John Sisler

Image Migration

Image Migration: sisler.info → john.sisler.io/

Phase 1: Export Media from sisler.info (Duplicator)

Step 1: Install Duplicator on sisler.info

  1. Log into sisler.info WordPress admin
  2. Plugins → Add New
  3. Search “Duplicator”
  4. Install “Duplicator – WordPress Migration Plugin” by Snap Creek
  5. Activate

Step 2: Create Media-Only Package

  1. Go to Duplicator → Packages
  2. Click “Create New”
  3. Package Name: media-migration-sislerinfo
  4. Click “Next”

Step 3: Configure Archive Settings

  1. Archive Section:
    • Expand “Archive” settings
    • Click “Filters” tab
  2. Filter Everything Except Uploads:
    • Under “Files” filters
    • Enable filter mode
    • Add these to EXCLUDE list:
      • /wp-content/themes
      • /wp-content/plugins
      • /wp-admin
      • /wp-includes
    • Keep wp-content/uploads UNCHECKED (we want this)
  3. Database:
    • Under “Database” section
    • Select “None” or uncheck all tables
    • We don’t need database for this migration
  4. Click “Next”

Step 4: Scan & Build

  1. Review scan results
  2. If warnings about size, ignore (we’re only doing uploads)
  3. Click “Build”
  4. Wait for package creation (may take 5-15 minutes depending on image count)

Step 5: Download Package

  1. When complete, you’ll see two files:
    • installer.php
    • archive.zip (or .daf)
  2. Click “One-Click Download”
  3. Only download the archive.zip file (ignore installer.php)
  4. Save to your computer

Phase 2: Upload Media to john.sisler.io/

Step 6: Upload Archive to john.sisler.io/

Using cPanel File Manager:

  1. Log into john.sisler.io/ cPanel
  2. File Manager → Navigate to john.sisler.io/ root directory
  3. Find wp-content folder
  4. Upload the archive.zip you downloaded
  5. Right-click archive.zip → Extract
  6. Files will extract into their proper structure
  7. Delete archive.zip when done

OR via WordPress admin (if file size allows):

  1. Log into john.sisler.io/ WordPress admin
  2. Install “File Manager” plugin by WebFactory Ltd
  3. Use File Manager to:
    • Navigate to /wp-content/
    • Upload archive.zip
    • Extract
    • Delete zip

Step 7: Verify Files Transferred

  1. john.sisler.io/ → Media Library
  2. Check if you can see image thumbnails
  3. Click on an image
  4. Look at "File URL" – should now show john.sisler.io/ path
  5. Note: Image may still show broken because database references are wrong

Phase 3: Fix Database URLs (Better Search Replace)

Step 8: Install Better Search Replace on john.sisler.io/

  1. john.sisler.io/ WordPress admin
  2. Plugins → Add New
  3. Search “Better Search Replace”
  4. Install “Better Search Replace” by WP Engine
  5. Activate

Step 9: Run Dry Run (Test Mode)

  1. Tools → Better Search Replace
  2. Search for: https://sisler.info
  3. Replace with: https://john.sisler.io/
  4. Select tables: Check ALL tables (or at minimum):
    • wp_posts
    • wp_postmeta
    • wp_options
  5. Run as dry run? ✅ CHECK THIS BOX
  6. Click “Run Search/Replace”
  7. Review results – should show number of changes it would make
  8. Important: Note the count

Step 10: Check for HTTP variant

  1. Repeat Step 9 but search for https://sisler.info
  2. If it finds results, you’ll need to run this too

Step 11: Run Actual Replacement (HTTPS)

  1. Tools → Better Search Replace
  2. Search for: https://sisler.info
  3. Replace with: https://john.sisler.io/
  4. Select tables: Check ALL tables
  5. Run as dry run? ⬜ UNCHECK THIS BOX
  6. Click “Run Search/Replace”
  7. Wait for completion message

Step 12: Run Actual Replacement (HTTP) if needed

  1. Only if Step 10 found results
  2. Search for: https://sisler.info
  3. Replace with: https://sisler.io
  4. Select tables: Check ALL tables
  5. Run as dry run? ⬜ UNCHECKED
  6. Click “Run Search/Replace”

Phase 4: Regenerate & Verify

Step 13: Regenerate Thumbnails

  1. Plugins → Add New
  2. Search “Regenerate Thumbnails”
  3. Install “Regenerate Thumbnails” by Alex Mills
  4. Activate
  5. Tools → Regenerate Thumbnails
  6. Click “Regenerate Thumbnails For All Attachments”
  7. Wait for completion (shows progress bar)

Step 14: Clear Caches

  1. LiteSpeed Cache:
    • LiteSpeed Cache → Toolbox → Purge → Purge All
  2. Cloudflare (if applicable):
    • Log into Cloudflare
    • john.sisler.io/ domain
    • Caching → Purge Everything
  3. Browser cache:
    • Hard refresh pages (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R)

Step 15: Verify Migration

  1. Visit several pages on john.sisler.io/ with images
  2. Right-click images → “Inspect” or “View Image”
  3. Confirm URLs show john.sisler.io/wp-content/uploads/...
  4. Check Media Library – all images should display thumbnails
  5. Test inserting images into posts (should work normally)

Cleanup

Step 16: Remove Duplicator from sisler.info

  1. sisler.info → Plugins
  2. Deactivate Duplicator
  3. Delete Duplicator
  4. Delete any leftover packages in Duplicator → Packages

Step 17: Optional – Remove Better Search Replace

  1. Can keep it (useful tool)
  2. Or deactivate/delete if you prefer minimal plugins

Troubleshooting

If images still don’t show:

  • Check file permissions on /wp-content/uploads/ (should be 755)
  • Verify extraction put files in correct location
  • Re-run Better Search Replace with “Case-insensitive” option checked

If Duplicator package too large:

  • Create multiple packages by year (filter by date)
  • uploads/2023, uploads/2024, uploads/2025, etc.

If Better Search Replace finds 0 results:

  • sisler.info URLs might be stored differently
  • Check a post’s HTML source to see exact URL format