Migrating a site from WordPress

Waiting game

Depending upon the size of your import file, you may need to wait for a while (in excess of fifteen minutes in some cases), especially if your site includes a large number of images. Please don't be discouraged; open a different tab and work on something else in your site if you're able until the process is complete.

Getting Started

Please note: only a user with a Site Manager role can migrate a site. If you haven't already, please use our Service Request Form to ask that the Migration Module be enabled for you. When importing your content from your Wordpress site, it's important to understand the limitations as the script will only migrate content from blogs and posts, but not from menus or from content generated through other plug-ins.

Proceed to importing your migration via these steps:

  1. Navigate to Manage » Structure » Migrations.
  2. Click the + Add Wordpress import button.

Upload the file

  1. You will need to export your site as an .XML file from your Wordpress account and have the file ready for this next step. On the Wordpress import tab screen, you will be prompted to search for, select, and attach your Wordpress site export file.
    Choose your exported site file for upload.
  2. Click Next to continue.

Configuration Choices

  1. Authors - Choose an existing Drupal account which will be the author of all WordPress content imported. Click Next to continue.
  2. Vocabularies - WordPress blogs contain two vocabularies: tags and categories. Here you may choose the Drupal vocabularies to import each into, or omit one or both from the import entirely. You can choose to import your Tags and Categories—or not—using the following options, then click Next to continue:
    • Do not import
    • Article Categories
    • Article Type
    • Branding
    • Event Category
    • Person Type
    • Photo Gallery Categories
    • Tags
  3. Content - WordPress blogs contain two primary kinds of content: blog posts and pages. Here you may choose what types of Drupal nodes to create from each of those content types, or omit one or both from the import entirely. Click Next to continue.

Review

The Review page is your confirmation page indicating you want to proceed with creating the batch files from which your site will be migration. THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL MIGRATION. When you submit this form, migration processes will be created and you will be left at the migration dashboard to select the batch files you want to migrate into your site.

Click Finish to accept the configuration choices you've selected and begin building the batch list.

Migrating the batch files

When you are returned to the Migration screen, you will see category SiteFarm Wordpress Migrations. Click on List migrations

Wordpress migrations overview

This example includes posts, pages, tags, and categories selected from a Wordpress XML file. The Imported column will read "0" until such time as you choose to run a migration. The Items found column indicates how many items the batch file contains for import.

* Posts and pages can only be imported when tags and categories have been imported, make sure to run those first.

Running a migration

  1. Click Execute next to one of the labeled items. It is important to note the Tags and Categories need to be imported before the Pages and Posts can be imported. 
  2. From the Choose an operation to run, select Import
  3. Press Execute
  4. The batch file will run and your Wordpress content will be translated into the appropriate content type in SiteFarm based on your configuration choices. When complete, you will see a notification with the amount of items processed. To return to the Migration Overview dashboard to select another file to import, click on Migration Overview on top of the page. Or you can go to your Shortcuts » All content screen to begin reviewing your new content.

Rolling back a migration

In case imported items need to be removed, there is an option to "roll back" the migration.

  1. Go to the Migration overview page 
  2. Press Execute on the migration that needs to be rolled back
  3. Select Rollback from the Choose an operation to run select box
  4. Press Execute

This will remove all items that were previously imported during this migration.