Import WP PRO

Importing someone else's data is rarely copy and paste

The file a supplier sends you, or the one you export from your old system, rarely has the columns WordPress expects. Titles come mixed with HTML, images are a list of URLs separated by commas and authors appear by name instead of by user. Doing it by hand is slow, and a rigid importer forces you to edit the file before uploading it.

Whoever installs Import WP PRO is usually migrating a site, feeding a catalog from a spreadsheet or syncing content that someone else maintains outside WordPress. In all those cases the real work is not importing but deciding which piece of data goes into which field. That is where the plugin earns its place.

Import WP PRO: from file to field, with a preview

You can bring in the file from a remote URL, from the server's file system or by uploading it directly. It accepts XML and CSV, and also Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. That lets whoever maintains the data keep working in their usual spreadsheet.

The data selector with inline preview lets you see how each record will be read while you assign fields, so you catch a wrong mapping before importing hundreds of rows. You can load:

• Posts, pages and custom post types.
• Categories, tags and custom taxonomies.
• Users.
• Custom fields, from text to lists of images, in any theme or plugin that registers them.
• Images and attachments.

Updating without overwriting what you edited by hand

The first import is the easy part. The problem comes when the file changes and you want to load it again without destroying the corrections you made in WordPress. That is why it matters that you can manually choose which fields are inserted or updated in each import: the price can sync every day while the description, which you tweaked, stays as it is.

Each import is launched by hand or scheduled to run in the background, so your data stays synchronized at a regular pace. A history log records what happened in each run, which is useful for reviewing what failed. The plugin also aims at faster imports with lower memory use, something you notice with large files.

WooCommerce, ACF and Yoast come as separate add-ons

The base plugin covers WordPress content and generic custom fields. For certain popular plugins there are separate add-ons, and it is worth being clear about that before building a project on them.

• Already solved by the base plugin: posts, pages, content types, taxonomies, users, custom fields, images and attachments, scheduling and history.
• Needs the WooCommerce add-on: variable, simple, grouped and external products, with their categories, tags and taxonomies.
• Needs the Advanced Custom Fields add-on: importing into the fields ACF generates.
• Needs the Yoast SEO add-on: fields such as opengraph, meta description and keywords.
• You will cover with a professional: integration with a specific theme or plugin that is not supported, for example a listing from a car dealership theme.

Nor should you expect it to clean your data: if the file has formatting errors or duplicates, they will reach WordPress all the same. Review the file first and make a backup.

Try a few rows before launching the whole file

A good method is to load a handful of records first on a copy of the site, check how images, custom fields and categories turn out, and only then launch the full file. If you use a theme with its own fields, check in the demo or on a test installation that those fields show up as import targets.

Frequently asked questions about Import WP PRO

Can I import from Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes, in addition to XML and CSV, it supports Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel.

Can imports be scheduled?

Yes. You can launch them by hand or leave them scheduled in the background to sync data regularly.

Does it import WooCommerce products?

With the WooCommerce add-on, which is separate from the base plugin. It covers simple, variable, grouped and external products.

Does it bring in images?

Yes, it imports images and attachments.

Does it work with my theme's fields?

With those the theme or plugin registers as custom fields. For ACF fields you need its add-on, and for very specific integrations it is best to ask beforehand.