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Hi all,

I just installed Joomla 1.5, and checked the option for installing sample data. But now I'd like to get rid of the sample data... would it be sufficient to drop all tables from the database from the control panel for my web host?

Thanks!

Delete all articles, empty trash.

Delete all Categories.

Delete all Sections.

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Author: Joomla 1.6 Picture Yourself Series book @ Amazon.com
Book also covers Version 1.7, 2.5, which had no notable/major user-side changes.

There are also menus to clean out and possibly delete. Given the number of iterations that you go through, it takes about a half hour on a local development platform to get down to the bare bones Joomla with all the core modules intact.
Now you want to do it on the internet. The time starts to get exorbitant, and when you have a number of sites that you want to build, you start looking for a way to save time. That's where I am right now.

As a point of interest, if you install Joomla without the sample data, you end up with a system that doesn't have most of the core modules. You only get the main menu.

Is there a way to take a site that has been stripped of all its sample data and save the mysql DB and use it as the sample data for the next new install?

Bonjour,

I have done this with a few variations of the type of sites that I set up the most: basic, with Community Builder, with Virtue Mart, etc. You can do it locally, but I have put together my own "default" installs on-line - once! Added all the various extensions that I normally use first and make sure they work properly in a live environment. When all is well and good, then I create a ZIP of the complete site and an export of the database WITH the 'structure'. Then, on the new site, I upload and un-ZIP the archive, create the database and do the import and finally, edit the configuration.php file with the new parameters. Done Saves a whole lot of time

Cheers!
Lyle

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@2ninerniner2

Lyle,
Thanks for your info. I followed your example and it worked fine. It was my intention to basically start from a fresh load of Joomla and work from there. I provide the following information for anyone that has followed this thread and would like to see the whole process. ( As always, use caution when working on a live site. Backup everything prior to starting. )

Load Joomla to your site with all the sample data. This is the sequence of steps to remove most of the sample data.
Article Manager - Trash All
Trash Manager - Delete All
Category Manager - Delete All
Section Manager - Delete All
Menu Manager - Delete those not wanted. I keep the Main and Top ( Joomla requires one )
Menu Trash Manager - Delete All
The next are Optional if you don't want them:
Banner Manager - Delete all Banners, Clients and Categories
News Feed Manager - Delete all feeds and categories
Poll Manager - Delete all
Web Link Manager - Delete all links and categories
Module Manager - Delete Admin Welcome and turn off ones you don't want running. Example: banners etc.
Template Manager
At this point, you have a bare bones Joomla without the sample data but with the core modules intact. ( less the optional ones you may have uninstalled.)

Now, if you want to duplicate this bare bones site to other sites without having to go through all the above steps:
1. Export the database (from the above site) and save it. It's used to provide the new site's DB.
2. Load Joomla to a new site, but don't go through the install procedures.
3. Create an empty mysql database on the new site.
4. Import the database created in step 1 into the new DB created in step 3..
5. Copy the configuration.php file from the original site to the new site and make changes to reflect the new site's info. e.g. host name, password, site name etc.
6. Rename the installation directory to something else or delete it.
That's it. You should be able to access the new "cloned" site with the same admin name and password.

Thanks for the guide - I wish there was a simpler way to do it, but I'm just nitpicking.

You missed a couple extra things that should be done to keep things as clean as possible.

In the Menu Manager, if you decide to keep Main Menu and Top Menu, you will need to delete all links pertaining to the articles you deleted, otherwise you will get Error 404's if you or a user attempts to click them.

For Main Menu, these are:
- Joomla! Overview
- What's New in 1.5?
- Joomla! License
- More About Joomla!
- FAQ
- The News

You can delete all menu items in Top Menu, but it would be recommended to have at least one valid menu item, as it may break your template design to have no items listed. I put in the Administrator link, which I find handy to have during the testing phase - it gets removed if you delete the Resources menu, so you can either copy it to the Top Menu or create a new external link menu item pointing to "administrator/" without the quotes. You can just keep the Resources menu if you wish, but if you want to keep the Top Menu as well, you need to put a link in there regardless.

Finally, when done, don't forget to empty the menu trash.

I just installed joomla with the sample data. Question: instead of deleting it, can I simply change the titles and information as I go (replace) everything?

There's a lot of info contained in the sample data. The decision is your's to make. For someone just getting started it may be a detailed learning experience.

After having built 20 or more sites, I find it much better to start out with a clean system and build only what you want.

Good luck with your site, and I hope you have fun no matter which way you decide.

Regards,

Phil

Thank you!

I was afraid to do that because I was reading some of the threads and they said by doing that you may not get (or delete) some of the tables and other things that go with it....

You actually don't lose any tables etc., but you really start with a clean slate. All the modules, components and plugins are there, but you need to create your own copies if you need them. For instance, if you want a poll, you have to create one. That's all easily done in the module manager. When you start out clean, you don't have all the baggage of the sample structures. Each to his own.


Phil

Thanks Phil, I may try that then.

Thanks PhilOSparta. Cloning a database is a great idea and saves a lot of time!

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One of the MAIN reasons that I use a "clean" install (that is, NO sample data) to build my "starter" sites is that the Sample Data installation that comes with the default Joomla! install has a number of menu item "overrides" for the "Article Manager" parameters. This is one, if not THE main reason why one sees so many posts here on the subject of "how come I set the article parameters to not show author name" or the like and then "it shows up anyways". This is because the Sample Data has overridden this in the Menu Item parameters, and if you just delete the content from the Sample Data, you are NOT resetting the Menu Item defaults. This is especially crucial if one uses the "copy menu item" (like I do) to save time when creating a number of them with similar parameters. Start "from scratch", build your default install as required and set all the parameters as you will usually use them. Saves SO much time and effort

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Dear Danrop,

In a nutshell this is what i did and its more time efficient!!

+Delete: configuration.php
+Upload: your 'installation folder'
+Browse to your website and follow the installation steps as if nothing happend
----------
=A clean slate*

*Make sure you dont do this if you allready added templates modules etc. It could cause unpredictable troubles, sincethe files are on your server but the database is fresh

---------------------------
If you found this usefull let me know

I've got a question that is similar to the initial one asked here.

I've followed along with this thread and wonder if there isn't possibly a different approach.

I have a "fresh" initial install of Joomla with the demo data. I've installed and modified a template so that I have a good starting point with the overall site look and feel.

Now I'd like to create a new empty set of db tables, point the site to those tables via the prefix setting and start creating new content.

Can it be this simple to switch from the demo data to a set of live data? What tables need to be created and is there any sort of process available that will create a new empty set of tables?

Thanks in advance.

I had the same question and thought that deleting all items was cumbersome..

One was already mentioned.. if you have controll over your own server you could do this.

Right after install move the install folder to something else, rather than deleting

mv installation installation.old

Once you want to drop, backup the config file

mv configuration.php configuration.php.site1

and put the install dir back:

mv installation.old installation

and run the installer.... now if you want to keep both sites, make sure to give the dB a new name, there will just be 2 dB's in the mysql db.. no biggie

Once you installed it, move the installation file again

and you are up and running..

You can now also easily switch between sites..

in this case:

mv configuration.php configuration.php.site2
mv configuration.php.site1 configuration.php

will bring back your original site, just hit refresh!

Varsys, thanks for the excellent steps. I am new to Joomla. Could you please explain what you meant by "Load Joomla to a new site, but don't go through the install procedures" as the 2nd step in cloning a cleaned site?

On my web hosting server, I get only the option to install and not copy the installation folder to the root of the site. Maybe I can do that through ftp. Can you please help with the step 2. Thanks a lot.

Phil,

Thank you for sharing your "clean slate" method. One question. You mentioned earlier that you save this database for future installations. How do I do that exactly? I'm a complete beginner and have never done this before.

Also, every time I refresh my site, I get a message saying the URL is not valid and can not be loaded. I then press OK and it the clean install appears.

Please take a look and tell me what you think.

www.jerseyenglish.com/joomla

Thank you very Much

Sam

samconley,

There is a wrapper menu published and I guess the wrapper menu is set as default menu. But in the wrapper menu setting the url option is left blank hence joomla is trying to open "http://" which is not a valid url. You need to make the home page a default or try giving the wrapper menu setting a url to temporarily fix the problem.

Hi I know that this is an old thread but I have found a solution.
There is a free component that does all these things for you without a problem. Create the perfect template website locally and back it up using Akeeba Backup. I prefer it if you set the settings to export a ZIP file. Then upload the ZIP file to the new website url. Extract the ZIP file and then go to the frontend. Finish the install and there you have it. Moved a whole sit in a flash.

http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/access-a-security/site-security/backup/1606

I have prepared a sql script for removing the sample data after joomla installation,

i have posted it here. Please copy and paste the code.

http://tmsajin.[URL banned].com/2010/12/delete-joomla-sample-data-using-sql.html

Thank you for this... It seemed to work like a charm...

I am brand new to Joomla and it cleaned my Joomla completely. I just hope it diddn't mess anything up.

Note: to run these queries in Cpanel use myphp5







Thanks again

Hi
I have, with great interest, followed this thread and I thank you for sharing your experience
But I still have a question to Lyle, when you make the zip of the complete site - after having installed the different extensions, do you make that within the Joomla! site (how??) or do you download the whole site and then zip it locally. If you do it locally, doesn't Joomla! get completely confused, when uploading a Joomla! site into a Joomla! site?

:0)
Lisbeth

Lisbeth,

The ZIP of the Joomla! installation is not done from within Joomla!

If I am doing this on a local installation, I use 7-Zip (or Win Zip, or whichever ZIP utility you wish ... I prefer 7-Zip )

If I am doing this on a remote, hosted site, then I use the ZIP utility (archive / compress utility) that the hosting control panel provides; for any hosting account that uses "cPaneL", this is a breeze!

With either method, just to clarify, Joomla! won't get "confused" because this IS the Joomla! that you will be using! ... one does NOT install Joomla! first! ... that is what you are doing with this process

To summarize then; using this method is "installing" Joomla! without using the Joomla! installer ... this is what is what I call a "manual" installation. Also keep in mind, that this will be a brand-new Joomla! site; it is not meant to "replace" or "update" and existing one.

And don't forget the database! That's just as important

Cheers!
Lyle

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@gcfwebsites
@2ninerniner2

Ahh - OK, now I get it
I'll try it out right away.
Thanks a lot!

Lisbeth

Hello every body done as noted...

but shows the error 404...
any help....how to restore back