How to Import Data with WordPress

Do you want to import those static files as posts that get stored in the database?

If not, you can check out the ezstatic.php plugin, which will display static pages, but not storing them in the database.

I need the data, the article content, posts, author, links, et al, all of it into the database. Right now, the whole thing is in HTML and I’ve figured out how to quickly (sorta) covert whole sections into a format that will import – BUT……

drum roll…..horns blare……

I NEED THE FORMAT!

Can you tell I’m a little bit desperate?

https://www.movabletype.org/docs/mtimport.html.

scroll down for the samples. MT uses the same format for exporting as it does for importing.

Problem. I have html in the content (body) of my stuff. What about the quote marks?

For example, I have lists and boxes of information within the stories. How do I handle those? If they are all XML formatted, will they still import just fine or screw things up?

PANIC!!!

I’m preparing my data for import into WordPress and panicking a little.

1. QUOTES – what about the use of quotes on html code inside of the “body”??????

2. KEYWORDS – I’ve worked very hard to make the keywords appropriate for every single page, so are these lost forever or can they be imported?

3. META TAGS – I also have unique and lovingly crafted Descriptions and other meta tags…are these lost to the fray as well?

HELP!!!!

Lorelle,
Does this page help at all?
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Importing_from_other_blogging_software

If not, could you suggest ways to improve the information?

You could try putting together a test file with those fields and see whether WP does anything with the information. You could also look into using the RSS import feature, though I don’t know enough about RSS to tell you whether it would be a better format for your needs than the MT one.

The lovely “importing from other blogging software” and I are very old friends now. But no help. Zip. I can’t be the only one out here who is doing this from scratch.

To improve it, add a section on how to import from strictly HTML files. Answers need to be given to:

1. FORMAT – How should it look in order to be imported.

2. FIELDS – Which fields (HTML sections, DIVs) are imported (like content, author, etc. If there are comments, which a lot of HTML pages don’t have, then how to include those. Meta Tags are NOT imported, though they should be (especially descriptions and keywords!) and they need to know that in order to remove them)

3. QUOTES – Are quotes ignored within a section, such as the BODY as they would be if the information was posted directly? Do they need to be changed to ‘ or ” or left alone?

4. SYTLES and CSS – I have pages with multiple style sheets unique to that page as well as the very occassional embedded style [<p style="border:solid 1px blue; padding:5px">] and will those work and how to deal with them?

5. HTML – Does the HTML within the content have to be stripped or can it remain? For instance, I have boxes with information and examples relating to the content. And what about <p>? Or must this be STATICIZED or whatever that is called?

6. WHICH FORMAT IS BEST? Is the MT format the best one to follow for converting the information into a format for importing?

7. XML – Can the code stay in HTML or must it be in XML form before importing (with all the <br> changed to ?

Oh, I’ll have more….I’m sure. I’m making a huge step-by-step agony list as I go. There are a lot of compromises that have to be made when making the conversion from static HTML pages to WordPress as much of the info must be lost like Meta Tags, but I don’t want to compromise on code within my content, and this is what I’m agonizing over.

I’m desperate. I’ve been poking at this and leaving it and me with bloody sores for three weeks. I’m now just plowing through with little or no information – trial by fire. I really can’t be the ONLY person who has converted HTML for import into WordPress.

Thanks for the help.

Oh, PS: I’ve read how some people have made the RSS import work for them, but what is it? What format does it need? All my questions still apply and the importing page doesn’t give any specifics.

Lorelle,
Have you tried popping into the #wordpress channel on IRC? Often there is a few people there who may be able to often some assistance.

No. Don’t know a thing about it. But that’s live chat, right? Sitting around waiting for an answer? I do that here. What’s the difference?

Hey, lorelle, sorry if it’s been frustrating so far – but basically, it’s easy to import text files formatted according to the mt import file format.

Importing an html document would be very difficult, so can you create a text file with all the “entries” formatted in the mt format?

Where do you html pages come from, what created them?

“No. Don’t know a thing about it. But that’s live chat, right? Sitting around waiting for an answer? I do that here. What’s the difference”
—-

Sorry…just trying to offer suggestions where I can. If I could give you the answers you need, I would.

I know you would. You’re great about that.

What is the WordPress IRC?

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/IRC

I finally figured out the IRC thing and I’ll look for help there, but if ANYONE has any answers to the above questions, please post them so all can learn.

Thanks.