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Backing up and versioning WordPress with Subversion

March 27, 2008 – 7:19 pm

In order to completely backup WordPress, you’ve got to back up both the database, which contains all your posts and much of your configuration data, and your files, which include your themes, your plugins, and any hacks you’ve made to the WordPress code.

The more automated everything is, the more likely you are to back it up. I use the WordPress Database Backup plugin to backup my databases automatically every day. The backup is email to me.

I keep all my WordPress files in Subversion, and use a cron job to make sure that everything’s checked in.

Setting up Subversion for a new, existing WordPress installation:

Create a project in Subversion. I name the project with the blog’s URL: http://[subversion URL/eshulaughing.net.

Create the initial directory layout:

svn mkdir http://[subversion URL/eshulaughing.net/{trunk, branches, tags} -m "create initial directory layout"

Check out the trunk (which has nothing in it) to the existing directory:

cd [directory above eshulaughing.net]
svn co http://[subversion URL/eshulaughing.net/trunk eshulaughing.net
cd eshulaughing.net
svn add *
svn ci -m "initial import"

Now I’m sitting pretty in a working sandbox with everything checked in.

Add:

how to check in changes every night
how to back up the Subversion repository

By Katja | Posted in Administrivia | Comments (0)

The Technical Divide

December 17, 2007 – 10:56 am

Lorelle’s excellent Newsletter to Blog series provides more than just a case study in converting a print newsletter into a blog; it highlights many of the misunderstandings that come up as organizations move to a web presence.

Large, well-funded organizations can afford an entire technical team to understand these things for them, but smaller non-profits usually cannot, and rely on well-meaning volunteers (like me) who may or may not be very tech-savvy.

Misunderstandings can arise over minor items:

Thinking “word processor”, the newsletter editor had copied and pasted the Treasurer’s financial reports into the WordPress Rich Text Editor and used spaces to line up the numbers. When previewing the post, the numbers didn’t line up, even though they did in the Editor.

and over major items:

Where Do Old Posts Go?

In print talk, old articles and printed material pass into the Archives: storage. Usually a file cabinet, closet, or storage facility. It’s “old news” but still required for reference material.

When a post “disappears” off the front page, where does it go?

The big issues I find when working with non-technical folks fall into a range of categories:

Accessibility: why can’t I make a pretty poster or announcement in Microsoft Publisher and post it as a big image? It looks just like text, what’s the big deal?
Information taxonomy: I don’t understand why we’re arguing about categories and tags, just call them Meeting Minutes!
Navigation: what’s the “back” button?
Comfort with the technology: what’s the difference between an email address and a web page? or I don’t click on that link because I don’t know what might happen and I might get lost.

Lorelle’s set of articles illustrate the importance of explaining even simple little things that you think everyone already understands.

By Katja | Posted in Web Design | Comments (0)

Choral Favicons

November 15, 2007 – 4:30 pm

Looking for favicons is a little addictive, like treasure hunting - dozens and dozens of websites with nothing but the boring browser default, and then suddenly - there’s a nice one! I’d say that fewer than 10% of professional choral websites use favicons, which is a shame - they can be an excellent way to extend your brand image.

Favicons used by choral websites: