A WordPress Transfer related question

[howudoin]

So I've designed my Wordpress based site offline (Using XAMPP) and now I want to transfer it to my web host.

I'm aware that by transferring the theme and the content I can get the "Look and Feel" of the original site (On my web host), But can I also transfer my plugins

Or is it that I have to manually reinstall all the plugins at the New WP installation on my web host?

Picture me refreshing this page every 1 minute..

[Sumit Menon]

You can upload the plugins.. but you'll have to reactivate it. Actually, you can copy the whole content directory.

Out of context:
Is XAMPP good? I'm using WAMP.

Sumit.

[howudoin]

Thanks for the Answer Sumit.

By uploading the "the whole content directory" do you mean everything in the "wp-content" folder??

Never used WAMP, so really can't make a comparison, but my experience with XAMPP has been good.

Although, its instruction manual says that it works offline, I always get "page not found error" with that. So to make it work you need to be connected to the net, however once the login is done, then it works just as fine.

[Sumit Menon]

Originally Posted by howudoin

Thanks for the Answer Sumit.

By uploading the "the whole content directory" do you mean everything in the "wp-content" folder??

Never used WAMP, so really can't make a comparison, but my experience with XAMPP has been good.

Although, its instruction manual says that it works offline, I always get "page not found error" with that. So to make it work you need to be connected to the net, however once the login is done, then it works just as fine.

yep.. the wp-content directory.

Ideally, if you're installing anew you'd upload all the files onto the new server and import the database backup.

[Wade Watson]

The way you want to do it is to do a fresh WordPress install online and install all the plugins there fresh, too. There's no need to make things any more complicated. In fact, although I have a virtual local server, I never even bother doing a WordPress preinstall in it. It's easy enough to just do a WP install online, keep robots from scanning while you tinker and then go live when your ready. I even keep a couple of online subdomains handy for testing themes and plugins.

Wade Watson

[blur]

You don't need to do all that Don't make it harder for yourself.

Just upload your complete wp installation (with plugins, etc..) to your webserver.

Then create a new database on your webserver for your site (obviously make note of your user name and password)

Using phpmyadmin on your machine (which I think comes with XAMMP) export your database to a text file. Then go to the phpmyadmin on your webserver and import your text file.

Edit your wp-config on the webserver to reflect your database crednetials and that should do it.

[howudoin]

You don't need to do all that Don't make it harder for yourself.

Just upload your complete wp installation (with plugins, etc..) to your webserver.

Then create a new database on your webserver for your site (obviously make note of your user name and password)

Using phpmyadmin on your machine (which I think comes with XAMMP) export your database to a text file. Then go to the phpmyadmin on your webserver and import your text file.

Edit your wp-config on the webserver to reflect your database crednetials and that should do it.

Thanks for the answer Blur, Will do it right away and let me get back with in an hour...

[Istvan Horvath]

What blur said with a small addition:
after you imported the DB file (usually a ***.sql file if you checked the "save as file" option when exporting) go to the options table and find the "home" and "site_url" rows.
Edit their value from "localhost/whatever" to the new location "hffp://example.com", of course use tt instead of ff

[Jay Rhome]

Thanks Blur!

The step I was missing when I did my transfers was the phpadmin part to export and import the database.

Too late but will do in the future.

So in essence, we don't even need to install WP again if we import all the files and adjust for the new database?

Sweet

[Istvan Horvath]

Originally Posted by Jay Rhome

So in essence, we don't even need to install WP again if we import all the files and adjust for the new database?

That's right. You just create an empty database and import the .sql file into it. Then make the modifications I described above.
Edit the config file. Upload the files via FTP.
It should work.

[sbucciarel]

Originally Posted by blur

You don't need to do all that Don't make it harder for yourself.

Just upload your complete wp installation (with plugins, etc..) to your webserver.

Then create a new database on your webserver for your site (obviously make note of your user name and password)

Using phpmyadmin on your machine (which I think comes with XAMMP) export your database to a text file. Then go to the phpmyadmin on your webserver and import your text file.

Edit your wp-config on the webserver to reflect your database crednetials and that should do it.

This is the way I do it too. Easy and fast.

[Branlan17]

I've been curious about using wordpress, a lot of people seem to like it.

[howudoin]

OK Blur, all things are set......Might had given you 2 Thanks If possible

What Blur had said is explained in detail, with screenshots, at the following link
Convert A Local WordPress XAMPP Installation Into A Live Site | Jestro

(No affiliation with above site)

[blur]

Glad to see that you're all set! Moving sites isn't as 'mystical' as sometimes it may seem. You can use the same procedure to move almost any kind of site, just make sure all the variables that have ANYTHING to do with the server, server path, passwords, etc.. are changes.

In fact, I know people who have a default install for their WP/drupal/joomla/etc... in which all they do is move a copy of the master site to the server. This is actually faster than installing the core of the script, installing plugins, getting the themes, etc...

It's always a good practice to develop local and move it to the web when it's finished.

ooooo.....almost forgot - make sure your upload directies (I believe it's content/uploads) has the right permissions or else you wont be able to upload pics from the backend of WP. You can do this in cpanel by clicking on the folder, then permissions, then (and someone will disagree with me here) changing the 'numbers' to 777 (or clicking all the boxes).

[wordwizard]

Hmmm,

you mean changing the directories to 777? Just for the uploading & installation, right?

Also, will this work if I have to transfer a WordPress installation from one host or location to another?

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Elisabeth

[zapseo]

Well, there are a couple of gotchas here.

If you are using a cpanel host, you can't just simply use the same db credentials.

And you need to go into the text file (easiest to do it when it's a text file, rather than once you've imported the file (actually, executed an sql query) and edit the domain name. Most (not all) of the places where you've used localhost, you'll want to change to the domain you are uploading to.

Live JoyFully!

Judy

Originally Posted by blur

You don't need to do all that Don't make it harder for yourself.

Just upload your complete wp installation (with plugins, etc..) to your webserver.

Then create a new database on your webserver for your site (obviously make note of your user name and password)

Using phpmyadmin on your machine (which I think comes with XAMMP) export your database to a text file. Then go to the phpmyadmin on your webserver and import your text file.

Edit your wp-config on the webserver to reflect your database crednetials and that should do it.

[zapseo]

Originally Posted by wordwizard

Hmmm,

you mean changing the directories to 777? Just for the uploading & installation, right?

Also, will this work if I have to transfer a WordPress installation from one host or location to another?

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Elisabeth

Elisabeth ---

setting files and folders is one of the gotchas of script installation.
Many installation manuals say to do this, but then people start getting Internal Server errors (500).

The reason is that many hosting companies are now running php from cgi, so that all scripts, files and folders are owned by the user, instead of the rather arcane unix user known as "nobody". This is a much more secure way to run php, but it also sets things up so that any file or folder accessed that has permissions set to 777, it will give an internal server error (as it also will if a script attempts to set a file or folder to 777 permissions.)

So, the answer to your question is...it depends.

In general, it should work. If you run into problems doing it, just contact me and I'll get it fixed right up for you.

Live JoyFully!

Judy