Having Problems or Issues with XML Demo Content Upload? Try This Solution

[ww2010]

Sad that a customer is the one to help provide chunk files and not @swiftideas ….

A customer that provides better customers service? ……crazy

[eccesso]

HI! I’m not trying to defend anyone from the Neighborhood_Team (SwiftIdeas), but if anyone will track their history in their portfolio at Themeforest, you’ll notice – that the issue with uploading large XML.files (and maybe other files too?), has been an issue – which never really has been solved! It has been a common problem to a large number of customers/clients/purchasers, etc. So what’s your guess about this?
Besides SwiftIdeas has sold a large number of themes, and have become Elite Authors during their consistent themedevelopment. So clients keep buying their themes, hoping – that they may create a site, which will look exactly like the full-demo-content! An unknown number of clients may probably end up with a compromise, that little functioning then no function – is better than nothing at all! When they don’t succeed in their effords to copy the demo-content.
My guess to the above mentioned issue – regarding the upload of the large xml.file, (among other files) merely has to do with every each of ours’ clientaccounts at our ISP’s, and the bandwidth your account provides. Besides you must know where to change the parameters in your php.ini file from your cPanel, because this would probably make a whole lot of difference to the complete upload of anything! Besides you also must have access to the .htaccess file, and relate this file to your php.ini. This sound completely GA-GA-GA! to novices, but if you can’t make these two crucial files work properly, – nothing really will work – regarding anykind of upload to your site of anykind of file! And if you don’t have access to these files from your cPanel, you must ask your Hosting/support to change these two files and implement the proper code! This makes your problems even more complicated, because the issue now has been exported to your Hosting company!
So….this issue will all the time get back to yourself and your clientaccount at your ISP and WebHosting, which SwiftIdeas can’t do anything about! Ad believe me……….they wont!
I’ve uploaded the full-demo-content-piece-of-sxit-XML.file, which you may download for your own use and purposes. And if these files – 15 zipped XML.files – don’t work, you may crunch theme into – as many minor files – you may need – with regards to your client profiles at your ISP! If you need to crunchdown the files to 50 small XML.files, or 70…or less, Well…..this will probably do the trick for you!
I’ve convinced myself, that one may succeed in uploading the full-content-bla-bla-bla.XML file, and make the demo theme look more or less exactly like the one SwiftIdeas – has turned me on too! And naturally I’m satisfied and relieved about this to my own concern. But this also reveils another answer, namely – that everybody may end up by doing exactly the same – which is – to succceed from total despair to total succes! So hang on guys and keep pushing! These experiences will create more knowhow to you, then just uploading the Fxcxkxng-piece-of-sxit-XML.file!
Check it out! http://www.psykologportalen.net

Bst rgs_

_eccesso™

[Hunch]

I agree that perhaps the documentation instructions for uploading the XML and other sections could be updated/expanded upon. Pictures would help guide people a little better, but contrary to some previous claims this is not a broken theme issue. The theme works fine. Demo content is not integral to the theme working, but an option. Buyers should/can read the feedback first to make an informed purchase.

Again, the theme works fine. The full XML is really large and many other high content theme demos from other developers often suffer similar issues with XML uploads. You’d be surprised at what can and cannot affect your installs with differences in various servers, shared servers, WordPress core, human error, knowledge, bandwidth, security, plugins, conflicts et al. People who may not understand the dynamics of servers and hosting systems are often too quick to blame everything else. Hosting set ups are beyond the control of theme creators, so it is up to end users to ensure theirs is adequate. There is not always a one-size-fits-all solution else it would have been provided.

For those who need smaller XML file chunks, there is a link to a program you can use to do it yourself in this very thread – the one mentioned 2-3 times if you read back a couple of pages. That way you have control of what size you need to make them. Simple.

Others spend $60 and seem to expect the World in free support – offering support is good business sense and an added bonus, but not exactly a requirement. Some developers provide little to no support. The @SwiftIdeas support has been most often prompt and helpful with the issues and questions here and on the theme pages. But they are not magicians and one cannot expect every server or set up is going to act the same – there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule. Also they have stated several times that they do not answer on weekends, so yes, sometimes there will be delays.

A faster and far more productive way of getting issues escalated & resolved is by giving more specific details, providing logins where required and politely/calmly asking for some help (instead of venting frustrations as occasionally seen throughout the forum and theme page discussions). Start a thread even. I understand it can be frustrating, but some of these posts come across more like impolite complaining which borders on a whinge – I could hardly blame them if they didn’t bother to help. One catches more flies with honey than vinegar.  

That said, I do hope you all get it sorted out.

[eccesso]

Fine that guys like Hunch is around, to calm down the anylizing of the problems an unknown number of users have to go through before they hopefully reach the full-content-demo-mode-of-this-deceptive-installer-instruction-manual.
I think that I’m ready to close down the: http://www.psykologportalen.net an take it to maintenance mode, and leave the further support to Hunch!

bst rgs and good luck to the ones, that never reached the full-demo-setup-mode!

