After migrating a WordPress site to static files, Google Search Console may start sending you notifications about page indexing problems. Often the issue will be marked as ‘Blocked due to access forbidden (403)’. In this article I will explain in detail why this happens and a simple solution to fix it.
How to set up a MySQL database server on Ubuntu for Drupal to WordPress migrations
Content Management System (CMS) migration projects involve moving data between databases with different schemas. Table names, field types and constraints often don’t match up, leading to a number of frustrating errors. This is especially the case with highly complex Drupal to WordPress migrations that use custom scripts to extract, transform and load the data. Read on to find out how to set up a MySQL database server on Ubuntu for Drupal to WordPress migrations.
How to fix the mysqldump access denied process privilege error
You may receive a new ‘Access denied PROCESS privilege’ error when trying to dump your MySQL database. You were able to export database before so what caused this? This is due to an incompatible change introduced July 2020. Find out your options for fixing the mysqldump process privilege error.
A guide to WordPress Backups and Staging
This WordPress Backups and Staging Guide is a guest post by Melinda Bartley. If you’ve run a WordPress site long enough, you’d know how making changes to it can be tricky. Sometimes, even minor changes can cause major glitches. This makes backups and staging such lifesavers! Every WordPress site should have backup and staging solutions… [more]
Ubercart to WooCommerce migration notes
I’ve now had several Ubercart to WooCommerce migration projects so it’s time to start documenting the process. As with all my documentation, I’ll start off this post as rough notes and improve it over time. If this topic interests you, be sure to check back every so often to see the updates. Please keep in… [more]
How to fix a ‘Object of class WP_Error could not be converted to string’ error in WordPress
If you see a blank page while trying to log in to your WordPress site, check your web server’s error logs. You may get the following error: stderr: PHP Catchable fatal error: Object of class WP_Error could not be converted to string in /var/[PATH TO YOUR DOCUMENT ROOT]/wp-includes/default-constants.php on line 139 Note that the line… [more]
How to fix https version of a site redirecting to the wrong domain
Some hosting providers restrict customers to a single SSL/TLS certificate per socket. (In simple terms, a socket is the combination of IP address and port number.) Since Apache listens to port 80 for non-SSL connections and port 443 for SSL connections on the same IP address, customers usually need a separate IP address for each… [more]
How to fix Error Code 2013 Lost connection to MySQL server
If you spend time running lots of MySQL queries, you might come across the Error Code: 2013. Lost connection to MySQL server during query. This article offers some suggestions on how to avoid or fix the problem. Why this happens This error appears when the connection between your MySQL client and database server times out…. [more]
Post-migration troubleshooting: Gateway timeout when enabling plugins
Here’s one that caught me out on a recent Drupal to WordPress migration. As is common with my projects, there were three parties involved: the client, an external development team and myself. The WordPress site was first built on the development team’s server, after which it was migrated to my local environment. When everything was… [more]
How to change the WordPress table prefix prior to a migration
When working on a Drupal to WordPress migration project, I like to migrate into a set of intermediary WordPress tables that live in the Drupal database. These are working tables where I can run various scripts to process and clean up the content before exporting to a working WordPress installation. It’s not necessary to do… [more]
Post-migration troubleshooting: WordPress redirects to old site after updating database
If you’ve ever migrated a WordPress site, either to another URL or for a Drupal to WordPress migration project, you’ll know that WordPress stores the domain name in its database. This means you’ll have to jump through some hoops when moving WordPress to another environment. A critical step is to update the database to reflect… [more]
How to write a Drupal to WordPress migration mapping document
Performing a Drupal to WordPress migration can be very complex, especially if you have many content types. You’ll make the process easier if you create a migration mapping document beforehand. A common migration mapping is to convert Drupal pages to the WordPress page type and Drupal stories to the WordPress post type. However, many Drupal… [more]
Importing a WordPress database: How to fix the Unknown collation: ‘utf8mb4_unicode_ci’ error
If you do a lot of exporting and importing to different database servers, you’ll be familiar with the frustration of encountering MySQL import errors. Every so often when importing a WordPress dump file into a client’s database, I will encounter an Unknown collation error like the following: Unknown collation: ‘utf8mb4_unicode_ci’ Sometimes it will come up… [more]
How to prepare for your Drupal to WordPress migration project
Any successful project requires careful planning and a Drupal to WordPress migration is no exception. If you haven’t already read my Drupal to WordPress Migration Guide, I recommend you first head over there to get an idea of what’s involved. It can be tempting to get straight to setting up WordPress, trying out new themes… [more]
Drupal to WordPress migration worksheet
If you are using my Drupal to WordPress Migration Tool or have hired me for Drupal to WordPress migration service, it’s important that you gather as much information as you can about your Drupal installation. The more detailed you are in your investigation, the fewer surprises there will be during the actual migration. You may… [more]
Preserving SEO during a Drupal to WordPress migration
This article is about preserving SEO during a Drupal to WordPress migration. It’s not about which platform is better. A web search will bring up many articles about the relative SEO merits of Drupal versus WordPress. I’ve found the best summary on that topic in a forum post by Drupal.org user and developer, John Birchall:… [more]
Yojimbo to Tomboy Notes migration tool
I’m a huge fan of Bare Bones Software’s Yojimbo, an extremely useful tool for keeping information organised. It has been one of my most important applications since around 2008. I rely on Yojimbo as my ‘Anything Bucket‘ to save scraps of information, from code snippets and troubleshooting notes to project logs and research sources. A… [more]
How To Configure SSH Key-Based Authentication on FreeBSD for Mac OS X and Panic’s Transmit FTP Client
This is a guide for setting up an Apple Mac OS X workstation with SSH key-based authentication to a remote FreeBSD server. I won’t go into any detail about these protocols or try to make a case for using them. If you’re reading this, you probably already have a basic grounding on SSH, SFTP and… [more]
Post-migration steps: what to do after a Drupal to WordPress migration project
From time-to-time I get clients who ask me to only export the content to a WordPress database, after which they’ll complete the remaining setup themselves. If this applies to your project, you can use these migration notes to help get your new WordPress site running properly. Import the database dump file Please see these notes… [more]
Importing your WordPress dump file after a Drupal to WordPress migration
If you hired me to run a content export only, you’ll be responsible for setting up WordPress on your own server. Here are some notes to help you with importing the migrated WordPress database. Import the database dump file I will deliver either a MySQL database dump file or login credentials to the phpMyAdmin control… [more]