Why not install WordPress locally, then just make a backup of your ‘live’ database and restore it to your test site?
See:
Install WordPress Locally
Thread Starter
Brian
(@summae)
Ok, I’m still a novice, but I did attempt this, actually before I posted. I installed Apache, PHP, MySQL and phpMyAdmin, and then installed a clean version of wordpress 2.5.1. I then backed up my live db, and imported it into my local DB. Now, I’m thinking because of links recorded in the DB, when I try to bring up my local site, running as a virtualhost, “http://test-awwa/” I am being redirected to the remote site in my browser, “http://aw… .org”, and I’m clueless as to what to do about this. As far as know, Apache is working fine, as well as the rest, because I viewed test pages in my virtualhosts before I installed wordpress, and I used phpMyAdmin to create the DB for wordpress; wordpress seemed to be running fine before I updated the DB.
Thread Starter
Brian
(@summae)
Well I guess for now I’m just going to run an unrelated sandbox locally, but I really would like to know either:
How to implement the codex article listed above, “Running a Development Copy of WordPress”, in 2.5.1
How to mirror the DB locally and still be able to get to my local test site.
Just haven’t gotten a response yet regarding either of these possibilites.
Thanks for your time in advance.
2.5.1 doesn’t seem to have wpincludes/options so it seems the hack is broken for 2.5.1
any other ideas???????????
Thread Starter
Brian
(@summae)
None at all, that’s why I’m asking 🙂 .
Thread Starter
Brian
(@summae)
Thanks, will try it tomorrow.
Thread Starter
Brian
(@summae)
Hi, that seems to have worked. The one niggling problem I had was the ‘secret key’ inserted in wp-conf.php Before the wordpress site is created. Since I’d already tried to set my local site up, I had to drop the tables in my DB and reinstall wordpress using the same key, which I got from the live site’s DB on line 61 of wp-options, “secret”. Now I’m in the midst of moving the live site’s extra plugins and themes and such over, as well as doing a new restore of the DB, but seems to be going fine.
Thread Starter
Brian
(@summae)
Ok, wordpress is now up and running locally, but somehow the permalinks are not working. I can get to the homepage, but no local links from there, just get 404 url not found error. Yet, wp-admin is working, and all posts and pages are listed under manage; I can even edit and view them through the admin panel, but again, the links to these pages posts are not working on the local site.
