Cloning a Site
-
I have read the docs on Import and Export and reviewed a few Forum threads.
I have two simple sites, “production”(Public) and “test”(Private).
The site, “production”. is also associated with a domain, “production.com”, which was purchased from wordpress.com.
I want to make a clone of “production” in “test”. I want to use “test” to experiment with changing themes and with other procedures and tools.
I know that I’ll use Export and Import, will lose the original content of “test”, and may have missing images (uploaded into “production” from my computer) in “test” after import.
Any other gotchas come to mind?
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
-
I too have a private ‘test’ site, for the same reason.
Forget Import and Export.
First print out the following instructions.1. Make sure that you have a separate page on the test site corresponding to each page on the main site, and give it a similar name.
2. On the main site, on the first page, go to ‘edit’ (while you still can), switch (if necessary) to HTML.
3. On the HTML edit page, put cursor somewhere in the the page, not at the very top, press first Control-A (to block the whole page — some do not call it block but select, same thing).
4. Press Control-C to copy all that is blocked..
5. Go to your private site, to the corresponding page, and press Control-V. This should give you a clone of the main page on the corresponding test page.
6. As an extra precaution, while the copy is still in the clipboard, go to Notepad, take a new page, and press Control-V there too. This gives you an extra backup. Save it with a suitable name ‘as an HTML file’ (or as an RTF file) IN UNICODE if necessary. (You can later collect all these and put them in a new folder called e.g. sitecopy.)
7. Repeat this for each page on the main site, a corresponding page on the test site (and a copy as a file on Notepad).This may seem a lot but it is not really complicated. After the first time you will get used to it and do it automatically.
Number 2 above ‘while you still can’ — when they change to the block editor you may have to go a long way round to get to the HTML edit screen, but worry about that when it happens.
Number 6 above is recommended but not vital.Hope that this helps. Let me know.
-
Hello halilac,
I appreciate the detailed procedural alternative to Export/Import.
I have two follow-on questions:
1. In your procedure, please clarify the phrases related to Step #2, “if necessary” and “when they change to the block editor”.
2. What are the advantages of this procedure rather than Export/Import procedure?Respectfully,
Jim -
@purdue1947
In reply:
1a. “if necessary”: that is, as you enter the edit you may perhaps directly enter the HTML in which case you do not have to switch. If you enter the visual it is necessary to switch to the HTML.
1b. They were going to change the visual to the block editor instead of the current one on June 1st but deferred it meanwhile. When they do you may not be able to go directly into the edit page for the HTML but have to go roundabout via WPadmin to reach the HTML page. I am not too sure about the details but you will still be able to reach the HTML editor but a different (longer) way round. Like me, do not worry about it at the moment, it will not change the above procedure except at one small point and worry about it if and when it comes.
2.What are the advantages of this procedure rather than Export/Import procedure?
I am totally unfamiliar with the export/import but you tried it and had problems with it. So I have given you an alternative that I use without problems and which seems to me not to have your problems either. Try it and see if it works. At best you have solved your problem, at worst you have wasted twenty to thirty minutes, but you will still have learnt something that is bound to come up in the future in one way or another.
The important thing is that it can do no harm.
Let me know. -
Hi there,
I know that I’ll use Export and Import, will lose the original content of “test”, and may have missing images (uploaded into “production” from my computer) in “test” after import.
I’m not sure what you’re referring to here.
No content is lost when exporting from or importing to a site. If you import to your test site, the content you import will be added to any existing content on the site.
If you’re referring to the notice that appears on the import page, that only applies to full-site imports when you import a self-hosted site to WordPress.com using the Jetpack plugin on our Business Plan. That’s not what you want to do here – instead click the option that says Upload a file.
It occasionally happens that images from one site don’t get pulled into another during import, but that typically only happens when importing from websites hosted elsewhere on the web. It is extremely unlikely to happen when importing from another WordPress.com site in the same account, so you should not have any problems following the normal import process as explained at https://en.support.wordpress.com/import/
The steps @halilac gave above are for manually copy-pasting a single post or page at a time, so not an efficient process if you want to migrate the content of your entire site.
Unrelated, but also note that your plan gives you access to both live chat and direct email support. You can reach those at any time by clicking the Help icon that appears bottom-right on all the My Sites pages, or else via the direct link at https://wordpress.com/help/contact
- The topic ‘Cloning a Site’ is closed to new replies.
WordPress.com Forums 