How to Migrate Legacy Content to Craft Without Losing Your Sanity

Importing existing content from another CMS is often a crucial step in a Craft project, but it can be a painful process.

What’s the best way to shape the content before you migrate it? What tools can you use to make the job easier? And what should you do if you get stuck?

This talk will help you to create a content migration workflow that makes sense for your needs and skillsets, and avoid some of the common pitfalls of content migration.

We’ll also explore methods for automagically importing content from the likes of Airtable via their API.

Transcript

1. !1
   @graphicalhouse
   

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2. Legacy
   
   CMS
   

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3. Custom
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   CMS
   
   
   

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4. ‣Old/unruly technology
   ‣Broken images
   ‣Weird text formatting
   ‣Misformed URLs
   ‣Frustrated clients
   ‣Shonky SEO
   

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5. Like moving to a new house, except
   it takes longer, it’s more emotional,
   and it’s a lot more expensive...
   SETH GODIN ON
   MOVING FROM TYPEPAD
   TO WORDPRESS
   

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6. How to Migrate

   Legacy Content
   to Craft CMS WITHOUT
   LOSING
   YOUR
   SANITY
   @j_greig
   greig.cc
   

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7. ich bin
   nicht super
   technisch
   

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8. Designer Developer
   Content
   Strategist
   Information
   Architect
   

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9. Designer Developer
   Content
   Strategist
   Information
   Architect
   “I make
   websites”
   

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10. Contribute
    2002–2003
    Flash
    2003–2006
    Wordpress
    2006-2016
    Wordpress
    2006–2014 2014–17
    Craft :)
    2017–
    Squarespace
    Shopify
    Jekyll
    Macromedia
    Anything…
    Help me!
    

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11. OBLIGATORY CAT PHOTO
    

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12. Done right,
    website migrations
    are like cooking
    a good stir-fry
    Lernert & Sander
    

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13. STIR FRY
    Choose recipe
    Assemble ingredients
    Chop ingredients
    Cook!
    (And enjoy)
    CONTENT MIGRATION
    Choose recipe
    Assemble content
    Chop content
    Migrate!
    (And enjoy)
    

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14. Choose recipe
    Assemble ingredients
    Chop ingredients
    Cook!
    (And enjoy)
    Choose recipe
    Assemble content
    Chop content
    Migrate!
    (And enjoy)
    THE HARD PART
    THE RELATIVELY EASY PART
    STIR FRY CONTENT MIGRATION
    

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15. trends.builtwith.com/cms/Craft/Market-Share
    Where

    from?
    

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16. Connect to external MySQL/Postgres
    databases and manipulate them in Twig.
    Connect
    Use the Guzzle HTTP client in Craft
    templates (handy for APIs).
    Fetch
    Import content and settings. Generate
    fake data (and remove it when done).
    Sprout Import
    XML/RSS/CSV/JSON to entries,
    categories, products and more.
    Feed Me (Pro)
    Use GatherContent to collect and
    organise your website content.
    GatherContent
    Some handy plugins
    for content migrations
    IMPORTING CONTENT CONTROL PANEL
    Inspect field handles and quickly edit
    field settings. (Must have!)
    CP Field Inspect
    Create plain text fields that are
    disabled, hidden or read-only.
    Incognito Field
    Edit multiple things (entries, assets,
    categories) without going back & forth
    Sequential Edit
    Quicker management and replication of
    fields and field groups.
    Field Manager
    MOVING CONTENT
    Quickly create migrations for settings
    (fields/sections/sites) and content.
    Migration Manager
    Generate content models from
    JSON data.
    Architect
    OTHER
    Intelligently redirect legacy URLs.
    Retour
    Integrates the Disqus commenting
    system into Craft 3 websites.
    Disqus
    Seamless legacy authentication -
    import WP/EE/BC users and more.
    Legacy Login
    *
    * these are all links
    

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17. THREE
    MIGRATION
    STORIES
    

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18. WORDPRESS
    MIGRATION
    STORY 1
    

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19. UGH
    

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20. Start with a

    site audit ‣ Structure
    ‣ Content
    ‣ Functionality
    TIP
    

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21. EXPORT USING
    WP ALL EXPORT
    

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22. POSTS XML
    

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23. FEED ME SETUP
    

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24. END RESULT =
    ENTRIES IN CRAFT
    

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25. Don’t forget to
    import existing
    CMS admins
    TIP
    Legacy Login
    Top Shelf Craft
    Migrate users from:
    ExpressionEngine 2.x
    WordPress
    BigCommerce (self-hosted)
    Wellspring
    

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26. Comments can
    be migrated too
    TIP
    Craft Disqus
    nystudio107
    Integrates the Disqus commenting system
    into Craft 3 websites, including Single Sign
    On and custom login/logout URLs.
    

