There isn’t a specific problem, just a question about how to do something or whether or not it’s even possible. We’re working on a project to create backup archives of all our content we host on OJS. I’d like to download everything from our hosted journals, but I can’t find a way to do it from the Administration interface. Ideally I’d like to get a ZIP file with all the PDFs from each individual journal, but if I have to do it on an issue-by-issue basis that would suffice. It seems like the kind of thing OJS would have available so I’m probably just overlooking something, and any help would be greatly appreciated.
What application are you using?
OJS 3.2.1.3 (I know it’s outdated, but it’s what we’re using)
Thank you!
Hi @sringsmuth,
You can get an overview of Import/Export tools here:
https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/admin-guide/3.3/en/data-import-and-export
Probably the Native XML might be best, given what you describe.
There is also this plugin too: GitHub - lepidus/fullJournalTransfer: OJS plugin for importing/exporting a journal with all its private information (e.g. submitted articles, reviews, editorial decisions, etc.)
I haven’t used it personally, so can’t speak from experience to it, but it may have some utility (note that you have to be running OJS 3.3 in order to use it).
Please note that the version of OJS you’re running (3.2) is no longer supported - it is highly recommended that you update to a newer version.
-Roger
PKP Team
Hi @sringsmuth,
Look for the “Backup” plugin in the Plugin Gallery (this should be available as far back as 3.1.0). That’ll allow you to download backups of the submission files, database, and OJS installation from within OJS.
Regards,
Alec Smecher
Public Knowledge Project Team
1 Like
Thank you @asmecher! I appreciate the suggestion about the Backup plugin, and I’ll take a look at some of the tools @rcgillis Roger mentioned too.
We are planning to update to a newer version of OJS in 2025.
Simon
Roger, I was able to run some exports with the Native XML Plugin but I’m not sure what to do with the XML files that are downloaded. It would be great if I could the Native XML Plugin to get PDFs of issues and articles, but it seems like it might involve a few extra steps that I’m not aware of. PKP Documentation has some information on how to use the plugin, but not on what to do with the XML files that it outputs.
Please note that using this plugin to export articles and issues will not only export all relevant metadata, but will include all article files (HTML, PDF, etc.) embedded within the XML document in Base64 encoding. This can result in large, cumbersome XML files, especially when multiple issues are exported at once.
I’m sure this must seem like an incredibly basic question, but I appreciate any help you could offer. Thank you.
Hi @sringsmuth,
Yes, the Native XML Plugin is probably not as easily understandable as many of the other tools within the OJS/PKP tool suite. The plugin allows for the import and export of articles and issues in OJS’s native XML format. It is especially useful for bulk migrations, such as moving large numbers of back issues or transferring submissions between OJS journals. It wouldn’t be suited to migrating to another platform, unless that platform was equipped to handle OJS’ native XML format.
The plugin handles submissions, metadata, and files, automatically creating imported issues, authors, and users. While it offers greater flexibility than say a format like CSV, it also has stricter requirements for file formatting and requires an understanding of XML. It is a better option than to manual imports via the QuickSubmit plugin, which is better suited for smaller tasks, although limited documentation. The Native XML Plugin is more sutiable for large-scale journal migrations and archival efforts, provided users have some XML expertise.
Practically speaking, given what you’ve described, if you were to use it, you’d have to store the PDF galleys separately, and then link to them within the XML document. Depending on how much content you have, this could be rather onerous.
It is one of the more powerful import/export tools, but, as I note, requires some expertise and willingness to work with the XML format. As Alec points out, you may want to opt for something like the Backup plugin, which may prove more suitable for your needs, but I did want to make you aware of the available options.
I hope this helps clarify things a bit further.
-Roger
PKP Team
That helps a lot, @rcgillis, and I appreciate you taking the time to offer such a detailed explanation. I think you’re right that for what I’m looking to do, the Native XML Plugin is probably not the right solution. Is there any way for me to download and install the Backup plugin manually? Right now the Import/Export plugins I have on my OJS instance are as follows, and do not include Backup.
mEDRA Export/Registration Plugin
QuickSubmit Plugin
Native XML Plugin
Users XML Plugin
CrossRef XML Export Plugin
PubMed XML Export Plugin
Bepress Import Plugin
DOAJ Export Plugin
DataCite Export/Registration Plugin
@asmecher suggested I look for the Backup plugin in the Plugin Gallery; where could I find this gallery?
I really appreciate you guys taking time to help me with this. I’m still relatively new to OJS and these probably sound like very basic questions, but there’s a lot that I still have to learn.
Thank you!
Simon
Hi @sringsmuth,
For information on the plugin gallery, see:
https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/learning-ojs/en/settings-website#plugin-gallery
Regards,
Alec Smecher
Public Knowledge Project Team
Thank you @asmecher. I appreciate the help. I found the Backup plugin on GitHub and this should get the job done for me.
https://github.com/asmecher/backup/releases/tag/v2_0_4-0
Hi @sringsmuth,
I’d recommend using the Plugin Gallery to discover and install plugins rather than finding the .tar.gz download yourself. The Plugin Gallery picks the newest compatible version of the plugin for your OJS, whereas uploading the .tar.gz directly doesn’t make those checks.
Regards,
Alec Smecher
Public Knowledge Project Team
Thanks @asmecher , I appreciate the tip. Nothing shows up when I use the Plugin Gallery to discover and install plugins; it might be a restriction that our SysAdmin has placed on our instance of OJS, and I’ll get in touch with him to discuss the matter further.