Moving Content to Astro

Moving Content to Astro

Over the years, my blog has lived in various platforms, including a custom blog written in ASP.NET and XML, Blogger, and multiple versions of WordPress. Recently, I decided to move all my content to Astro, a modern static site generator. This post outlines the process I followed to migrate my blog content to Astro, including code samples and command line instructions. Additionally, I’ll summarize the tasks performed by GitHub Copilot during this migration.

Exporting Content from WordPress

To begin, I exported all my content from WordPress using a Jekyll exporter plugin. This plugin converts WordPress posts into Markdown files, which are compatible with Astro.

1. Install the Jekyll Exporter plugin in WordPress.
2. Navigate to Tools > Export to Jekyll.
3. Download the exported Markdown files.

Next, I downloaded the Updraft backup for the media files.

Setting Up Astro

I forked an Astro template (astroplate) from GitHub, using the preview Astro v5 version of the template that uses Tailwind v4 and Astro v5.

1. Clone the Astroplate repository:

   git clone https://github.com/satnaing/astro-paper.git
   cd astroplate

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

Importing Markdown Files

I imported all my Markdown files into the Astro project. The Markdown files were placed in the blog directory.

1. Copy the exported Markdown files to the Astro project:

   cp -r path/to/exported/markdown/files/* src/data/blog/

Cleaning Up Markdown Files

I used GitHub Copilot to perform a number of tasks on each file to clean them up. Here are some examples of the tasks performed:

1. Updating Metadata: Adding or updating metadata fields such as title, description, categories, and tags.

2. Removing Superfluous Tags: Removing unnecessary HTML tags and comments from the Markdown files.

3. Converting Inline Code: Converting inline code snippets to Markdown code blocks.

4. Fixing Formatting Issues: Ensuring consistent formatting and fixing any issues with the Markdown syntax.

Summary of Tasks Performed by GitHub Copilot

During this session, GitHub Copilot assisted with the following tasks:

1. Updating Metadata:

   ---
   id: 1234
   title: 'Sample Blog Post'
   pubDatetime: 2025-03-01T12:00:00+01:00
   author: rebecca
   layout: '../layouts/BlogPost.astro'
   guid: 'https://rebecca-powell.com/?p=1234'
   slug: 2025-03-01-sample-blog-post
   description: A sample blog post for demonstration purposes.
   categories:
       - work
   tags:
       - sample
       - blog
   ---

2. Removing Superfluous Tags:

   <!-- Removed unnecessary HTML comments and tags -->

3. Converting Inline Code:

   ```bash
   npm install

4. Fixing Formatting Issues:

   # Sample Blog Post
   
   This is a sample blog post for demonstration purposes.

By following these steps and utilizing GitHub Copilot, I successfully migrated my blog content to Astro. The process was streamlined and efficient, allowing me to focus on creating new content rather than dealing with technical issues.

I hope this guide helps you in your own migration journey. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out. Happy blogging!