Migrating from Fantastico to SimpleScripts

[tmchow]

It seems to take Fantastico way too long to adopt new Wordpress upgrades. I noticed that the new SimpleScripts that is offered now on Bluehost already have Wordpress 2.5 and many other regularly released applications.

I'd like to replace my Fantastico Wordpress installation with a SimpleScripts one, but not loose my site in the process. Meaning, I'd basically like to detach from Fantastico, and re-attach to SimpleScripts so I can do upgrades from SimpleScript.

Is this possible?

[felgall]

It should be possible provided that the Fantastico version you are currently running is also available in Simple Scripts. For Wordpress that means 2.3.1 or better.

1. Back up your database
2. Uninstall from Fantastico
3. Install the same WordPress version from Simple Scripts
4. Restore your database
5. Upgrade via Simple Scripts.

[tmchow]

What about all the plugins and etc that are installed? Backing up the DB will only back the content up but I'm assuming we have to backup the plugins folder, etc, as well?

Additionally, doesn't seem as simple as this since Fantastico uses a "WP_" prefix on all the wordpress tables, but for SimpleScripts it doesn't. So you have to dump the data and edit the backup before reimporting. Ugh.

It should be possible provided that the Fantastico version you are currently running is also available in Simple Scripts. For Wordpress that means 2.3.1 or better.

1. Back up your database
2. Uninstall from Fantastico
3. Install the same WordPress version from Simple Scripts
4. Restore your database
5. Upgrade via Simple Scripts.

[felgall]

If you have plugins installed or have changed the theme then you would need to include the wp-content folder in the backup and restore steps.

[tmchow]

If you have plugins installed or have changed the theme then you would need to include the wp-content folder in the backup and restore steps.

This doesn't address the concern about the table names in the DB. I did a backup of my DB that fantastico's Wordpress installation setup and started renaming all the tables to remove the "wp_" prefix.

However, I then noticed that most of the tables for the plugins also have a "wp_" prefix too. Is this (a) a universal configuration somewhere or (b) just generic convention that WP plugins follow?

If (a) then have to make sure I make the change otherwise all the plugins will break when I restore. If it's (b) then I should be OK.

[ratboyds]

how do you find the wordpress database in bluehost. and what is the best way to back up?

edit: and how would you re upload it?

[felgall]

This doesn't address the concern about the table names in the DB. I did a backup of my DB that fantastico's Wordpress installation setup and started renaming all the tables to remove the "wp_" prefix.

However, I then noticed that most of the tables for the plugins also have a "wp_" prefix too. Is this (a) a universal configuration somewhere or (b) just generic convention that WP plugins follow?

If (a) then have to make sure I make the change otherwise all the plugins will break when I restore. If it's (b) then I should be OK.

Why are you trying to make things more difficult for yourself by renaming the wordpress tables at the same time as the other changes. Just leave the tables with the same name before and after the change from Fantastico to Simple Scripts.

If you want to change the table names then do that completely separately after you finish everything else.