This document discusses best practices for importing content from other systems into WordPress. It recommends backing up data, testing imports on a development server, and using plugins to assist with imports from systems like Blogger, Joomla, Drupal, Twitter, CSV files and HTML pages. The document also provides tips for migrating single WordPress installations into WordPress multisite networks, including using XML or MySQL exports and combining .htaccess files.

1. Importing & Migrating
Stephanie Leary sillybean.net @sleary

2. Who am I?
• sillybean.net
• uwc.tamu.edu
• pagedmedia.com
• @sleary
• slideshare.net/
stephanieleary

3. I’ve imported from...
• Blogger • Joomla
• Movable Type • Drupal
• Textpattern • Twitter
• LiveJournal • Gallery2
• WordPress.com • HTML files
• CSV files • OPML files

4. HTML Import

8. Gallery2 Importer

13. Secrets of
Happy Importing

14. Preparation
• Back up
• Prepare to undo
• Import on development server
• Or turn on maintenance mode
• Turn off crossposting plugins
• Use absolute URLs for linked files

15. Plugins
• DB Backup
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-db-backup/
• Mass Page Remover
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mass-page-remover/
• WordPress Reset
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-reset/
• Maintenance Mode
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/maintenance-mode/

16. WordPress export
• Posts, pages, comments, authors
• Uploads optional
• No settings
• No menus in 3.0 (fixed in 3.1)
• Category slug issues
• Skips users with no posts

17. Uncommon imports
• Twitter
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/twitter-importer/
• CSV
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/csv-importer/
• Gallery2
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/gallery2-importer/
• HTML
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/import-html-pages/

18. Uncommon imports
• Joomla 1.0-1.5
http://tinyurl.com/joom2wp
• Drupal
• 6.x to WP 2.7x: http://tinyurl.com/dru6wp2
• 5.x to WP 2.3x: http://tinyurl.com/dru5wp2
• Other MySQL-based CMSs
http://yoast.com/importing-from-another-mysql-into-wordpress/

19. Custom imports
• wp_insert_post() docs
http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/
wp_insert_post
• Build the new post array
• wp_insert_post( $newpost );

20. Character sets
• define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8');
• Try to convert the old db
• work with a copy!
• Alter the table
http://codesnippets.joyent.com/posts/show/306
• Export Latin1, import UTF-8
http://alexking.org/blog/2008/03/06/mysql-latin1-utf8-
conversion

21. After importing
• Search & Replace
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search-and-replace/
• Redirection
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/redirection/
• Add Linked Images to Gallery
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/add-linked-images-
to-gallery-v01/

22. Migrating Single
Installations into
Networks

23. Second verse...
• Back up
• Prepare to undo
• Migrate on development server

24. XML or MySQL?
• XML pros • MySQL pros
• simple • complete
• limited • complicated
• slug bug • merging users
• skipped users • manual edits

25. Moving databases
• export all tables except
users, usermeta
• change table prefixes
• change wp_userroles option name
to match new table prefix

26. Moving users
• Export users, usermeta
• or specific rows
• Manually change IDs
• Stab yourself in the eye with a fork
• http://sillybean.net/?p=6187

27. After migrating
• Move static files
• Change upload file paths
http://yoursite.com/wp-content/
http://yoursite.com/files/
• options
• posts
• theme files

28. Combining .htaccess
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^us.tamu.edu$ [NC]
Redirect /forms.html http://us.tamu.edu/forms/ [R=301,NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^ppip.tamu.edu$ [NC]
Redirect /ppip/about/about.htm http://ppip.tamu.edu/
[R=301,NC]
</IfModule>

30. Thank you.
Stephanie Leary
sillybean.net
@sleary