We’ve just released the WP Toolkit 4.6 update – the second update in 2020. Read on to learn about the new things we introduced. Including Website URL updates, Cloning and Data Copy CLI, and other improvements. Plus, a heads up on further plans regarding WP Toolkit and cPanel.
Website URL Update
One of the frequent cases our partners encounter is the migration of websites to their server by customers. WordPress stores the website URL in its database – and sometimes, in the configuration file. Therefore, such migrations require some manual tinkering to make the website work as usual. To help users, we’ve added the ability to perform this action with a couple of clicks straight from WPT UI.
This feature is called ‘Update Site URL‘ and it’s available in the ‘hamburger’ menu on a WordPress site card:
When the WordPress admin clicks the link, WP Toolkit checks the actual site URL. Basically, what you’re seeing in the site card header. And then compares it to what WordPress thinks is the site URL. If these two URLs match, all you can do is close the window and live happily ever after.
If the URLs don’t match, WP Toolkit offers you a one-click update site URL in WordPress. Synchronizing it with the actual URL where the site is currently hosted (according to the control panel.)
The process is quite quick: we’re looking for the “wrong” URL in WordPress database and wp-config.php file, replacing it with the “right” URL:
However, there are certain edge case limitations to this feature. For example, it’s not available for multisite installations (yet). So, we’ll take a look at our customer feedback before deciding our next steps. Meanwhile, this feature should be a time-saver for hosters and agencies who deal with migrated websites on a regular basis. It should also help non-professional users who’re scared of running wp-cli or modifying their site’s database directly.
Cloning CLI
We’re officially introducing CLI for cloning procedures in WP Toolkit 4.6. This feature provides access to a full range of cloning options via the command line interface. Here’s the brief usage info:
plesk ext wp-toolkit --clone
-source-instance-id INSTANCE_ID
(-target-domain-name DOMAIN_NAME | -target-domain-id DOMAIN_ID)
[-target-path PATH]
[-target-db-name DB_NAME]
[-target-db-server-id DB_SERVER_ID]
[-target-db-user-login DB_USER_LOGIN]
[-force-overwrite yes|no]
[-format raw|json]
[-show-progress yes|no]
You may notice there are no commands for creating a new subdomain during cloning – something that’s actually available in the UI. We’re talking about CLI, which is used for integration and automation. So, there are assumptions that server administrators will use panel CLI/API to create subdomains before running the cloning CLI.
Data Copy CLI
WP Toolkit 4.6 also introduces the CLI for data copy feature. Thus, allowing server administrators to perform everything they need via the command line interface. Here’s some brief usage info below:
plesk ext wp-toolkit --copy-data
-source-instance-id SOURCE_INSTANCE_ID
-target-instance-id TARGET_INSTANCE_ID
[-data-to-copy all|files|db]
[-files-replace-modified yes|no]
[-files-remove-missing yes|no]
[-db-tables-copy-mode default|all|new|selected]
[-db-tables COMMA_SEPARATED_LIST_OF_TABLE_NAMES]
[-exclude-db-tables COMMA_SEPARATED_LIST_OF_TABLE_NAMES]
[-create-restore-point yes|no]
[-show-progress yes|no]
WP Toolkit 4.6 Bugfixes and Improvements
We’ve revised our bug backlog to make sure we’re addressing multiple customer issues in this release. To improve our team efficiency, we have started to use Amazon AWS to run some of our tests. We’ll continue investing in improving our development and testing process. All to make sure we can deliver more things with higher quality in time.
WP Toolkit for cPanel and Future Plans
We’ve made a lot of progress on the cPanel front with regards to WP Toolkit 4.6. Particularly the development of WordPress installation function and providing full CLI support. We also addressed a lot of fundamental UI integration questions, and even cooked up a prototype of the cloning functionality. We have already switched to the “make it work everywhere” paradigm when developing new features. So, our new ‘Update Site URL’ feature is also available in the current cPanel build.
In light of our next release, we’re planning to continue working on the cPanel integration. This includes: finalizing cloning, introducing Smart Updates, and starting to catch up on the additional security measures. Our next release, WP Toolkit 4.7, will also include fixes of customer-reported bugs and some long-awaited user features and improvements.
Thanks again to the whole WP Toolkit team for their hard work, and thank you for your attention. Until next time!