Overview
The package setup screen allows you to prepare where the package will be stored and which files and database tables will be placed in the archive file. The setup screen has severalsections all of which will be covered below.
Details
Requirements
The System requirements section must pass for the Duplicator to work properly. If this section shows fail you will not be able to continue with the setup until it showsas passing. There are currently 4 main sections PHP Support, Permissions, Server Support and Installation Files. Clicking on each link will open a description forwhat actions you can perform to get the requirement to pass. This section is not visitable unless a requirements check has failed.
Inputs
The following options are not grouped to any section and will apply to the entire package.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A name to help identify the package. By default the value from the last package creation is loaded as the default name. |
| Notes | Click the notes button to expand and add additional notes about the package. |
| Template | An optional template configuration that can be applied to this package setup. An [Unassigned] template will retain the settings from the last scan/build.Templates can be created from the Templates menu. For more information about templates see thetemplate section. |
Storage
The storage section allows you to pick from any of the storage locations that have been created such as the local server, Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon and FTP.If a storage endpoint does not exist in the list then click the ‘Add Storage’ link in the right corner to add one.
When creating a package choose each location by checking the checkbox. For each location you check the package and installer file will be stored on that location.The main storage title will have the numberof actively checked endpoints. To proceed to the ‘Scan Step’ at least one storage point must be checked. The table belowcovers the various options for the Storage section.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A descriptive name that defines the endpoint. For remote locations the line will show a cloud icon. For locations that are on thelocal servers hard drive it will show a server icon. |
| Type | This defines the endpoint type such as Local, Google Drive, Dropbox, FTP and others. |
| Location | This defines the location where they are stored, some values will be click-able while others will not. |
Archive
The archive.zip file is what contains all your files and a copy of your database via a generated SQL file. By default when the archive file is created all files and directoriesfrom your WordPress root path and all the tables in the WordPress database are selected. In order to customize your archive file you can exclude files and database tables.
Excluding items is handy if you don’t want to continually create large archive files and only need to select specific items. However if you do exclude specific items please beaware that you will have to manually move those items immediately after package installation. The table below covers all the options for the Archive section.
| Item | Description | ||||||||||||
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| FILES TAB | |||||||||||||
| Components | Package components allow you to include/exclude differents part of your WordPress installation in the package.Database: Include the database in the package. Core: Includes wordpress core files in the package (e.g. wp-include, wp-admin wp-login.php and other. Plugins: Include the plugins in the package. With the active only option enabled, only active plugins will be included in the package. Themes: Include the themes in the package. With the active only option enabled, only active themes will be included in the package. Media: Include the ‘uploads’ folder. Other: Include non-WordPress files and folders in the root directory. |
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| Database only | This advanced option excludes all files from the archive. Only the database and a copy of the installer.php will be included in the archive.zip file. The option can be used for backing up and moving only the database. | ||||||||||||
| Media only | This option can be used to backing up only your website media files in the ‘uploads’ folder | ||||||||||||
| Custom | This option allows you to choose one or mix of the available components to include in your backup | ||||||||||||
| Enable File Filters |
File filters allow you to ignore directories/files and file extensions. When creating a package only include the data you want and need. This helps toimprove the overall archive build time and keep your backups simple and clean. The checkbox allows you to keep all the settings or temporarily ignore them.If any type of file filter (directory, extension, file) is enabled the Archive title will show the following icons . | ||||||||||||
| Directories | Add the full path to the directories that should be excluded from being archived. Add a semicolon to separate each path. For example if you want toignore your uploads path and the WordPress cache then the path(s) might look like this:
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| Extensions | File extentions allow you to exclude all files with a specific extention. For example if you wanted to ignore all zip, tar and log files then you would add:
Please note that you only need to the extension name and not the ‘.’ separator. Use the links on the right to quickly add common extensions. |
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| Files | Add the full path to the file(s) that should be excluded from the archived file. Add a semicolon to separate each path. For example if you want toignore the readme.html file in your root, a specific file in your uploads folder and all error.log files in the entire site then the path(s) might look like this:
Use filenames without paths to filter same-named files across multiple directories, this can be useful for debug and log files. Note: pattern expressions arecurrently not supported (i.e. error.*) |
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| DATABASE TAB | |||||||||||||
| Build Mode | PHP: This mode uses PHP to build the database.sql script which contains a full copy of your database minus any excluded files. This particular mode isvery resource intensive and is much slower on larger databases.