_eccesso™

[Swift Ideas – Ed]

Hey all.

First off, we have provided chunked files in the latest update, and have uploaded them on the previous page for anyone who doesn’t have the latest version downloaded!

Second, our support policy is only Monday-Friday. Usually I’d be around to chip in on the weekends where possible but unfortunately have had no internet due to a house move.

We are here, and we are trying to provide as much support as we can. We’re getting new members into the support team, and increasing our hours. As someone else pointed out, support is not required with themes, but we do try our best and are focusing on improving. A little courtesy and patience is always appreciated.

– Ed

[vkialka]

@eccesso, tks for you help with this xml. Unfortunately it shows an error:
Sorry, there has been an error.
This does not appear to be a WXR file, missing/invalid WXR version number

Any ideas? Yould you be willing to help me do this installation?
Tks man!!

[vkialka]

@swiftideas All that has been written here is understandable. And no one, i think, wishes to even need support, but since none of the files you provide work it is totally understandable that customers will expect new and working files. Yes, after a lot of time, you have provided new xml files, but i already wrote back saying they didn’t work and I’m still waiting on an answer… There has been a lot of discussion and little solution. Again I don’t want support from Swift Ideas, only files that work. WHAT IS YOUR STANDARD RESPONSE TIME? 24H? 48H? Can you provide new working xml files?

[skiwi]

I want my 8 hours back! 🙁 we talk about the refund later…

[skiwi]

I’m not an expert but can’t you post the mysql backup and files to upload via ftp?

Trying to import on a fresh local WAMP install on a 16gb 3,2 6 core machine, also no luck.

[ww2010]

@skiwi

8 hours? Try 3 damn days! I gotta give it to @swiftideas though…in the face of all this uproar, they have kept there cool and responded as per their guidelines…

@hunch

“Demo content is not integral to the theme working, but an option”

Pretty clear a lot of us obviously brought it for this reason

[kalgary1]

I’m no programmer/developer and I didn’t read all the comments yet, but I’d think the problem lies in the size of the files that the xml data is trying to retrieve. I think the images are just too big.

The fix: run all images through a minimization tool (e.g. tiny PNG) from the original swift ideas DEMO website, THEN create an XML export. There’s probably at least 500MB – 1GB of images referenced in that xml file. it’s like downloading a fresh copy of PhotoShop or something…

[myuption]

Indeed, the images are really big. Took me almost 30 minutes, I let the importer work till it crashed, then returned to the Dashboard and finally got it working. At least to check out and start working on my own site.

Maybe it’s because of the retina ready images, they are simply huge.

[vkialka]

Great theme and inversely proportional post sale and support. NEVER got any of my posts replied. Unless another theme by them is simply a must have, never buying from them again.

[Hunch]

@ww2010 :

“Demo content is not integral to the theme working, but an option”
Pretty clear a lot of us obviously brought it for this reason

Yes some have bought this theme with the want of adding the demo content, but my quote has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with the fact that the issues people are having with not being able to import that demo content do not mean that the theme itself is faulty or broken. Or that the theme installation doesn’t work. It is a content upload issue.

@vkialka
This is why I was suggesting for some issues people might be better off to start a specific thread, because every time someone answers or adds on to a thread with a post, it will bump it back to the end of the queue and will further delay the time the request gets seen by @SwiftIdeas support. Especially if it’s a popular thread like this.

—

The images are huge and to be retina ready some of them have to be. If you really don’t need the entire shop content, dummy comments, etc replicated on your own site, the ALT file should be more efficient and suitable for most people’s needs – and there’d be less dummy content to delete at the end.

I’ve added both (Full & Alt) and the ALT file was actually adequate, faster to upload. You don’t get ALL the shop products but there are some included and it is more than enough to get you started if your primary intention for using demo content is as a basis to model your own site on. (If anyone is still debating which to use and having issues).

[Greenaby]

Hi there,

I’m having the same issue. I can’t upload the demo content at all. I keep getting an internal server error. My host is Go Daddy and I able to increase the php memory to 128MB but that’s as high as they will allow.

Also, I was able to zip the file to a .gz format like @Hunch suggested, which made the file size quite small, but I was still having the same issue. I didn’t have this issue with my previous theme and their demo content.

Is there another way to upload this content using FTP? What folder would I put it in? (I’m just learning all this now, so it’s all new to me – I’m not a techie at all and need step by step instructions).

Also, if I can’t upload the demo data (I was able to upload all the slider files – slider demo css and txt files). Can I still re-create the look of the the demo site using your page builder? Are all the elements there for me to use? Will creating the Shop area be fairly self-explanatory?

I am a newbie and need some help. I am not sure what to do…