How to manually install download database backup

[smcnab]

Issue Summary

Local has wiped the database from an existing site (See related support topic “Can’t pull/import site anymore”) I desperately need a quick fix so that I can get going again and test some local code updates. I don’t want to have to install a whole new stack just to do that. I was hoping there might be a way to manually install the database so that I can run tests and then upload by ftp instead of local until this is fixed. Local has been great. Been using for years but this bug is an absolute horror. You need to warn people.

Troubleshooting Questions

• Does this happen for all sites in Local, or just one in particular?
  All sites after Pull attempt

• Are you able to create a new, plain WordPress site in Local and access it in a Browser?
  Yes

Replication

Describe the steps that others can take to replicate this issue. If you have screenshots that can help clarify what is happening, please include them!
Just Pull any site.

System Details

• Which version of Local is being used?
  6.6.1+6281

• What Operating System (OS) and OS version is being used?

  • MacOS Ventura 13.2.1

[smcnab]

For anyone who needs this you can successfully create a new site by downloading a full site back up. Not a solution to the problem but at least you can get going again and then upload changes using SFTP. (Back to the dark old days before Local… nightmare!) Reminds me just how much I like working with Local… usually!

[Nick-B]

Thank you @smcnab! Sorry for the interruption in your workflow. Our Dev team is looking into this right now and we will hopefully have a solution for you soon. Thank you for your patience and communication with us

[Nick-B]

Hi @smcnab

Just an FYI that the issue from earlier today has now been resolved.

Cant pull/import site anymore - Uh-oh! Unable to import site error

Hi again everyone! Thank you for your patience with us, we are happy to report that the issues with pulling from WP Engine detailed above should now be resolved. For some context, the Local app experienced an outage between 3/16 - 3/17 where users were unable to pull due to an Unable to import site error. This was due to a bug in a patched update to this service the connection relies on. Steps were taken to revert that change and the fix has been implemented as of 3:15 pm CST. If you have any …

[smcnab]

Thank you. Local is very useful so I am pleased you were able to respond quickly. Now… if you were to introduce the ability to choose to automatically exclude certain directories when comparing files, that would be awesome with bells on. It would speed up the initial comparison for push and pull for large sites immensely.

[Nick-B]

Hi @smcnab

Are you talking about when you pull or import a site? One alternative is you could use the WP Migrate Lite plugin, which is free and includes full site exports. When you’re creating your export you can easily decide what you want to include and what you want to leave out. Then when you have your zip you can just drag and drop that into Local.

The same company (Delicious Brains) also made WP Offload Media which is a great plugin for reducing the bloat of runaway media libraries on large sites as well.