!
So for example, I paid my 34 quid for the site, yet when I check my sites, there’s no indication which one is the paid for one! Or, from the dashboard, I click on My sites and what do I get? The stats page for the site I happen to be in. It’s a total mess. The whole thing is just too complicated and gets in the way.
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Whoops, forgot to give you the site!
https://williambowlesnet.wordpress.com/
BTW, I tried to import again and it seemed to work except when I checked, there were no posts.
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Hi –
There’s 1 published and 1 trashed post on https://williambowlesnet.wordpress.com/
It doesn’t look like any import has been processed on that site. Perhaps I have over read it, and it’s already been stated in this post. So my apologies if so. But what platform is this .xml file coming from that is to be imported on williambowlesnet.wordpress.com?
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Finally, an update! I think I’ve got it under control now it just took a lot of attempts to figure out the limits of the import facility.
I got hold of the xml splitter for the Mac and it’s kinda buggy but it definitely works. I discovered that to make sure the data gets there, don’t create xml files larger than 5mb else the site gets indigestion. You could maybe get away with 6 or 7 and I’ve gotten 12mb files uploaded, once or twice.
The downside of this is the time it takes! A 117mb xml file broken down into chunks, has taken me two days to import.
And keeping track of it all, is also a pain as there’s no traceable record of the transfer that you can refer to if you’ve forgotten which was the last file imported.
I’m about halfway through, at around 10,000 posts and have also to import users and media.
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Wowsers, that really is a big site.
One thing I’ve seen that helps in cases like this:
– Delete unmoderated, spammy comments. If you have a bunch of those they can take up a lot of importing time AND lead to bugginess with the import
– If you have a ton of tags, consider getting rid of any that are only on one post
If either of those conditions apply, I’d recommend exporting again, otherwise your best bet may just be to keep at it.
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Hi Supernovia,
Yeah, the Tags option is kinda buggy, tags sometimes can’t be deleted (I get an error message, ‘Something went wrong’.)No spammy comments at all
B
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Kinda buggy was an understatement! Having spent ages deleting single tags, it seems there’s still 8 pages of them that refuse to be deleted.
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BTW, is there a way of deleting duplicate entries? Some posts, with more than one category tag, have turned up twice and they appear to be identical.
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Hi there,
BTW, is there a way of deleting duplicate entries? Some posts, with more than one category tag, have turned up twice and they appear to be identical.
You can only delete them manually one by one as there isn’t an automated process to do that for all your posts or pages.
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