How do export & import product feed configuration?.

A feed’s configuration — its channel, template, attribute mapping, filters, and schedule — can take real effort to build. CTX Feed lets you export that configuration to a small file and import it back later, so you can back up your setup or recreate the same feed on another site in seconds. This guide explains what gets exported, how to export and import a feed, and when each is useful.

Export and import move the feed’s configuration, not the generated feed file or your products. The importing site builds the feed from its own WooCommerce catalog using the settings from the file.

What the config file contains — and what it doesn’t

The export file (a .wpf file) holds everything that defines the feed:

• The channel and output type (XML, CSV, TXT, or JSON).
• The attribute mapping from the Config tab, including prefixes, suffixes, and command transforms.
• The product Filters and any advanced filters.
• The feed’s settings and schedule.

It does not contain your products, prices, or the generated feed file. Three things are deliberately left out or need attention:

• The FTP / SFTP password is never exported (the host, user and path are). Re-enter it on the importing site.
• Custom Template 2 code blocks ({(return …)}) are only kept when an administrator imports the file; for anyone else they are removed and a notice says so.
• Dynamic attributes, attribute mappings, category mapping sets and WP options are stored separately, not in the feed file. Recreate them on the destination site if the feed uses them.

When you import, CTX Feed reads those settings and generates a fresh feed from the products on that site. That is exactly why the same config works on a staging copy or an entirely different store.

The .wpf format is compatible across CTX Feed versions, so a file exported from an older CTX Feed (V5) can be imported into the current version, and vice versa.

When to use export/import

• Back up a feed before making big changes, so you can restore the known-good setup.
• Move a feed from staging to production without rebuilding it by hand.
• Reuse a proven setup across several sites you manage.
• Share a configuration with support or a teammate so they can reproduce your exact feed.

Export a feed configuration

1. Go to CTX Feed → Manage Feeds.
2. Find the feed you want to save and open its ⋮ (more actions) menu in the Actions column.
3. Choose Export Config. A .wpf file downloads to your computer.

Store that file somewhere safe. Repeat for each feed you want to back up — export works on one feed at a time.

Import a feed configuration

1. Go to CTX Feed → Manage Feeds.
2. Click Import Feed at the top of the screen (on a brand-new site with no feeds yet, use the Import a feed file button in the empty-state panel).
3. In the Import a feed file dialog, drag your .wpf file onto the drop zone, or click to browse and select it. Only .wpf files are accepted.
4. Optionally type a Feed name. Left empty, it is named “Imported: ” plus the original name.
5. Click Import feed. CTX Feed recreates the feed from the file and regenerates it automatically using the current site’s products.

The imported feed then appears in your feed list with its own new public URL, ready to submit to a channel. Because it regenerates on import, you can open it straight away to check the output.

Moving a feed to another site

To clone a feed onto a different WordPress/WooCommerce site:

1. On the source site, Export Config for the feed.
2. On the destination site, make sure CTX Feed is installed and your products exist, then Import Feed the .wpf file.
3. Review the imported feed — especially Category mapping, dynamic attributes and any store-specific attributes — since category and attribute names may differ between stores. Adjust on the Config tab if needed and regenerate.

Troubleshooting

• “Only .wpf files are accepted.” You tried to import a different file type. Export produces a .wpf file — import that exact file, not the generated XML/CSV feed.
• “Unable to decompress file. Is it a valid .wpf export?” The file is corrupted or was altered. Re-export it from the source feed and try again — do not edit the .wpf file by hand.
• Imported feed has empty or wrong values. The destination store may use different category or attribute names than the source. Open the feed’s Config tab and Category mapping, correct the mappings, then regenerate.
• I want to back up every feed at once. Export handles one feed per file; export each feed you want to keep. For a full site move, migrating the WordPress database carries all feeds, but exporting individual configs is the safest way to move a single feed.

Related guides

• Manage Feeds
• How to configure FTP
• How to solve feed configuration not updating issue
• How to increase your PHP memory limit and execution time