Mysqldump: This is the preferred mode and should be used if the option is supported on your server. It uses less server resources and is much faster forlarger databases. Please contact your server admin or hosting providerto enable both shell_execand mysqldump for this option to work with in your site. |
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| Enable Table Filters |
Table filters allow you to ignore certain tables from a database. When creating a package only include the data you want and need. This helps to improvethe overall archive build time and keep your backups simple and clean.
When a table is checked it will be excluded from the generated database file. If any type of table is enabled the Archive title will show the following icon indicating that a database filter has been applied. Excluding certain tables can cause your site or plugins to not work correctly after install. Please be sure to know the purpose of excluded tablesand if your unsureto contact the plugin/theme authors website.
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| Compatibility Mode |
This is an advanced database back-wards compatibility feature that should ONLY be used if having problems installing packages and you have no option to updatethe mysql server version. If the database server version is lower than the version where the package was built then these options “might” help generate ascript that is more compliant with the older database server. It is recommended to try each option separately starting with mysql40.
Please note that there are risks with using compatibility mode please see the FAQ question below and the section labeled “Data Preservation”What is Compatibility mode & ‘Unknown collation’ errors? Our first recommendation is to always try and keep your mysql server versions up-to-date. It is highly recommended that the mysql server whereyou built the package be very close to the same version where you are installing the package. For example if you built the server on 5.7.x it isrecommend that the installer server be 5.7.x or 5.6.x. The bigger the discrepancy between versions the more potential there is for errors and data corruption. How to use Compatibility Mode
Since we do not recommend this approach we don’t offer support for working with and using these settings. The time involved with trying to find the rightcombination and determine if the data will even be stable is beyond our support for the product. We have partners who can help you work through theseissues. For additional developer help consider Tilden Tasks from our partners page. |
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| SETUP TAB | |||||||||||||
| Security Mode |
None:No protection system activated! The installer or archive files can be accessed by any resource that knows the full URL to either file.
Installer Password:The archive is NOT encrypted. When the installer starts, it will prompt for a password to prevent anyone from running the installer. Archive encryption:The archive IS encrypted with a password, and the installer will ask for a password when started. This option is the recommended maximum level of security. Encryption Dependencies
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| Security Password |
If using either Installer Password or Archive encryption the password field must be entered.
Caution: Passwords are case-sensitive and if lost cannot be recovered. Please keep passwords in a safe place.If this password is lost then a new archive file will need to be rebuilt since passwords cannot be recovered.
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Installer
The installer file is what is used to help redeploy or install the archive file. The installer section of the package setup has several optional options for the installer.These values are all optional on this screen and not required.
SETUP
The setup section allows for how the installer will behave when you initially browse to it.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Password Protection |
As of Duplicator Pro 4.5.3+ this feature is now visible in the Archive Setup Tab Enabling this option will allow for basic password protection on the installer. Before running the installer the password saved in this value mustbe entered before proceeding with an install. This password is a general deterrent and should not be substituted for properly keeping your files secure. |
| Skip System Scan | By default every time the installer is opened it will run a simple scan on the server environment. If the scan check passes then enabling this optionautomatically take you to step one of the installer and will skip the system scan screen. |
INPUTS
All values in this section are optional. The installer can have these fields pre-filled at install time. If you would like to have the installer pre-filled withthese values then enter them here. All of these values are covered in detail in the Installer section of this guide.