localhost move to webhost – change urls and hyperlinks text?

Hello,

You will need to update the URL in your database to the new site URL before you export from local and import to live. There’s a great step by step walkthrough here to help you get your site on a live domain: https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-move-wordpress-from-local-server-to-live-site/

It should be fairly straight forward but let us know if you have any problems.

Also note that you’ll have to look at the wp_options table. URLs for some things like background images or site logos, and all kinds of plug-in related entries, are kept there. They’ll need to change as well.

Don’t rely on testing from the machine where you developed it — image links to “https://localhost…” will still work, but from anywhere else in the world they’ll be broken!

hey guys,

im currently going though the same stages and iv developed an ecommerce website with alot of items and pages, will i have to individually go through every page and change every permalink to my new web domainname?

mark n

The plugin “DUPLICATOR” does and excellent job of changing the database entries from the old to the new site name.

as said by RossMitchell, use duplicator.

went to duplicator and they say:
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This plugin is not for novices. If your not familiar with database setups, server permission sets or web servers then please Get Assistance From an IT Professional. We would love to be able to help educate on these topics, however we simply do not have the bandwidth.

If you are a novice and still prefer to go-it-alone. Then we recommend getting a commercial plugin alternative. This will allow you to get your questions answered in a timely manner and get the support you need from a company that profits from providing services.
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looks like this is not for me. I know how to get my site to the host, all I need is the changing urls and links bit

I encourage you to still give duplicator a go. Yes it can be complicated but most cases are not. They are saying that themselves they don’t want to provide individual support, but this forum here can.
Be sure to keep a backup of your site.
Most cases do not need / use all the capabilities of DUPLICATOR, read the steps, keep track of which answers you give.

so do I use this duplicator after I have uploaded my site to the internet host? If I can get all this figured out eventually I will be needing just to upload changes to the live site unless I make changes live instead of localhost.

btw these programs say change url A to url b and they show .com suffic but localhost has no .com or anything else so just put https://localhost without anything else?

This is what I would do:
– download the DUPLICATOR plugin and install in your localhost website. Activate the plugin.
– On your web hosting create your new database, database user and password.
– Make a copy of your localhost file “wp-config.php”, call it “wp-configHosted.php”, put the above database name, user and password there.
– Use filezilla to transfer ALL your files up to your web hosting.
– On your localhost website, login as WordPress administrator, go to the DUPLICATOR plugin, don’t worry about the ZIP file archive it gives you, filezilla does this better. DO go through the database changes, the change from old to new domain name, it is the “.sql” file it gives you that is the real value.
– On your web hosting, run the SQL admin program, probably called PHPMYADMIN, doop any tables that are in the database and IMPORT the .sql file created above.
– Use filezilla to do these two renames on the hosted files:
“wp-config.php” becomes “wp-configLocalhost.php”
“wp-configHosted.php” becomes “wp-config.php”
– Your website is now running at the hosted address.
– Login to the WordPress administrator there, go to the permalinks settings and SAVE, even if you do not change the setting.
– Test your website.

In principle it is possible to repeat the localhost to hosted database transfer using DUPLICATOR whenever required, however as a practical matter it is more common practice either do your changes directly on the hosted website, OR do them first on localhost, then copy paste the pages / posts, upload images etc to effectively re-author what you first did on localhost.
However when I need theme or plugin changes I develop them on localhost and then use filezilla to transfer the changed files to hosted, and repeat the admin tasks if necessary.

Hi RossMitchell, thanks for your instruction. I will follow this when I upload my new wordpress site. I just need a bit of clarification on some points:
1.”Make a copy of your localhost file “wp-config.php”, call it “wp-configHosted.php”, put the above database name, user and password there.”..where do this “wp-configHosted.php” file be placed; on the same localhost or on the newly created database on the hosted server?
2. Should both the “wp-config.php” and “wp-configHosted.php” be uploaded on the hosted server, or only the “wp-configHosted.php”?
and lastly…
3. My new wordpress localhost site is to replace my existing website that is running real-time since 2007. I manually coded its pages using xhtml and css. I will use the same URL on the new wordpress site. How would I do this if my old site URL is https://www.mydomain.ph.”.ph” is the local domain-name-provider here in the Philippines. Any other input from your end will be highly appreciated. More power to you.

1,2) I create the file “wp-configHosted.php” in my localhosted files. Then I upload ALL the files to the host. Then I rename the config files in the hosted directory. It is easier to upload all the files using filezilla and then rename afterwards.

3) Be sure to keep a copy of your old hand made website just in case you need it later.
I would use the plugin DUPLICATOR to convert the WordPress website from a development and testing name to use the same name as your old site.

Depending upon your experience I would consider developing the new website in a sub-domain on your hosting, say “test.mydomain.ph”, your old website keeps running until the new one is ready. Then use duplicator as part of the transfer to live process.

Thank you so much RossMitchell. Actually I was about to ask you if I could test my new WordPress site as a subdomain first…well thanks for the advance positive reply. FYI, I already have a subdomain to my hand made website for my blog and it’s a twenty-sixteen theme. Now, please tell, me, in my localhost WordPress website, I used a different theme; do I have to upload another WordPress database to the remote server for the new site or just the new theme?

Sorry, I meant, do I also have to upload the entire folder that contains WP database and the new site folder to make the new website work?

The database is NOT in your wordpress files, it is managed and stored inside the database which is a different thing entirely, you manage it with its own tools like phpmyadmin
– Your hosting probably lets you run several sub-domains, just make this an extra one.
– You will create a new database on your localhost for this new website.
– Each website has its own set of WordPress files, so when it comes time to deploy your site you upload ALL of them. Then you use DUPLICATOR to create an image of your database with the URL changes, IMPORT it to the database on your hosting. Login to the ADMIN on your hosting, go to the permalink settings and SAVE.

Thanks a lot RossMitchell.
Things are getting clear to me. Another question; I think I had asked this before, maybe in other forum, however, I still don’t get the answer that I need to date. Here it is…Supposed I am successful in uploading the WordPress website and replaced the old manually coded site…how do I upload or add newly created webpage from my localhost to the newly created WP website in my remote server?