Can’t figure out how to export changed theme

  • Hi,
    I’m a WP newbie so I’ve installed it in my laptop (ubuntu VM) to create my website, and when its complete, I will export it to my final website. To simplify the process, I’m using a free EmpowerWP template and adapt it to my needs, by making small changes to menus, adding images, etc (nothing complex).

    The problem is that all solutions I tested to export the modified template from my laptop to my domain, they always fail:
    – Tried the standard TOOLS->EXPORT function, but when I import the XML file in my final website, the information is inconsistent. Sometimes the menus are duplicated, others the images don’t show…
    – Tried to use UpdraftPlus plugin to backup my laptop site and restore it on final website but the result is the same of export/import functionalities…

    Tried others workarounds but never worked: first reset site via plugin, make sure template is activated before import the updated template, etc.

    Is there any simple way to copy my changed template?

    WP seems fantastic in terms of design, test new templates, but can’t understand why such a simple export/import template seems so complex…

    Please help!

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

  • There area couple of very good plugins for moving WP sites

    – Duplicator
    – All-in-One WP Migration

    Or you can follow the advice here

    Moving WordPress

    That’s why I like building on the final host…

    On a new site you have a couple days to make things nice unless you start advertising hastily.

    A new site should look a bit new anyway.

    Small changes are best.

    Remember that you have a theme, customized CSS files, and possibly a child theme. Move those via sFTP. Same with plugins and anything else you might do to that site.

    Some of your menu data and/or widget data might be in the database.

    Things you think might have been a change in a theme page might actually be in the pages themselves or something a plugin did somehow.

    Images and such in a staging site might actually be in a different location than what your public site might use.

    Most of the migration tools will move all of that for you…

    The data in the database probably needs to be moved. A migration tool can usually do that for you.

    I’ve done the few migrations I have done via FTP and that XML export/import process. But I’ve also used a backup plugin’s backup copy to get started.

    Thread Starter fcpeomaior

    (@fcpeomaior)

    Thanks for your answers.

    Ok, I realize this is not a simple task, based on forums I already searched and your answers.

    Since I know a bit about Linux, is there any sequence and rules to copy an active template from my WP installation to another WP installation?

    For instance, if WP saves the active template in a specific Linux folder, images in another folder, an so on, I could manually copy them to my new WP installation.

    WordPress is database driven, so the definitions of what is active etc sits in the database ( normally in the wp_options table)

    You can copy the files of the template ( stored in wp-content/themes/whatver-template ) but that won’t necessarily be everything, e.g. addition CSS, widget settings etc – they all need database entries

    This is why migration plugins exist to simplify a complex issue.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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