How do I copy content from one site to another (i.e., import from site)?
When you create new Sakai sites, you may want to copy content such as Lessons pages, Resources, Announcements, and Assignments from an older site into your new site. The Import from Site tab in Site Info allows you to select content from one or more tools from an older site and copy the content into the new site.
After the import is complete, you may then want to use the Date Manager to revise old due dates, availability dates, and other date-related fields.
Note: The Site Info tool’s Import from Site feature does not copy instances of external tools such as the Zoom Meetings tool. If desired in a site, the Zoom Meetings tool needs to be added manually, and instances of Hypothesis assignments re-created.
Prerequisite
You will need to have the role of Instructor in the course site you want to copy content from.
Navigate to a new, empty site where you would like to copy the content.
Be careful to select the empty course shell that will be the destination for the content you are about to copy. (You do not want to overwrite an existing course with a blank site, as this will delete your content.)
Select the Site Info tool in the Tool Menu.
Select the Site Info tool from the Tool Menu of your destination or new site.
Select Import from Site.
Click Import from Site from the Site Info tabs.
Click the "I would like to merge my data" link.
For most situations, we recommend clicking the second option: "I would like to merge my data." This preserves any content you already have added to your new course while merging it with content from your older course. Note that the first option, "I would like to replace my data," can be a destructive process, destroying content you may have already placed in your site. A more nuanced weighing of the pros and cons between "merge data" and "replace data" follows:
Replace data:
- overrides all existing content, including new template pages and tools, in favor or copied content
- retains gradebook settings from the site from which content is imported
- may work best for subsequent uses of standard or minimal template or to preserve prior site design
Merge data:
- imports prior content while retaining new template pages and tools
- does not preserve gradebooks settings from the site from which content is imported
- may work best for first time use of standard or minimal template
Select the course you want to copy from.
Select the site you want to copy content from from the list of sites.
Click Continue.
Click the Continue button.
Choose the material you would like to copy.
- Use the checkbox at the top of the right column to select content from all tools.
- Alternatively, you can check the boxes to the right of each tool to select specific tools to be copied.
If a tool is not active in the current site, the tool will have a + mark to indicate that it will be added to the current site if selected for import.
Note: For each tool selected, all of the content for that tool will be copied into the new course.
Click Finish.
Once you have made your tool selections, click Finish to complete the import.
Note: The content import process may take a while depending on how much content you have, or if your institution has a queue for course imports on the server. Please wait for the process to finish.
