Changed my mind about where how I want to store my local files and I want to move the files to a new folder. However, I don’t see a way to update the site path for a site I’ve already begun developing. Any suggestions? Is this possible?
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There isn’t a way to do this in Local at the moment but you can always export the site and re-import it.
It would be nice being able to change the folder name or the sitepath.
Actually if the folder name gets changed in the os LOCAL is not (yet) able to adapt.
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One more thing you can do is use this add-on to remap the volume paths.
What about editing ~/Library/Application Support/Local by Flywheel/sites.json and changing the 'path for the site there? any potential issues to expect?
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Editing site.json will make sure “Reveal in Finder”, etc. point to the correct places, but you still need to remap the paths with Docker.
We’ll eventually add this into the core of Local and make it easier but it’s already fairly easy to do with the Volumes add-on.
Where should I go to remap the paths in Docker? I’ll write a nice write-up on what I’m doing soon.
This add-on makes it super easy: https://github.com/getflywheel/local-addon-volumes
Just download the latest version and then go to Preferences » Add-ons and provide the zip when you click on “Install Add-on”. This will extract it into ~/Library/Application Support/Local by Flywheel/addons if you’re curious.
After you enable the add-on and restart Local you’ll see a new “More” tab on sites. Click on that then go to “Volumes”. From there, you can add new volumes, remove existing (which I advise not doing 
), and modifying existing volumes.
I did that using the add-on changing the folders everywhere. It was also necessary to change the folder in site.json as mentioned by sc0ttkclark. Otherwise LBF continues to display the old URL below the site title and can’t read the current version of WP and things like that.
No, not everthere, I tried to move the folders away from C: to somewhere I don’t need to worry about computer reset, but I got this message.
@_KC,
The Volumes add-on is currently not compatible with Windows.
In the meantime, the best way to relocate a site in Local is to:
- Right-click on it in the sidebar and go to “Export…”
- Follow the export flow and note the location of the exported archive
- Drag-and-drop the exported archive onto Local’s window to initiate an import
- Open the Advanced settings in the import flow and select the desired path
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Trying this option now. So far it is working great. If it works, I’ll just need to see if I can change the default file path and I will be set.
Please add this ability. I consider this a semi-bug, since when cloning a site, you only ask us for the new site NAME, never the folder name. Then You Change the name I give you, removing all -, and . which ARE valid characters in a folder name, and then you add an extra com to the end.
So my folder names are difficult to read, and inconsistent with my domain names and the site name.
This also comes into play when creating a New site.
You take the Site Name we give, then mangle it in the same way.
Sure, you do let us provide a folder name of our choosing, hidden under the ‘Advanced’ button, but then you OVERRIDE our folder name setting if we alter the Site Name!
This is a Very Unexpected and most universally Undesirable behavior.
If the Folder Name field is not blank (or hasn’t been edited by us), do Not Override it!
Or… base the folder name on the site url, not the site name !
The current behavior is ridiculous, frustrating, and quite frankly, amateur.
If you don’t want to give us an option to easily change the folder, you could:
- DO NOT unnecessarily bastardize the Site Name we provide, when turning it into a folder name
- DO NOT Override the folder name we provide (when you actually give us that option)
- allow us to provide a folder name while cloning (like you do when creating a new site)
- base the folder name on the domain url (instead of the site name)
- do not remove dashes and dots: they are valid folder and domain name characters
- do not add characters (ie .com) to a folder name. I already included it in the site name!
- unhide the Folder Name option (make it more accessible/visible/fewer clicks)
While the above suggestions do not address the ability of a user to change their mind about a folder name after the fact, they do address the issues/mistakes Flywheel by Local CREATES for the users.
The above suggestions should not be difficult to implement, improves the UX, and eliminates the cases where Flywheel was responsible for the poorly named folders. Certainly it would be easier fix the above issues, than for each user to try dealing with a hack each time they create a site or clone.
It will also improve the general workflow for users, and better meet expectations that any developer would have about folder organization, and any person would have about the way an input field operates.
At the very least, you can WARN us when YOU CHANGE OUR input field.
The 3rd party hack, and other hacks mentioned in this thread: good somebody found them, but
- the 3rd party option does not work on Windows
- these should in no way be necessary, especially when you cause the majority of bad folder names
- is a ridiculous amount of work to do something basic and expected, and in many cases preventable
- some reasons the hack is required is because of poor to semi-buggy and unexpected behavior of Flywheel Local itself.
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