With wp cloneworx-backup settings you read and change the settings that apply to the whole website. With wp cloneworx-backup scope you see what belongs to your website and define what never goes into a backup.
WP-CLI still missing? The guide is in Install WP-CLI. All commands of the plugin are named in The commands at a glance.
What belongs to a backup plan or to a target is not here: you change that with wp cloneworx-backup plan and wp cloneworx-backup target. The outputs of the commands are in English.
Showing the settings: settings list
settings list shows all settings with their value. Without an action wp cloneworx-backup settings does the same. The action has no parameters.
# Show all settings wp cloneworx-backup settings list
Every line names a key and its value. (default) after the value means: the value is the default and was never saved. Switches appear as on or off. If no email address is entered, the last line names the admin address of the website: that is where the notifications go.
Reading and setting a setting: settings get, set
settings get prints the value of a key. settings set saves a new value. Key and value come after the action without a parameter.
| Key | In the interface | Allowed values | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
notify_emails |
Email addresses | up to 5 addresses as one value, separated by commas | empty: the notifications go to the admin address of the website. |
notify_errors |
On errors and warnings |
on, off
|
on |
notify_success |
On success |
on, off
|
off |
notify_overdue |
When the last good backup is older than the plan allows |
on, off
|
on |
step_max_seconds |
Maximum time per step | 5 to 20 (seconds) | 20 |
step_pause_seconds |
Pause between steps | 0 to 60 (seconds) | 0 |
log_keep_days |
Keep logs for | 7 to 365 (days) | 30 |
manual_retention |
Max. backups without a plan | 1 to 99 | 7 |
remove_all_on_delete |
When the plugin is deleted, remove all settings and the index. Backups are kept. |
on, off
|
off |
# Read one setting wp cloneworx-backup settings get step_max_seconds # Set the maximum per step to 10 seconds wp cloneworx-backup settings set step_max_seconds 10 # Enter two recipients for notifications wp cloneworx-backup settings set notify_emails "eins@example.com, zwei@example.com" # Enable the email after every successful backup wp cloneworx-backup settings set notify_success on
After saving, the command confirms key and value. If the plugin does not accept a value, it saves nothing. The command then ends with an error and names the reason in brackets:
| Reason | Meaning |
|---|---|
unknown |
The key does not exist. |
type |
The value has the wrong kind, for example text instead of a number. |
range |
The number lies outside the limits. The command names the allowed limits. |
email |
An address is not a valid email address. |
too_many |
There are more than 5 addresses. |
What every setting does is explained in The “Settings” page.
remove_all_on_delete only takes effect when you delete the plugin in WordPress. With on the plugin first asks Dropbox to revoke the access of every target of the type Dropbox, and afterwards removes settings, targets, the list of backups and the logs. With off everything stays in the database, and the plugin revokes nothing. The backups are kept in both cases. More about this: Uninstall the plugin.
Not under these keys
You switch debugging in the log with wp cloneworx-backup debug, the news with wp cloneworx-backup news. Both are described in State, logs and support with WP-CLI. Exclusions and tables you set with wp cloneworx-backup scope, see below.
Resetting all settings: settings reset
settings reset sets all keys of the table above to their defaults. The exclusions and the list of tables stay as they are.
# Reset all settings to the defaults wp cloneworx-backup settings reset
The command does not ask
settings reset resets at once, without a confirmation prompt. Entered email addresses are removed afterwards. Note down the output of settings list beforehand if you still need the values.
