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Add smart URL transformation support for search-replace command #209

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60d0715
Add smart URL transformation support for search-replace
MarkBerube Jan 15, 2026
5ffe00f
Add coverage tests and ignore annotation for defensive code
MarkBerube Jan 15, 2026
1d96b47
Update README.md
MarkBerube Jan 16, 2026
e0a0b7f
Update src/WP_CLI/SearchReplace/Non_URL_Columns.php
MarkBerube Jan 16, 2026
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25 changes: 24 additions & 1 deletion README.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Quick links: [Using](#using) | [Installing](#installing) | [Contributing](#contr
## Using

~~~
wp search-replace <old> <new> [<table>...] [--dry-run] [--network] [--all-tables-with-prefix] [--all-tables] [--export[=<file>]] [--export_insert_size=<rows>] [--skip-tables=<tables>] [--skip-columns=<columns>] [--include-columns=<columns>] [--precise] [--recurse-objects] [--verbose] [--regex] [--regex-flags=<regex-flags>] [--regex-delimiter=<regex-delimiter>] [--regex-limit=<regex-limit>] [--format=<format>] [--report] [--report-changed-only] [--log[=<file>]] [--before_context=<num>] [--after_context=<num>]
wp search-replace <old> <new> [<table>...] [--dry-run] [--network] [--all-tables-with-prefix] [--all-tables] [--export[=<file>]] [--export_insert_size=<rows>] [--skip-tables=<tables>] [--skip-columns=<columns>] [--include-columns=<columns>] [--smart-url] [--analyze-tables] [--precise] [--recurse-objects] [--verbose] [--regex] [--regex-flags=<regex-flags>] [--regex-delimiter=<regex-delimiter>] [--regex-limit=<regex-limit>] [--format=<format>] [--report] [--report-changed-only] [--log[=<file>]] [--before_context=<num>] [--after_context=<num>]
~~~

Searches through all rows in a selection of tables and replaces
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -73,6 +73,23 @@ change primary key values.
Perform the replacement on specific columns. Use commas to
specify multiple columns.

[--smart-url]
Enable smart URL mode. Automatically skips dozens of WordPress core columns
that cannot contain URLs (like post_type, post_status, user_pass, etc.),
significantly improving performance for URL replacements. This is
particularly useful when migrating sites or changing domain names.
Performance: ~34% faster on large databases.
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Copilot AI Jan 15, 2026

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The PR description shows test results indicating 41.6% performance improvement, but the README states ~34%. While both might be valid depending on the database, it would be better to use consistent numbers or provide a range (e.g., '30-40% faster' or '~34-42% faster') to set accurate expectations.

Suggested change
Performance: ~34% faster on large databases.
Performance: ~34–42% faster on large databases (depending on the database).

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
Note: This flag is automatically enabled when the search string starts
with http:// or https://. Use --verbose to see which columns are skipped.

[--analyze-tables]
Enable advanced table analysis mode. Analyzes MySQL column datatypes
to automatically skip non-text columns (integers, dates, enums, etc.)
and columns matching common WordPress-style naming patterns (e.g. `*_id`,
`*_count`, `*_status`, etc.) in addition to the static skip list. Useful
for plugin tables with custom schemas. Requires --smart-url to be enabled.
Note: Adds a small overhead for table introspection.

[--precise]
Force the use of PHP (instead of SQL) which is more thorough,
but slower.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -139,6 +156,12 @@ change primary key values.
# Search/replace to a SQL file without transforming the database
$ wp search-replace foo bar --export=database.sql

# URL replacement with smart column skipping (faster for URL changes)
$ wp search-replace 'http://example.test' 'http://example.com' --smart-url

# URL replacement with advanced table analysis for plugin tables
$ wp search-replace 'http://old.test' 'http://new.test' --smart-url --analyze-tables

# Bash script: Search/replace production to development url (multisite compatible)
#!/bin/bash
if $(wp --url=http://example.com core is-installed --network); then
Expand Down
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