How to overwrite a dev site with a new WP site
Prepare the ground
Do NOT skip any steps in this process.
Log into the WordPress site you want to OVERWRITE. Go to plugins > installed plugins
Update All-in-One-Migration and the All-in-One-Migration Extension plugins by clicking the update now link for each one. Wait for each plugin to update before updating the next one.
***NOTE: The versions of the All-in-One-Migration plugins MUST be the same on the site you intend to copy over and the dev site. If they are not the same version, the restore may fail and break the site.***
Then click the check box to select all:
scroll down to All-in-One WP Migration and All-in-One WP Migration Unlimited Extension and deselect them:
scroll back up and click deactivate under bulk actions:
Wait until the deactivation process completes, then click the
Click the check box to select all again:
scroll down to All-in-One WP Migration and All-in-One WP Migration Unlimited Extension and deselect them again:
scroll back up and click delete under bulk actions:
wait until the process completes. You should be left with two active plugins All-in-One WP Migration and All-in-One WP Migration Unlimited Extension.
Go to Appearance > Themes
hover over and click to activate any of the Twenty ... themes:
Log into the file system for the dev site you want to overwrite and navigate to /var/www/html/[site you are overwriting]/wp-content/plugins
Select all the folders that do not start with Twenty... do not select the index.php file. Do not select the theme you activated on the WP site you are overwriting:
Hit the delete button. Wait for the program to finish deleting the files.
Backup and Restore (Publishing)
Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Export on the WP site you want to PUT a COPY of on DEV:
You must exclude the media files BEFORE running an export. Click Advanced Options then check off Do not export media library (files)
AFTER you exclude the media files, click the Export to button and select FILE:
Follow the prompts on screen until the process finishes. DO NOT interrupt it or close the window.
When the process completes, click the button to download the archive. EXIT THE TAB.
When the download finishes, go to /var/www/html/[site you are overwriting]/wp-content/ai1wm-backups:
Upload the file you exported:
Close out of the file system and go to the dev site you are OVERWRITING.
Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Export on the WP site and click Backups:
Before you go any further, look at the browser address bar and MAKE SURE YOU ARE IMPORTING INTO THE CORRECT SITE. When you are sure, click the restore button for the archive you just uploaded to the file system:
Follow the prompts on screen until the process finishes. DO NOT interrupt it or close the window or you will break the site. Wait for the process to complete, then click the update permalinks button on the You're Finished screen.
Setting up the new dev copy
DO NOT SKIP ANY STEPS.
Login to the dev site. Go to Settings > Permalinks:
Click the save changes button TWICE to save the page 2x.
Did you save the permalinks 2x? If not, click save changes again.
Go to Settings > Reading:
Check the Discourage search engines from indexing this site checkbox and click save changes:
Go to CloudSearch > Settings. DO NOT CLICK MANAGE. That will kick off the index process.
DELETE the data in ALL fields:
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the save button:
Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and scroll down to CloudSearch. Click deactivate.