and the difference between SQL database back up and WordPress export. I received notice the other day that WordPress, my blog of choice, would like to be updated to its newest version. I said self, let’s wait a bit before we do that, then upgrade the test one if that goes well, then Josh’s, and finally mine. Of course, backup the files first. I grabbed the current theme that I had majorly tweaked, I backed up the SQL database, tables go wonky some times. What I failed to do was initiate the WordPress backup, why? Because I have never really done it except to set up the test blog. I wanted all the same posts in the test blog as of March 18, so I exported from one WP install and imported to the new one. It never occurred to me to export my own WP data from inside WP. I shall chalk that up to lack of knowledge, I now know it is much easier to import than to tweak the SQL database. The brighter side of all of this is I have a really clean SQL database. For some reason my initial install of WP last Julyish, had one naming scheme. There was a brand new naming scheme for this upgrade, I think. And that leaves the middle naming scheme, I don’t really care where it came from, though my guess would be from one of the installs where a major database upgrade was required. Now there is just the current one, hopefully everything will play well. I was able to shift around, delete, and rename the tables without errors. I checked upon each movement, before deleting anything. I was able to see why my newest upgrade balked, unfortunately, I was a bit reactionary. Had I dived into the SQL database first, I would have been able to fill the empty tables from the newest install with the last install data and go happily along. However, doing that would have made me uneasy in the long run and I would just exported the data and started over anyway. Which is where I am at now. The posts are back, my gallery works, my plug-ins are back, but not activated and I uploaded my theme. I’ll get everything up to snuff by Monday or Tuesday night if not sooner. Meanwhile, enjoy the new theme, let me know if anything is broken 
It would be important to point out that my system failed, I shall have to investigate further. My test blog upgraded flawlessly, I left all the plugins active. My real blog crashed and burned, I remembered to turn all the plugins off. When I got the new install up, I did notice that I already had spam. If something tried to post a spam comment during an install, it may have caused a problem. I have since corrected an initial mistake I made when I installed the blog. I installed it to root of the website, which meant that a new install would be impossible as the root website folder would never be empty. I didn’t know about this requirement until I already click install. Dreamhost has an awesome feature: one-click installs for many of the popular pieces of software. We as users are of course strongly encouraged to read any and all documentation before proceeding. They have made the profess even more simple than when I originally started. I do advanced one-click so I choose some options, but the other option allows Dreamhost to choose default locations, databases, etc. I’m a bit miffed, but what’s a girl to do, the test blog said it was happy.
My email is my name at this domain name.
Checklist:
Theme
- Sidebar/Widgets
- Blogroll-fix titling issues
- edit bottom line to use terms “based upon”
- Upgrade all plugins, including cystat uninstaller
- WPG2
- Pages
- Archives-currently very broken, I wonder if I took notes on what I did last week-grumble-need to reinstall some stuff and turn some other settings off, php was broken by WordPress-reinstall exec php, duh!
- About
- turn the rest into posts and check temp drafts of posts
Edit all posts and put categories back, on the bright side, I can add tags now that I know how to use them
- While editing tags, place posts in a series if applicable
- remove all coding associated with hr, define in CSS
- Remove tables and use CSS for photoa and photob
- Retitle ABC-along A is for, B is for, etc.
- check permalink structure for linked posts-my default is year/month/day, not the WordPress default
Reconfigure all plugins
It almost goes without saying-export it all. I wonder where my categories went, I have a feeling it had something to do with a table in the database not being renamed correctly, which would be my fault.
step completed!
Tags: backup, Dreamhost, export, SQL database, to do list, upgrade, WordPress 2.5.1