Local 3.3.0 to 5.2.3

Is there a migration workflow to bring sites over from local by FW 3.3.0 to the new Local?

I would suggest using the export functionality in 3.3.0 and then importing into 5.2.3.

  1. Start the site in Local 3.3.0.
  2. Right click and choose “Export.” This will save your site as a “zip” file.
  3. Launch 5.2.3. Local 5.2.3 is a separate application so you can have both on your computer at the same time.
  4. In 5.2.3, choose File > Import Site and browse to the zip file you created in step 2.
  5. You’ll be asked where you want to store the site and a few other startup questions and you should be good to go.

There have been issues in the Local Beta with database errors on import. I’m guessing these are solved in the release version but I haven’t checked myself. In my experience the error reports have always been false positives. But if you do get one, check your site to make sure everything is there.

Formal instructions for migrating are here.

It appears those db errors may not be fixed. I dragged a 3.3.0 exported zip file into 5.2.3 and half my plugins are missing and 80% of my images can’t be found. But, the installation does know that they are supposed to be there - somewhere - they just can’t be found.

I can’t believe how many people have so many different problems with this “released” version of Lightning. What a shame.

In that case, maybe an alternate method might work. Here are two that you could try. They’re a little more work than what I described above, but they might overcome problems in the Local import script, if you’re seeing them.

The first approach is one that I use regularly when moving a Local site to a notebook computer when I travel. It involves using a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus to backup the site in one installation of Local (e.g. on my desktop workstation) and then to import it into another installation (e.g., on my notebook):

  1. Use UpdraftPlus or another WordPress backup plugin to backup your site from Local 3.3.0 to an external location. That could be a folder on your computer or a cloud service like Google Drive.
  2. In Local 5.2.3, create a site identical to the one you want to move – same name, same everything, but in a different folder.
  3. In this new site running in Local 5.2.3, install UpdraftPlus or whatever backup plugin you are using.
  4. Use the backup plugin to restore the backed up files and database from your original site.
  5. You should now have a functional site running under Local 5.2.3.
  6. I’ve never had this fail. I use it regularly to bounce sites back and forth between computers. If you want to return the site to your desktop workstation, just use UpdraftPlus to backup from the notebook and restore it to the desktop.

The second approach is a more direct way of doing the same thing:

  1. With the site running in Local 3.3.0, go to the database tab and open Sequel Pro
  2. Go to File > Export and export the database.
  3. Create an identical site in Local 5.2.3 as above.
  4. Remove the wp-content folder from the site you just created and replace it with a copy of the folder from the original site. This will give you your plugins, images, and theme files.
  5. With the site running in Local 5.2.3, go to the database tab and open Sequel Pro.
  6. Select all the tables in the sidebar on the left and delete them. Yup. Delete them. Don’t worry about messing this up. It’s easy enough to recreate the new site if something goes wrong.
  7. Go to File > Import and import the database you exported in step 2.
  8. You should now have your site running under Local 5.2.3.

One of these methods will almost certainly work for you. And once you’re running in 5.2.3, I think you’ll like it. It’s significantly faster.