XML data is used by most online applications. We can get XML data from various sources, but the data size may be too large. In this article, we will describe how to split large XML files into smaller pieces in WordPress.
Why Splitting Large XML Files in WordPress?
When you are trying to move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org or if you wish to move your content from a self-hosted website to a new server or host you have to export your WordPress content.
WordPress lets you export your entire website as a single XML file that contains all your posts, pages, images, tag, comments, custom fields, and categories. This is called WXR (WordPress Extended RSS) file.
In some cases, you make find that the file size is larger than the upload limit provided by your WordPress hosting. If in case your file size is large you will not find an error message and you will not be able to import your website content into a new WordPress installation.
Note: The upload limit can vary depending upon the hosting provider.
You can just get in touch with your hosting provider to increase the upload size for a short period of time. But most of the shared hosting providers will not allow it. So in that case you have to split the large XML files into smaller files manually which is a tedious process.
But there is a better option to do so by installing the WXR File Splitter Tool to reduce your burden.
Reasons to split large XML files in WordPress
There are many reasons why we should split large XML files into smaller parts and then import them into WordPress.
- Performance – Loading a file as one chunk does not have any advantage. In fact, it may be slower if the file size is big.
- Readability – Reading a large file with more than 5000 lines of code is difficult.
- Security – When someone tries to hack your blog, he/she might want to find something interesting inside a single file. So, splitting a file into smaller chunks helps.
Let’s take a look at how to do it?
How to split Large XML Files
As said you can easily split the large XML files in WordPress by using the WXR File Splitter Tool.
The WXR file splitter tool will split an XML file into multiple files based on a range of values. This is used when someone wants to split an entire XML file into multiple parts. The WXR file splitter tool has a built-in preview option so you can see how it works before you run it.
Once you have exported your website into a single XML file, navigate to the WXR File Splitter Tool website. This is a free online tool let allows you to divide the large XML Files into small ones.
Once navigating to the WXR File Splitter Tool website, you can directly upload the XML file on the area named ‘Click or drag a file to this area to upload’. Also, you can just click the ‘WXR File’ button and select your XML file.
Then you have to slide the ‘New file size’ slider in order to your website’s maximum upload size. Its main aim is to create multiple files in a smaller size.
Once done click the ‘Submit’ button, and now your large XML file will be split into smaller files.
At last, you have to click the ‘Download’ button to download the files to the default location. All your files will be in a single file, you have to unzip the file and import it to your new website.
Hope you got an idea about how to split large XML files in WordPress. If you have any queries or comments please feel free to share. Your comments are most welcome.