Introduction to Using The Zippy Plugin
Using the Zippy Plugin is all about having a fast, convenient way to archive an updated post or page. It’s one of those great, free utility plugins that fills an important needs of having a current backup of recent post or page changes. This article is listed in our “Create Blog Website” main topic. It also is a part of the “Designing & Creating Site” category. So, keep reading for the details about Zippy and visit the resources page for other upcoming shareable items of interest.
What Does Zippy Do?
It can export out a backup copy of a post, a page, and even a view. I’ve tested it with all 3 types. It’s excellent for easy, fast archiving individual items.
Installation of Zippy
The installation of Zippy is just like any other free plugin in WordPress. Here is the WordPress page for Zippy. After selecting to add a new plugin, just search for Zippy. After installing, activate it. Then, you’ll see “Archive (Zippy)” as a new option when you look at all your posts and hover over one of them in the list.
Using Zippy
You can hover over any item like a page, post, or view (in the ContentViews plugin app), and tap the option “Archive (Zippy)”. It will pause a short moment and then prompt you for where to save the pre-named Zippy file. I usually add the date in front of the file name like yyyy.mm.dd.
When to Use the Zippy Plugin
Here are some case examples of when to use the Zipping Plugin. Let’s say you just updated a post and published it. You can make a quick zippy backup of that post as a single file and store it on your computer. It’s great for versioning of updates too.
Another example is let’s say you updated one of your “views” you use in your visual grids for recipes. That’s like the ones found using the recommended Content Views Pro plugin. Well, Zippy can backup those Content Views. I use it often for version control of updated views and save several dated versions of changed grid views.
A final noted feature is you can use it to transfer individual items or a modest amount of bulk items from one site to another, if you have more than one site.
Basic Limitation of Zippy
As all good things, there are sometimes discovered limitations. Zippy has a limit to how many things it can backup at one time. It appears to be related to total file size. For example, while it can backup several selected posts at one time as one Zippy file, I don’t recommend beyond about 15-25 at once.
I discovered that the file size of over 100 posts wasn’t proportionally larger than a backup of 25 posts. So, with some testing, I discovered that limitation. Also, keep in mind that if you typically have posts that are large and have a lot of images, your limitation regarding quantity might even be less.
Alternatives to Zippy
While it’s quick, light, and easy to use, there are countless alternatives to Zippy that do full-fledged backups. Check the latest on the Resources menu to see what current backups are being used or recommended. Here are some alternatives for full-sized, heavier backups and include scheduling.
- Updraft Plus
- WPvivid Backup Pro
Conclusion
Now you know about the use of the free Zippy plugin. It’s worth checking it out because it’s just too convenient to use for taking an updated backup of a few posts, pages, or views. It’s also perfect for when you want to test something and then restore it back real quick. It’s so much easier than using the full fledged site backup tools. Finally, the Linxent.com™ Business Resources 5-Star Award has been issued to Zippy.
On another note, for a performance boost, read over how to get your LiteSpeed Cache Domain Key.
