Export WordPress Posts & Users with WP-CLI

Overview

This script automates the export of WordPress posts, custom permalinks, and optional user data using WP-CLI and produces both CSV and Excel (.xlsx) files ready for import into tools like Google Sheets.

It is designed to:

• Merge all post-related data into a single master file
• Include hyperlinks and formulas
• Optionally append users and their post counts across public post types
• Run reliably with built-in validation and logging

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Why Use This Script?

✔ Exports posts and custom permalinks for SEO audits
✔ Optional user data export with post counts
✔ Validates structure and merges all output cleanly
✔ Creates a Google Sheets-friendly .xlsx file with formulas
✔ Built-in safety checks (WP-CLI installed, empty files, debug logs)
✔ Saves hours of tedious data collection

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Dependencies

This script assumes the following are available on your system:

📦 Required:

• WP-CLI
• Python 3.x with:

  pip install pandas openpyxl

If running on macOS with system restrictions, use:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install pandas openpyxl

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How It Works

1. ✅ Verifies wp is installed
2. ✅ Prompts for your base domain (e.g., example.com or your-domain.com)
3. ✅ Prompts to include user data (defaults to yes)
4. ✅ Gathers post data for all public post types (excluding attachments)
5. ✅ Retrieves custom_permalink meta (if used)
6. ✅ Merges and cleans post data using awk
7. ✅ Generates a CSV and Excel file:
   • $A$1 becomes the editable domain base in Excel
   • Column A: full post URL formula
   • Column J: WP Admin edit link
8. ✅ Exports users and post counts (if selected)
9. ✅ Prints summary and stores debug logs

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Installation & Usage

🔧 1. Save and Make Executable

chmod +x export_wp_posts.sh

🚀 2. Run the Script

./export_wp_posts.sh

You will be prompted for:

• Base domain (for Excel URL formulas)
• Whether to export user data (y/n)

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Output Files

All files are saved to the !export_wp_posts/ folder:

File	Description
export_all_posts.csv	Raw post data from all public post types
export_custom_permalinks.csv	Custom permalinks if available
export_wp_posts_<timestamp>.csv	Final validated & merged post CSV
export_wp_posts_<timestamp>.xlsx	Excel file with formulas and hyperlinks
export_users.csv	List of all WordPress users (if selected)
export_users_with_post_counts.csv	Users with appended post counts
export_debug_log.txt	Debug messages for troubleshooting

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Quick Tips

🧪 Test WP-CLI

wp --info

🧰 Customize export directory

Edit this line in the script:

EXPORT_DIR="!export_wp_posts"

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Automation (Optional)

⏰ Schedule via cron

crontab -e

Add:

0 1 * * * /path/to/export_wp_posts.sh

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Final Thoughts

This script gives you total control over WordPress data exports — with formulas and structure built in for teams using Google Sheets or Excel.

🔄 Whether you're debugging permalinks, cleaning up old content, or running user audits — this tool has you covered.

Happy exporting! 🚀