Title: Manually import Theme Unit Test Data
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# Manually import Theme Unit Test Data

 *  [Quantum Monty](https://wordpress.org/support/users/quantum-monty/)
 * (@quantum-monty)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/manually-import-theme-unit-test-data/)
 * Dear All –
 * I just installed WordPress on my personal behind-the-firewall LAMP server.
 * The site is up and running, and I’d like to develop a theme using Ian Stewart’s
   [Ultimate WordPress Theme Tutorial](http://themeshaper.com/2009/06/22/wordpress-themes-templates-tutorial/#wrapper).
 * A first step is to load test content, e.g. [Theme Unit Test Data](http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Unit_Test).
   This, however, requires that I use the WordPress importer, and it demands ftp
   access rights I am leery to grant (though I have considered the workarounds and
   ssh option mentioned [here](http://wordpress.org/support/topic/problem-installing-themes-and-plugins?replies=6)).
 * Is there something I can do with the `test-data.2011-01-17.xml` file manually?
   Do I simply copy it somewhere in the site directory? Am I not seeing a manual-
   import how-to for the trees in this new forest I’m treading into?
 * Thank you all kindly in advance – QM

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

 *  [Ctrl-C](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ctrl-c/)
 * (@ctrl-c)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/manually-import-theme-unit-test-data/#post-2239589)
 * Try to use [this plugin](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-importer-extended/)
   and place .xml file into root directory.
 *  [hzlzh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/hzlzh/)
 * (@hzlzh)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/manually-import-theme-unit-test-data/#post-2239591)
 * Can you get access to you Mysql Database?
 * A best and easy way to import `test-data.2011-01-17.xml` is to install the plugin`
   wordpress－importer`.
    So try to download it here
    - [http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-importer/](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-importer/)
 *  and move it to your FTP dir `wp-content/plugins/`
 * Then you can import this test data into your Dev site.
    —- If you still need 
   some manual way, you can try to install another WP site in your localhost and
   import data successfully, and then export the Mysql(.sql) backup, and import 
   it to your Dev site’s Mysql DB.
 *  Thread Starter [Quantum Monty](https://wordpress.org/support/users/quantum-monty/)
 * (@quantum-monty)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/manually-import-theme-unit-test-data/#post-2239747)
 * Thanks for the pointers, ^C and (hz)i(hz)’ !
 * In an attempt to help people at the same point in the learning curve as me, below
   are some things I ended up doing in conjunction with the above issue, involving
   both WP and site administration.
 * The skinny: you can manually install the importer, and it will (fingers crossed)
   then do its thing locally on the .xml file without the need for file servers.
    1.  I *did* end up allowing ssh access, but using hzizh’ suggestion (also mentioned
       [here](http://codex.wordpress.org/Managing_Plugins)) should work, right? The
       importer, it turns out, is “simply” another plug-in – though I haven’t attempted
       to uninstall and reinstall it manually.
 *  -  Steps to allow ssh access
    -  On my server, I made a (non-`admin`) user account and installed the site 
      docs in a sensible location within that user’s home directory. Ultimately,
      it is this user’s ssh login info I yielded to the WordPress file manager.
    -  On the WP-side, I enabled ssh as a “third way” to download, to avoid having
      to allow an ftp daemon on my site, by following [this thread](http://blog.homelinux.org/?p=83)‘
      s advice.
    -  From the options listed under the WP META <dashboard>->Tools->Import, I chose
      the “WordPress” import type (as the test data is from WP), and ssh was now
      an option, along with ftp and sftp. [The public/private key options](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SSH/OpenSSH/Keys)
      are there if you want to be safe, but it isn’t essential in the just-make-
      it-work sense.
 *  -  I wrestled the mod/own monster. Choosing WP do do things for me means choosing
      to give them permission to do those things for me.
 *  -  Steps to avoid those ‘Can’t Touch This’ file access errors
    -  I went in a [non-777](http://wordpress.org/support/topic/unable-to-create-directory-is-its-parent-directory-writable-by-the-server?replies=85)
      direction. That was one fascinating thread, full of personality and the human
      condition, and relevant because permission conflicts are one of those give-
      and-take no-user’s lands of culpability that people running their own web 
      hosts get to play both sides of.
    -  I gave my non-`admin` user ownership and +w privileges on the site directory,
      including all its contents and subfolders.
    -  I gave my web daemon group ownership and +w privileges for wp-contents/uploads
      and its subfolders.
    -  I did not edit .htaccess
    -  I did not give carte blanche 777 to any file or directory.
 * There are cons to the security choices I made above: WP now has access as a user
   to my particular site and as a web admin to different aspects of my server and
   any other sties’ upload areas should I make this a general policy, which would
   affect, well, just me at this time.
 * There are pros: assuming my site is otherwise secure and my WP plug-ins are beneficent,
   they can do some useful things now, and keep my site managed as WP expects it.
 * Thanks again for hosting this thread, WP, and to the users who are participating
   in it.
 * – QM
 *  [hzlzh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/hzlzh/)
 * (@hzlzh)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/manually-import-theme-unit-test-data/#post-2239773)
 * I’m happy you solve it,BTW, there is a default access of WP files `755` once 
   you install a new WP site, so you needn’t change it to `777` unless some plugins
   requirement.
 *  Thread Starter [Quantum Monty](https://wordpress.org/support/users/quantum-monty/)
 * (@quantum-monty)
 * [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/manually-import-theme-unit-test-data/#post-2239807)
 * Hzizh, are you saying that the import plugin falls into that “needs write permissions”
   category of plugins? I did have to finagle the ownerships and mod privileges 
   to schmoe:apache-group and 775 respectively. Is there a way to avoid that and
   still use the WP importer in particular?

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

The topic ‘Manually import Theme Unit Test Data’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 5 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [Quantum Monty](https://wordpress.org/support/users/quantum-monty/)
 * Last activity: [14 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/manually-import-theme-unit-test-data/#post-2239807)
 * Status: not resolved

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