The Symbiostock Importer/Exporter permits legacy Symbiostock users to import their media files to the new engine.
You can download it for free via: http://www.symbiostock.org/shop/
In order to use this, you will need to install it on your legacy install and on your new install. If they are both on the same server, then you only have to install it there.
Once activated, go to Symbiostock > Settings and if you scroll down you will see the importer form. Read the instructions there to proceed with an import.
You will need to add your secret code from your new Symbiostock install (provided on that same page) to the Importer/Exporter file that is used on the legacy site. This is a security measure to ensure no one else can import from your server while it is installed. You can do this by editing the plugin within the WordPress admin.
Once you proceed to import, Symbiostock will scan your legacy site and immediately begin adding products to your Symbiostock store. It will also download images in realtime and store them in your FTP directory. They will then get attached to your new products once you run the scheduled processor (also available in your Settings page).
Each image is individually processed, and it can take some time depending on the number of images you have and how quick/slow your legacy server is. Please be prepared to leave your browser running for some time for the process to complete.
Some notes:
- The importer is stoppable and startable. It will skip duplicates and continue where it left off.
- If you get any issues with it not being able to authenticate with your legacy server, first try disabling and re-enabling your theme and the plugin. We have received some notices that the legacy plugin does have some quirky behavior in regards to this at times. You can even try disabling the legacy theme altogether and run it through another theme temporarily. That should rectify any issues.
- The importation process can be stopped and resumed later. It is generally advisable to try to let it run through the entire batch which can take some time depending on the number of images you have.
- Once you import your data, you will need to run the scheduler to process all the files. The raw files are imported and put in your FTP upload directory to await scheduling as if you were updating the images on existing products.
It is highly recommended that you do a test run first. Run the importer for a few images. Ensure all the data was restored correctly. Additionally, you must run the image processor/scheduler in order for the images to be thumbnailed. The scheduler waits about a minute before processing new images, so run it a few times to ensure it gets to the newly imported files. Make sure this all works, then delete all the test products, delete the import records, and start again.
Data the importer imports:
- Media files
- Titles, descriptions, tags/keywords
- Media slugs/URLs
- Model release status, property release status, exclusive status
- If the word ‘editorial’ is in the description, it will be marked as an editorial image
- The rating of the image is imported (G, PG, Adult)
- All categories attached to the images
Third party plugin data is not imported.
For any issues relating to the Importer/Exporter, please look for help in our forums.