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27. CUSTOM CMS

    MIGRATION
    @joselong
    STORY 2
    

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28. 1. LEGACY CMS WITH POSTGRES DATABASE
    2. CRAFT CONNECT PLUGIN
    Connect to external mysql/psql databases, then
    perform db queries in your Craft Twig templates
    3. JSON FEED OF ENTRIES
    4. FEED ME PLUGIN
    5. HAPPINESS
    

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29. Don't be
    a hero!
    (sometimes it's faster
    to do it manually)
    TIP
    

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30. Chop off
    what you
    don't need
    TIP
    FOR EXAMPLE: CMS-GENERATED

    IMAGE VARIATIONS IN S3 BUCKET
    

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31. Can't make it work
    exactly how you want?
    Use a simpler template
    for legacy content.
    TIP
    

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32. LEGACY TEMPLATE
    A single rich-text field,
    and a single assets field
    

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33. LEGACY TEMPLATE
    A single rich-text field,
    and a single assets field
    NEW TEMPLATE
    Matrix field with content blocks
    

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34. Don’t miss the
    opportunity to
    improve SEO
    TIP
    dotall.com/sessions/seo-best-practices-from-a-developers-point-of-view
    

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35. HANDS-FREE

    MIGRATION
    STORY 3
    

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36. HANDS-FREE

    MIGRATION
    STORY 3
    

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37. Don't have
    access to the
    current
    CMS? Use a
    scraping tool.
    TIP
    

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38. Don't have
    access to the
    current
    CMS? Use a
    scraping tool.
    TIP
    

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41. 2. JSON FEED
    1. PARSEHUB SCRAPE 3. FEED ME PLUGIN
    4. EVEN HAPPIER LAGER
    

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42. Now for
    something
    “fun”
    

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43. Now for
    something
    “fun”
    Twitter Airtable JSON Craft
    ZAPIER .SH SCRIPT
    & CRONJOB
    FEED ME
    

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44. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    Give me some #dotall2018 tweets
    (with emoji plz )
    

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45. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    

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46. https://airtable.com/invite/r/cvOfNOTz
    Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    Not bad...
    

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47. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    Better :)
    

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48. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    Better :)
    

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49. getpostman.com
    Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    

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50. getpostman.com
    v
    SHELL SCRIPT TO CREATE JSON VIA AIRTABLE API
    

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51. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    

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52. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    SHELL SCRIPT TO CREATE JSON VIA AIRTABLE API & RUN FEEDME
    

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53. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    CRON JOB RUNNING EVERY MINUTE ON SERVER TO TRIGGER SHELL SCRIPT
    

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54. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    

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55. Twitter → Zapier → Airtable → JSON → Feed Me → Craft
    INVITE PEOPLE TO
    TWEET WITH
    #DOTALL2018 AT THIS
    POINT
    TODO: FRONTEND
    TEMPLATE WITH AJAX
    AUTO-LOADING

    (IF TIME!)
    

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56. Airtable JSON Craft
    AIRTABLE
    API
    FEED ME
    BUT HOW
    COULD YOU
    USE THIS IN
    REAL LIFE?
    

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57. Airtable JSON
    AIRTABLE
    API
    BUT HOW
    COULD YOU
    USE THIS IN
    REAL LIFE?
    

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58. Airtable JSON Craft
    AIRTABLE
    API
    FEED ME
    BUT HOW
    COULD YOU
    USE THIS IN
    REAL LIFE?
    

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59. Content
    migrations

    don’t have to

    be a PITA.
    

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60. 1. A good content migration is like

    cooking a stir fry
    2. Start with a site audit.
    3. Not just about core content,

    users and comments can come too.
    4. Don’t be a hero!

    (Do it manually if you have to)
    5. Chop off what you don’t need.
    6. If you get stuck, use a simpler

    template for legacy content.
    7. Use a scraping tool if you don’t

    have access to the current CMS.
    8. Improve SEO whilst you go.
    Content
    migrations

    don’t have to

    be a PITA.
    

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61. Content
    migrations

    don’t have to

    be a PITA.
    Have fun,

    and embrace

    the learning
    opportunity.
    

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62. Least-worst CMS
    
    

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63. Thank y all
    @j_greig
    greig.cc
    @graphicalhouse
    graphicalhouse.co.uk
    

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