Copy joomla! site instead of starting over

[LisbethDK]

Hi
I have made a website for a LIFE Nature2000 project. It is simple but does have some nice features. Now I have been asked to make one for a similar project and it has to be build in the same way, but with other content, pictures and so on.
Instead of building it all up from scratch again, I think it could be handy to copy the site and just change what need changed. My question is, do I use Akeeba or is it better i do it manually? I have the modules gtranslate and and AddThis, do they come with the move no matter which method I use? .... Or do I better build it up from scratch?

Really appreciate your comments
Liz

[gsmela]

I use Akeeba to do exactly what you want to do.

It saves a lot of time and yes, using Akeeba would also preserve the gtranslate, AddThis (and other) modules.

[AMurray]

Better with Akeeba and Kickstart all you need is the backup file Akeeba created, and the kickstart script. Copy those two files to an empty folder on your hosting.

Refer to: https://docs.joomla.org/Copying_a_Joomla_website and https://www.akeeba.com/documentation/ak ... ation.html

Kickstart restores your site to another location e.g. to a new hosting account and is an exact replica of the other site.

You can also restore it to your local PC, if you run a local web server such as XAMPP or WAMPServer, work on the new site, and then using the same method, backup with Akeeba and restore the site at its new hosting with Kickstart, and then point the relevant domain to it.

[LisbethDK]

Thank you so much folks :0)
Excellent - I'll throw myselv into it right away ;0)

Thank you for your help... and a Merry Christmas
*<:0)
Liz

[xman-logan]

Akeeba is a lifesaver.

Make sure to turn off https, captcha and friendly Url rewrite, if you have them enabled or some of your pages will not load and you will think that there is a problem.
Enable the previous as you progress with your new configuration and development.

[LisbethDK]

Akeeba is a lifesaver.

Make sure to turn off https, captcha and friendly Url rewrite, if you have them enabled or some of your pages will not load and you will think that there is a problem.
Enable the previous as you progress with your new configuration and development.

Thanks - I'll have that in mind :0)

[LisbethDK]

Hmmm.... can't get it to wotk. I get the error "The archive file is corrupt, truncated or archive parts are missing", but the backup file should be ok. Can it be because the backup file is from a website with another www-sitename than the site name for the new site? Do I have to rename the backupfile before trying? Or maybe install it local first, them renaming and then upload to the server?

[gsmela]

How did you download the archive file? If you did it through Akeeba itself with your browser that may have corrupted the file (as Akeeba warns). It is best to copy the file from the old site using ftp. Can you try that?

Renaming doesn't matter.

[LisbethDK]

Hi :0)
I tried both. A backup from within the site and a FTP download of the backupfile. Same error.

How did you download the archive file? If you did it through Akeeba itself with your browser that may have corrupted the file (as Akeeba warns). It is best to copy the file from the old site using ftp. Can you try that?

Renaming doesn't matter.

[gsmela]

Well, there very well may an issue with the archive file. Unfortunately even if the file "should" be good doesn't necessarily make it so.

Can you perform another backup and try with that file? (And if that doesn't work it might be useful to post the FPA here.) See Forum Post Assistant: https://forumpostassistant.github.io/docs/

[LisbethDK]

I'll try that and get back - thank you :0)

Well, there very well may an issue with the archive file. Unfortunately even if the file "should" be good doesn't necessarily make it so.

Can you perform another backup and try with that file? (And if that doesn't work it might be useful to post the FPA here.) See Forum Post Assistant: https://forumpostassistant.github.io/docs/

[Webdongle]

Perhaps it saved with more than one jpa file and you only copied one jpa file?

[gsmela]

Perhaps it saved with more than one jpa file and you only copied one jpa file?

Good point! Depending on how your Akeeba is configured it may very well have split the archive into multiple jpa files.

[LisbethDK]

Ok - I didn't know Akeeba did that.
But it should be possible to use the backup from one site for creating another site right? So I, in the process of installing, can change the database name and so on? I never got that far, so I can't see if I get a chance to do that later in the process.

Perhaps it saved with more than one jpa file and you only copied one jpa file?

Good point! Depending on how your Akeeba is configured it may very well have split the archive into multiple jpa files.

[Webdongle]

Depending on server capacities (as I understand it) can split the archive into more than 1 file. If you don't have all the files with kickstart.php then you will get an error

Yes you get a chance to change the database. N.B. details auto fill when installing to the same server. You just need to edit them.

Once kickstart.php unpacks the files the installer runs.

[LisbethDK]

Ok - Got a new backupfile down and uploadet via FTP to the new server. Ran the Akeeba installation and this time - NO errors! Great.... just until I go to the website lifewaddenseabirds.dk - then, instead of opening the website, I have open a file: applications/x-httpd-php (1,4 KB).

Now what is wrong??.....

[gsmela]

I've had that happen and traced it to .htaccess file already having a PHP handler but it was the wrong one.

Perhaps the old site location was running a different version of PHP than the new location?

[LisbethDK]

I got it!!!! I just had to delete the htacces file and it works :0)

Thank you all for your great help <3

[toivo]

Copy the original file htaccess.txt that was installed with Joomla as .htaccess and leave it in the main Joomla folder so that Search Engine Friendly (SEF) URLs can work. Now they don't.

[Webdongle]

From memory kickstart.php asks if you want to unpack the.htaccess file ?

[LisbethDK]

I'll do that :0)

Copy the original file htaccess.txt that was installed with Joomla as .htaccess and leave it in the main Joomla folder so that Search Engine Friendly (SEF) URLs can work. Now they don't.