Migration

Well, it’s all happening, and hopefully by Monday I will have my new WordPress powered blog up and running!

Conversion has been pretty smooth so far, basically I’ve hacked my HTML editor to pump all my entries [currently stored as individual HTML files] into WordPress’s MySQL database via its XML-RPC interface [which is implemented in PHP]. This is actually about the closest I’ve ever gotten to database programming ;)

Comments will be supported, until I change my mind, as will trackbacks and all the regular stuff. Current issues to be resolved before the new system goes live:

• Linking between entries. This will require a dynamic link replacement system for publishing from the HTML files to the WordPress database, since the urls will be rather different. [I think it might be working now... I just tested it using a link to the previous post and it worked fine]
• Formatting and styles. Jujublog uses some non-standard styles like floating divs for inset text boxes [though not much anymore], and these all need to be integrated into the WP style sheets.
• The name. Jujublog. I think it is a bad idea to have the word "blog" within the title of one’s blog. The word is getting tired. I’m not yet decided on a new name, but now that I’ve decided to change it I think the sooner I do so the better.

Why it must be done

Although it′s been interesting trying to maintain this blog without the help of any server side software, it has reached the point where there are just too many items/pages that need to be kept in sync. Everytime I add or change an entry, it takes about 3-5 minutes to do the rebuilding and uploading of the modified pages.

Contrast this with the time it takes to refresh the new system [after locally editing 2 separate entries, including this one]. I’m pressing the publish button… now…

…And less than four seconds later the posts have been changed, ready for the public to view [at an as yet undisclosed location]