ProofMEDIA FindReplace Plugin User Manual

Version: 1.5
Author: ProofMEDIA Ltd
Website: https://proofmedia.uk

IMPORTANT: Always create a full backup of your website before performing global find and replace operations.

1. Overview

The ProofMEDIA FindReplace Plugin allows administrators to perform a global, case-sensitive find and replace operation across:

Posts
Pages
All public Custom Post Types (excluding media attachments)

The plugin includes preview mode, batch-safe processing for large websites, optional title replacement, and downloadable CSV reporting.

2. Features

✅ Preview before replacing
✅ Batch-safe processing (large site friendly)
✅ Replace in content
✅ Optional replace in titles
✅ Supports Custom Post Types
✅ CSV export of results
✅ Secure nonce verification
✅ Case-sensitive matching

3. Accessing the Plugin

Log in to WordPress Admin.
Navigate to ProofMEDIA FindReplace in the left-hand menu.

4. How to Use

Step 1: Select Post Type

Choose where you want to search:

Posts
Pages
Any available Custom Post Type (e.g., Products, Events, Portfolio)

Step 2: Enter Search Text

In the Find field, enter the exact text you want to locate.

Find and replace is case sensitive.
Example: “London” is different from “london”.

Step 3: Enter Replacement Text

Enter the new text in the Replace With field.

Step 4: Optional – Replace in Titles

Tick the checkbox:Replace in Post/Page Titles

If enabled:

Titles will be scanned during preview
Titles will be updated during replacement
Replacement counts include title changes

Step 5: Click “Find”

This runs a preview scan only.

No changes are made at this stage.

The results table shows:

Post/Page Title
URL
Number of replacements that will occur

Step 6: Review Carefully

Check:

URLs are correct
Replacement counts look accurate
You selected the correct post type

Step 7: Click “Replace”

This applies the changes.

After completion, a success notice displays:

Replacement complete. X items updated. Y total replacements made.

5. CSV Export

After a successful replacement, you may download a CSV report.

The CSV file includes:

Title
URL
Number of replacements made

The file:

Downloads automatically to your computer
Is Excel-compatible (UTF-8 formatted)
Includes a timestamp in the filename

6. Performance & Large Sites

The plugin processes content in batches of 50 posts per cycle to:

Prevent memory exhaustion
Avoid server timeouts
Ensure stability on large databases

7. Permissions

Only users with the capability:manage_options

(typically Administrators) can access and run this plugin.

8. Best Practices

✅ Always back up your site first
✅ Run a Find preview before Replace
✅ Test on staging if possible
✅ Be cautious with short or common words
✅ Use exact casing

9. Limitations

Case-sensitive only
Does not support regex
Does not modify custom fields (meta)
Does not include attachments
No undo functionality (backup required)

10. Troubleshooting

No Results Found

Check case sensitivity
Confirm correct post type selected
Ensure content actually contains the string

Unexpected Replacements

Review preview table before replacing
Restore from backup if necessary

11. Disclaimer

Global find and replace operations permanently modify database content. ProofMEDIA Ltd is not responsible for data loss resulting from improper use. Always maintain backups.