Migration issues due to capital letters in WordFence table names

Hello!

Every time I need to migrate a database, I run into problematic issues because WordFence has uppercase letters in table names.

I am not a developer or coder – instead, I’m someone who knows JUST enough to get her own WordPress website created for herself. That being said, I try to follow good practices, by creating an update for my site on a dev install of WordPress, that I later migrate to the live site.

Migrating a database can be very tricky … because if you don’t get ALL of the instances of WordPress Addresses (URLs) and Site Addresses (URLs) properly changed, the migrated database will be unusable.

I’ve turned to a proven database migration plugin – as have many others – so that when I **do** perform a WordPress migration, all goes well. The one that I happen to use is WP DB Migrate Pro by Delicious Brains.

However, database names with capital letters in them, such as the ones in WordFence do NOT migrate. As a result, any time I do a migration, I have to remember to deactivate WordFence, and then I have to use a feature only available in the Pro (premium, I have to pay) version of WP DB Migrate, to select all of the tables OTHER than WordFence to migrate. Sometimes I have to both deactivate WordFence AND delete it for the migration to go through well.

If I forget to deactivate WordFence before I migrate, when I access the newly migrated site – perhaps to troubleshoot or address something else that occurred during the migration – if I access the Plugins page, there is a big WordFence splash screen, which I’m not ready for yet. I can’t set up WordFence again until I verify that the migration is complete. It took me 15 minutes this time to find an almost hidden x in the top right of this pop-up, so that I could close it, to access the rest of the plugins and proceed with my migration verifying steps.

The part that is SUPER SUPER annoying is that, because I can’t transfer the WordFence tables with the migration, when I finally do re-activate WordFence, I have to input ALL of my settings ALL OVER again. Which takes a fair bit of time. There is no work-around that I’m aware of, such as an ability to export my settings, so I can install a new instance of WordFence on the migrated site, and then import the settings.

After a search of topics related to both WordFence and site migration, I realized that many others are having similar problems with their migration – and, despite repeated requests from other like me, WordFence has not addressed this issue.

Please visit this page at WP DB Migrate’s website, for a further discussion around why the best practice for table names is to use all lowercase:
https://deliciousbrains.com/wp-migrate-db-pro/doc/mixed-case-table-names/

I can’t control what operating system my site host is using – and, in many cases, they’re using Linux. If I try to develop my site on my localhost, because it’s faster, and I only have to FTP up everything when it’s all working properly, I can’t migrate any WordFence settings. Even if I migrate from a dev site on my sitehost, I can’t migrate any WordFence tables … I have to exclude them, deactivate WordFence, and only reactivate after testing that the migration process has completed properly. Meanwhile, the WordPress installation that I’m migrating TO is vulnerable, because WordFence has to be deactivated.

Using table names that can be migrated is essential to me and many others. Practically EVERYONE who’s ever had to migrate a site. If you have a WordPress website long enough, you WILL eventually have to migrate it. If you’re following best practices, you migrate it often – doing testing of new releases and updated plugins on a dev site, before migrating them to live.

And quite frankly, about the 5th or 7th or 12th time you try to migrate with WordFence installed, and you think about ALL the EXTRA work that WordFence is forcing on you by NOT using all lowercase letters in table names, you start looking for something else.

I really, truly like WordFence. It keeps my site secure. Until I have to migrate.

It seems to me that it would be fairly easy for WordFence to pull out their developers’ list of table names used by WordFence and change them to all be lowercase, with no capitals. Perhaps I’m underestimating the amount of work, not knowing how many times those tables are called in the code – AND – if you start with a list of known table names, it seems like you might be able to do some kind of search and replace fairly easily.

It’s time for WordFence to make this essential change. Please. We’re begging you. Every person who takes the time and energy to contact you about an issue represents many more, who don’t have the time or energy to bother. Your users are requesting this. Please implement it now.

My hope is, that by sharing what the experience feels like for an end-user, you will understand just how important it is for us that WordFence makes this change. Looking forward to a release in the new future with all lowercase table names! Thank you.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by prospurring.