OpenLab Export / Import
This plugin allows you to create a Site Archive file (.zip) that will be downloaded to your computer and can be imported into another WordPress site. This can be a site you host on your own, or on another platform like the CUNY Academic Commons or BMCC OpenLab. You can also share a site with other people by sharing the exported site with them.
1. Activate the OpenLab Import-Export plugin.
2. Go to your siteās Dashboard > Tools > OpenLab Export or Tools > OpenLab Import.
Exporting a Site
1. Go to your siteās Dashboard > Tools, and select OpenLab Export.
2. Select the content you want to export. āAll contentā is selected by default, which includes all of your posts, pages, comments, custom fields, terms, navigation menus, and custom posts.
If you want to restrict the content to be exported, unselect āAll contentā and select all fields you want to be included. Some of the fields, like Posts and Pages allow the user to restrict to specific categories, authors, start and end dates, and status. If nothing is changed, all the content from the selected categories will be included in the export.
3. A readme file will automatically be created and included in the exported archive file, which will contain the theme used for the site, plus a list of plugins activated on the site so that it is easy to replicate the site when importing it.
If you want to add a note for yourself or for another person (if youāre sharing your site), include it in the Readme file text field.
4. An acknowledgement of the original site will appear in any draft or site that imports this content. You can also edit it in the Acknowledgements text field. This is intended for cases where you are sharing the site with other people. When they import the site, it will include the acknowledgements for your site.
5. Finally, click Download Archive with Attachments. This option will only be available if you have selected either āAll contentā or āmediaā.
6. If the archive file size is too large (the download button shows the file size), you may prefer to use the option Download Archive without Attachments instead, which will not include any of the media and files, and will be a much smaller file. When importing it to a new site, the importer will try to download all files and add it to the new site, but that will only work if the original site is publicly available.
Your computer will now download the zip file.
Importing a Site
1. Find the archive zip file, and open the readme.md file within it.
2. Check if there are Plugins, Themes, or Menu tools you will need to install/activate for the imported site to work properly. If so, make sure to do it before you import.
3. When youāre done, go to your siteās Dashboard > Tools, and select OpenLab Import.
4. Click Choose File and select the Archive file. It needs to be the zip file (with a .zip extension). If you have extracted the zip file to check the readme, make sure to select the original downloaded file, not the extracted one.
5. Once the correct file is selected, click Upload Archive File.
6. Click Start Importing.
7. When itās finished, you will see a message saying your import was completed. Under it, there will be a list with objects and a message. Take a look at them to see if there was any error. You can ignore messages like Same-object already exists.Ā
8. Go to Dashboard > Menus and select the menu.Ā
9. Now go check your site. We suggest you check menus, links and images to see if it’s all working correctly. If there are any duplicate pages or menu items, please feel free to delete them.
10. If you imported a site that someone else shared with you, find the acknowledgements page, which will be in draft. Publish it or include the acknowledgements somewhere else on your site.
