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selective-export.md

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Selective Export by Category or Tag

This feature allows you to export only a specific subset of your WordPress content, filtered by category, tag, or post type. This is particularly useful when:

  • You have a large WordPress site but only need to convert specific sections
  • You want to migrate content by topic or category
  • You need to export content incrementally

Using WP-CLI

The easiest way to perform selective exports is via WP-CLI commands.

Export by Category

To export posts from a single category, use the category slug:

wp jekyll-export --category=technology > technology-export.zip

To export from multiple categories (OR logic - posts in any of these categories):

wp jekyll-export --category=tech,news,updates > export.zip

Export by Tag

To export posts with a specific tag:

wp jekyll-export --tag=featured > featured-export.zip

To export posts with multiple tags (OR logic):

wp jekyll-export --tag=featured,popular > export.zip

Export Specific Post Types

To export only pages:

wp jekyll-export --post_type=page > pages-export.zip

To export only posts:

wp jekyll-export --post_type=post > posts-export.zip

To export custom post types:

wp jekyll-export --post_type=portfolio,testimonial > custom-export.zip

Combining Filters

You can combine multiple filters. Posts must match ALL specified filters (AND logic):

# Export posts that are in "technology" category AND have "featured" tag
wp jekyll-export --category=technology --tag=featured --post_type=post > export.zip

Using PHP Filters

For more programmatic control, you can use WordPress filters directly in your theme's functions.php or a custom plugin.

Filter by Category

add_filter( 'jekyll_export_taxonomy_filters', function() {
    return array(
        'category' => array( 'technology', 'science' ),
    );
} );

Filter by Tag

add_filter( 'jekyll_export_taxonomy_filters', function() {
    return array(
        'post_tag' => array( 'featured', 'popular' ),
    );
} );

Filter by Custom Taxonomy

add_filter( 'jekyll_export_taxonomy_filters', function() {
    return array(
        'my_custom_taxonomy' => array( 'term-slug-1', 'term-slug-2' ),
    );
} );

Combine Multiple Taxonomies

add_filter( 'jekyll_export_taxonomy_filters', function() {
    return array(
        'category' => array( 'technology' ),
        'post_tag' => array( 'featured' ),
        'custom_tax' => array( 'term-1' ),
    );
} );

Filter Post Types

add_filter( 'jekyll_export_post_types', function() {
    return array( 'post', 'page' ); // Only export posts and pages
} );

Finding Category and Tag Slugs

If you're not sure what slug to use:

Via WordPress Admin

  1. Go to Posts > Categories or Posts > Tags
  2. Hover over the category/tag name
  3. Look at the browser's status bar or the URL - you'll see something like tag_ID=123&taxonomy=post_tag&term_slug=featured
  4. The slug is the part after term_slug=

Via WP-CLI

List all categories with their slugs:

wp term list category --fields=name,slug

List all tags with their slugs:

wp term list post_tag --fields=name,slug

Use Cases

Scenario 1: Export a Single Blog Section

You have a WordPress site with multiple sections (Tech, Lifestyle, Travel) and want to move just the Tech section to a static site:

wp jekyll-export --category=tech > tech-blog-export.zip

Scenario 2: Export Featured Content

You want to export only posts marked as "featured" for a special showcase site:

wp jekyll-export --tag=featured > featured-content.zip

Scenario 3: Export by Year (using custom taxonomy)

If you've tagged posts by year, you can export by year:

wp jekyll-export --tag=2024 > 2024-posts.zip

Scenario 4: Migrate Content Incrementally

Export different categories separately for incremental migration:

wp jekyll-export --category=tech > tech.zip
wp jekyll-export --category=news > news.zip
wp jekyll-export --category=reviews > reviews.zip

Technical Details

  • Taxonomy Filtering: Uses WordPress term slugs (not names or IDs)
  • Query Performance: Filtering is done at the database level for efficiency
  • OR Logic Within Taxonomy: Multiple terms in the same taxonomy use OR logic (e.g., posts in category A OR B)
  • AND Logic Across Taxonomies: Multiple taxonomies use AND logic (e.g., posts in category A AND having tag B)
  • Post Type Filtering: Works independently of taxonomy filtering

Limitations

  • Revisions are excluded when using taxonomy filters (as they don't have taxonomy terms)
  • Taxonomy filtering uses term slugs, not term IDs or names
  • Empty taxonomy filters are ignored (no filtering applied)

Troubleshooting

No Posts Exported

If your export is empty:

  1. Check the slug: Make sure you're using the term slug, not the name
    • Use wp term list category to verify the exact slug
  2. Check post status: Only published, future, and draft posts are exported
  3. Verify taxonomy: Make sure you're using the correct taxonomy name (category, post_tag, etc.)

Wrong Posts Exported

If you're getting unexpected posts:

  1. Check term associations: Verify which posts have the category/tag assigned
  2. Review filter logic: Remember that multiple categories use OR logic
  3. Clear cache: If testing, use wp cache flush between exports