Find old content pages

[oceanswims]

Thank you all for assistance earlier with my initial query about disappearing images. I have now installed a new template and the site is operating much better. However, I have found that the back-end with the new template is not displaying previous content pages, so I can't access them. I would like at least to be able to drag-and-drop these old pages across to the new content (article) back-end. Can anyone offer advice as to how I might find these old content pages through my host's file manager?

[oceanswims]

I have installed a new template. However, I have found that the back-end with the new template is not displaying previous content pages, so I can't access them or reassign them to the new template. Can anyone offer advice as to how I might find these old content pages through my host's file manager? All files from the previous template seem to be stored in a folder called all_bck/old_bck, but within that I cannot find individual pages.

[AMurray]

There are no physical pages (content) in a Joomla site, they are contained in the database and are displayed on the fly when requested through the web browser, so looking through your file manager won't help you. That said, installing a template shouldn't cause any content to disappear or be deleted.

I don't know what "all_bck/old_bck" is but pretty sure it has nothing to do with Joomla (that's an assumption on my part - never heard of any such files in all the years I have been using Joomla. Perhaps they are from a backup function of your web host (you'd have to ask them about that).

Note that you shouldn't need to reassign articles to the new template, you just make the template the default site template in the Template Manager.

More information needed please:

• What template did you install (and where from). Is it an Administrator or front-end template?
• What version of Joomla are you using? (in the 3.x series).
• If modules are missing, that may be because your new template doesn't have the same module positions, or position names as your other template and you just have to reconfigure the modules to be assigned to the template's module positions correctly.

Awaiting your response so the forum volunteers here can provide you with further assistance.

[Per Yngve Berg]

Installing a template does not wipe out content. It appears that you have used a Quick Start Package that contain a full install of Joomla. Get the Template only that can be installed in an existing site through Extensions Manager.

Restore site from a Backup taken before the installation attempt.

PS. The content is not located in the files, but exist in the database.

[AMurray]

Finally note, If you don't have a backup, there's no easy way to restore your site. Although as I suggested above, your web host "may" have backups you could restore from (but I would not rely on that method; when you get your site sorted, install a back up extension such as Akeeba, and make it a mission to regularly backup your own site.

[oceanswims]

Thank you all. I have back-ups, and I have the old files stored in that weird folder I mentioned earlier. I suspect the problem has arisen because I enlisted someone to assist me in installing the new template and I think they're not as skilled at it as they have held themselves out to be. The new template is Paradise (from a group called Hot Themes). I obtained it through Theme Forest. It's a specialist travel industry template, and my business is in travel. I've gone so far down the track now (recreating some pages manually) that I'm reluctant to abandon all the work. I can connect to old pages through the weird folder, but it's not ideal and it gives me no capacity to update them or to restyle them with the new template. I suspected it may be a database issue.