Showing the scope: scope
The scope says what belongs to your website: which folders, which tables of the database and what is left out. scope shows it. The part after scope chooses what you see:
| Part | What the output shows |
|---|---|
roots |
The roots with their location on the server. For the database it says database. not found means: the plugin did not find the location. Notes are in brackets, for example inside for a root that lies inside another, or missing for a folder that does not exist. |
tables |
The prefix and the number of tables, then every table. view marks a view, structure only a table of which only the structure is backed up. A warning names tables of another WordPress installation in the same database: these tables are not backed up. |
exclusions |
The exclusion rules in effect. default in the heading means: the default applies. stored means: your own rules apply. Below it come the folders that other plugins define for their cache or their logs, and what is always excluded. |
all |
All three parts. That is the default without an entry. |
# Show everything wp cloneworx-backup scope # Show only the roots wp cloneworx-backup scope roots # Show only the tables wp cloneworx-backup scope tables
The roots
A root is a named part of the website. You need the names for --roots with backup, backup plan and restore.
| Root | Content |
|---|---|
db |
The tables of the database of this website. |
wp-config |
The file wp-config.php. The plugin backs up the file but never restores it in a restore. |
wp-content |
Everything in wp-content that does not belong to plugins, themes, must-use plugins or uploads: language files, drop-ins, folders of other plugins. |
wp-core |
The WordPress core: the folders wp-admin and wp-includes and the files that WordPress ships in the root folder. |
wp-mu-plugins |
The folder of the must-use plugins. |
wp-plugins |
The folder of the plugins. |
wp-themes |
The folder of the themes. |
wp-uploads |
The folder of the uploads. |
wp-root |
Everything else in the root folder of the website, for example .htaccess and robots.txt. |
Setting exclusion rules: scope exclusions
Exclusion rules apply to the whole website and to every backup plan. What a rule matches goes into no backup.
| Parameter | Meaning | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
--set |
Replaces the whole list of rules with the ones named. | Rules, separated by commas |
--reset |
Restores the default. | without a value |
--force |
Also sets as a different user than the one who owns the folders of the plugin. | without a value |
--set and --reset only take effect together with the part exclusions. A rule has one of three forms:
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | A file or a folder with exactly this name, at any depth and in any root. With a slash at the end the rule matches only folders. |
.DS_Store, updraft/
|
| Name with a star | A name that begins or ends like this. One star is allowed, at the start or at the end. |
*.log, backwpup*
|
| Path | A path in a root. The first part is the name of the root. The rule matches the entry and everything below it. | wp-content/cache |
A path begins with wp-content, wp-uploads, wp-plugins, wp-themes, wp-mu-plugins, wp-core or wp-root. Upper and lower case do not matter.
# Show the rules in effect wp cloneworx-backup scope exclusions # Replace the list with three rules of your own wp cloneworx-backup scope exclusions --set="wp-content/cache,*.log,.DS_Store" # Restore the default wp cloneworx-backup scope exclusions --reset
The plugin checks every rule before saving. If a rule is invalid, it saves nothing: the command ends with an error and names every invalid rule with the reason. After saving it names the number of rules and shows the list that now applies.
Always excluded
Whatever rules apply, the plugin always excludes: its own folders, every folder with a file named .donotbackup, another WordPress installation inside your website and the cache and log folders that W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, Wordfence and WooCommerce define for themselves.
Backing up tables as structure only: scope tables
Some plugins keep tables for sessions, logs, caches or statistics that grow large. For such tables you can define that every backup saves only the structure and leaves out the rows. By default the plugin backs up every table completely.
| Parameter | Meaning | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
--structure-only |
Replaces the list of tables of which only the structure is backed up. An empty value empties the list. | Names of tables without the prefix, separated by commas |
--force |
Also sets as a different user than the one who owns the folders of the plugin. | without a value |
The parameter only takes effect together with the part tables.
# Back up two tables as structure only wp cloneworx-backup scope tables --structure-only="woocommerce_sessions,wfHits" # Clear the list: back up every table in full again wp cloneworx-backup scope tables --structure-only=""
- The name is given without the prefix of the tables:
woocommerce_sessions, notwp_woocommerce_sessions. - Only tables of this website are allowed. If you name a table that does not exist, the plugin saves nothing, and the command names the unknown names.
- The plugin’s own tables are not available for selection: of them only the structure is ever backed up.
- In a restore such a table stays as it is on the website, with its data. If it does not exist there, the plugin creates it empty.
After saving, the command names the number of tables and shows the list of all tables with their labels.