Skip Navigation
Home » WPML Documentation » Related Projects » WPML Export and Import » Making Your WordPress Export or Import Plugin Compatible with WPML

Making Your WordPress Export or Import Plugin Compatible with WPML

Kathy Banach
Updated
January 31, 2024

Are you the author of an import/export plugin for WordPress? Integrate it with WPML Export and Import to enhance its functionality. This integration lets your users import multilingual content in a simple and organized way, making your plugin a preferred choice in the WordPress community.

What Is WPML Export and Import?

WPML Export and Import, a WPML add-on, provides a universal solution for simplifying the exporting and importing of multilingual content. It allows users to maintain their familiar export and import workflows, with WPML stepping in only after the importing process. A single click runs WPML Export and Import to assign language information and connect translations.

See how smoothly WPML Export and Import works with integrated plugins.

How Integrating with WPML Export and Import Improves User Experience

Moving translated content to a new WordPress site should be straightforward. However, without the right integration, it can turn into a complex and confusing process.

Here’s how it usually goes: Your plugin successfully imports the multilingual content, but initially, the primary and secondary language content will be disconnected and mixed together. This can be frustrating for both the site owner who manages the content, and the viewer who interacts with it on the front-end. 

Integrating your plugin with WPML Export and Import can dramatically improve this clumsy process. For example, it includes an important mechanism that automatically handles the content’s Publishing Status:

  • For content imported as a Draft, WPML keeps it that way. 
  • For imported content set to the Publish status, WPML Export and Import temporarily changes it to Draft. This stops visitors from seeing a mix of languages on the website. As soon as WPML Export and Import assigns languages and connects translations, it changes the status back to Publish, just like the user wanted.

Benefits of WPML Export and Import Compatibility

Benefits for Your Clients

Simplified Workflow – Your clients can import content into multilingual sites more easily, without additional manual steps.

Accurate Language Assignment – WPML handles the language settings for each piece of imported content, ensuring all posts are connected in the right way.

Controlled Publishing Status – WPML ensures website visitors can only see imported content once it updates the language information, thus maintaining an accurate site appearance at all times.

Benefits for You

Plugin Authors

Broader Market Reach – Your plugin becomes appealing to a wider audience, especially those managing large multilingual sites.

Improved UX and Less Support Requests – Compatibility with WPML adds more functionality to your plugin, reducing support tickets and improving user satisfaction.

Reduced Maintenance Effort – The straightforward nature of this integration greatly minimizes the time and effort you need to spend on maintaining compatibility with WPML.

Get Started with Compatibility

To give your clients a hassle-free way to export and import multilingual content, apply to the Go Global compatibility program. 

Our team will assist with a sandbox site and review your theme or plugin. We’ll work with you to make your plugin multilingual-ready and compatible with WPML Export and Import. Once done, we’ll list your product in our compatible plugins directory. 

With good cooperation, this process typically takes one to two weeks  – and it’s completely free!