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Updating forms in multisite

  1. Currently I am running an install of multisite and occasionally adding a new group of sites at once. I'm using the export_file in my config file so it makes installing a breeze. But on occasion, we want to add fields to a form, that exist across all sites the same. So my question is, is there a way to update all the forms across multisite without having to create a new form and importing it? I am currently using for IDs in my theme files to access the forms. When these form ID's change, i.e., importing a new form, the theme files don't match. Now I know this isn't the best way to do it, but I can't think of another solution to be able to use the same forms across all sites in my multisite installation.

    Posted 11 years ago on Sunday December 2, 2012 | Permalink
  2. Keeping forms in sync in multisite after you make an edit to a form is a challenge.

    In the past, I have edited the form in one site, then used SQL to copy the new edited form to all the sites. I keep an original version of the form in a test site, make my edits there, they update all the other sites with PHP and SQL, copying the master form to all sites.

    It's a challenge any way you do it.

    Posted 11 years ago on Sunday December 2, 2012 | Permalink
  3. Chris, thanks for the response. Is this a simple test, then import to each site, and adding a new form and form ID? Or does your way allow for keeping the same form ID in place? If it's the latter, that would solve my problem for the moment.

    Posted 11 years ago on Sunday December 2, 2012 | Permalink
  4. On my installation, I have kept the form ID the same across all forms, since my functions.php is the same for all sites. So, I just change my master form and then insert that into all the sites with SQL and a PHP loop to go through all the sites.

    Be careful if you delete a field and replicate that form. You will lose all the data in that field across all forms.

    Posted 11 years ago on Sunday December 2, 2012 | Permalink
  5. Chris, any chance you have a tutorial on this? I'd most certainly find this useful, but don't know if I'm daring enough to give it a go on my own.

    Posted 11 years ago on Monday December 3, 2012 | Permalink
  6. I don't have any tutorials. I've just hacked my way through it on a network where I have 80 sites. Give it a try. Set up a master community and then try making the change there and using SQL to update one of your sites. Save a backup of the database before you try it in case something goes wrong. Once you get the editing of the form and the SQL down, you need to automate it to write the changes to all the other sites.

    Posted 11 years ago on Monday December 3, 2012 | Permalink
  7. Hello, I am having a similar problem. Chris - would this plugin do something similar to what you are describing:

    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-multisite-mirror/

    Posted 11 years ago on Wednesday January 23, 2013 | Permalink
  8. I have no experience with that plugin to know for sure. I've just resorted to using SQL when necessary to make a global change.

    Posted 11 years ago on Wednesday January 30, 2013 | Permalink