Importing the Sample Content

Only for a brand-new (empty) WordPress. The WordPress importer can only create content — it can never update existing posts or pages. Importing this sample into a site that already has content produces duplicates (posts, pages, categories, menus and media all get re-created), and the sample’s front page / menu setup assumes an empty install. If your site already has content: stop, take a backup, and set up a fresh WordPress instead.

What you need before starting

Requirement	Why
Fresh WordPress (installation wizard just finished)	The importer creates content; it cannot replace or merge it
Admin access	Importing, menus, front page and permalinks are all admin tasks
Theme Blogtail General active	The sample is meant to be viewed with this theme
WindPress plugin active (Tailwind CSS v4 mode)	Without it the sample renders unstyled
The sample file	Not attached yet — its name/location will be filled in once provided
A database backup	The importer has no undo

Step 1 — Prepare the empty install

Take a backup first

docker exec wordpress_db sh -c \
  'mariadb-dump -u root -p"$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD" --single-transaction --databases wordpress' \
  > ~/wordpress-before-sample-$(date +%F).sql

Remove the default content

A fresh install ships one post (Hello world!), one page (Sample Page) and a privacy policy draft. Delete them so the sample is the only content on the site.

Activate the theme and the plugin

Appearance → Themes → Blogtail General; Plugins → ensure WindPress is active in Tailwind CSS v4 mode.

Step 2 — Import the sample

Open the importer

Tools → Import → WordPress → Install Now (installs the wordpress-importer plugin) → Run Importer.

Upload the sample file

Choose the sample file (WordPress export format, .xml) → Upload file and import. If the sample ships as a ZIP, extract it first and upload the .xml inside.

Assign an author

Only content is imported — users are not. Either pick an existing admin under Assign posts to an existing user, or create an author user first and pick that one.

Import the attachments

Tick Download and import file attachments if the sample references images; they are fetched into wp-content/uploads/. If the sample bundles the images locally, upload them afterwards through Media → Add New.

Run the import

Click Submit and wait — the importer processes items one by one and normally reports which item failed, if any.

Step 3 — Finish the setup (not part of the file)

Set the front page

Settings → Reading → Your homepage displays → A static page → pick the sample’s home page, plus a posts page if the sample provides one.

Assign the menu

Appearance → Menus (or Appearance → Customize → Menus) → select the menu the import brought in → tick the theme’s menu location → Save.

Check widgets

Appearance → Widgets: this theme registers no widget areas — the sidebar in a single post is rendered by the theme’s own template (sidebar-single.php).

Flush permalinks

Settings → Permalinks → Post name → Save Changes, so the imported posts resolve instead of returning 404.

Verify	Expected
Home	Hero plus the “Latest Articles” card grid
Single post	Breadcrumb, category badge, meta row, sidebar, author box, Related Posts
Archives / search	Archive header + the same card grid
Media	Images under `wp-content/uploads/<year>/<month>/`

How it works (so you understand what the importer does)

The sample is a WXR file — WordPress eXtended RSS — the XML produced by Tools → Export. Knowing what is and is not inside it explains both the “new WordPress only” rule and why a few steps stay manual.

In the WXR file	Not in the WXR file
Posts, pages, custom post types	Users (only author names, as strings)
Categories, tags, terms	Theme settings and Customizer values
Comments	Widgets and their assignments
`nav_menu` terms and menu items	Menu locations (theme-specific)
Attachment records + `wp:attachment_url`	The image files themselves, unless reachable at that URL
Post meta, incl. `_thumbnail_id`	Plugin settings (including WindPress)

What actually happens during the import:

Parse & create. Each <item> becomes a new post with a new ID. Items are matched against existing content by GUID: if a post with the same GUID already exists the item is skipped — nothing is ever updated.
Terms. Categories, tags and nav-menu terms are created, and the post↔term relationships are restored from the file.
Attachments. With Download and import file attachments enabled, each media URL is fetched and stored as an attachment. Files land in wp-content/uploads/<year>/<month>/, and the importer does not de-duplicate — import twice and you have two copies.
Thumbnails. Featured images are post meta pointing at an attachment ID; if the attachment did not import, the post shows up without a thumbnail.
Menus. Menu items are imported as content, but which menu shows in which location is the theme’s nav_menu_locations option and is never imported — you assign it.
Everything else stays untouched. Front page / posts page (page_on_front, page_for_posts), permalink structure, WindPress settings and plugin options live in the database’s options table, not in the file.

There is no “update existing content from the file” path, and no undo. That is exactly why this sample is documented as new WordPress only: on a site that already has content, each import creates a second copy of everything and merges nothing.

Bootstrap alternative: snapshot after the import

Once the sample looks right, capture it so new environments don’t repeat the import:

# database
docker exec wordpress_db sh -c \
  'mariadb-dump -u root -p"$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD" --single-transaction --databases wordpress' \
  > ~/wordpress-with-sample-$(date +%F).sql

# uploaded media (host path on this server)
tar -czf ~/wordpress-uploads-$(date +%F).tar.gz \
  -C /home/www/project/wordpress/web/web/wp-content uploads

Restoring that dump plus the uploads folder on a fresh stack reproduces the sample without running the importer again — the fastest way to get identical environments.

If something goes wrong

Symptom	Cause / fix
Everything exists twice	The site was not empty → restore the backup, then re-import on a clean install
Posts return 404 after import	Settings → Permalinks → Post name → Save Changes
Home page shows the blog listing	Settings → Reading → set the static front page
No menu in the header	Assign the imported menu to the theme’s menu location
Images missing	Attachments were not imported (URL unreachable, or the checkbox was off) → upload via Media
Sample looks unstyled	WindPress inactive, or not in Tailwind CSS v4 mode

Reference (this server)

Item	Value
WordPress root	`/home/www/project/wordpress/web/web`
Themes	`.../wp-content/themes/` (Blogtail General 1.0.4 installed)
Uploads	`.../wp-content/uploads/` (currently `2026/` and `windpress/`)
Database container	`wordpress_db` (MariaDB; dump with the `MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD` env)
WP-CLI	not available in the `wordpress_php` container → use `wp-admin`

Not documented yet

The sample file itself: name, format (single .xml or ZIP), where it lives, and how it is distributed (release asset, repository asset, or attached to this page).
What the sample contains: number of posts/pages/categories, whether menus and images are included, and which page should become the front page.
Whether a dedicated author user should be created for the sample content.
Whether the sample expects the theme’s options (logo, colours) to be set manually.

Installation Logo, Favicon, Site Name & Header Navigation