Importing a Content Tree from One Evolution CMS Site into Another

Copying a content tree between two Evolution CMS projects sounds simple until the destination site already has its own structure and IDs. At that point, raw table copying becomes risky very quickly.

the article proposed a safer pattern: export the source tree as structured data, then rebuild it through the API on the target site.

Export on the source site

<?php
 define('MODX_API_MODE', true);
 define('IN_MANAGER_MODE', false);
 include_once('index.php');
 $modx->db->connect();
 if (empty($modx->config)) {
     $modx->getSettings();
 }
 $modx->runSnippet('DocLister', [
     'parents' => 0,
     'showParent' => 1,
     'display' => -1,
     'tvPrefix' => '',
     'tvList' => 'images,price'
 ]);

Rebuild on the destination site

On the receiving site, the import script can read the exported structure, remap parents, and create resources through the API instead of trying to preserve source IDs one-to-one.

include_once(MODX_BASE_PATH . 'assets/lib/MODxAPI/modResource.php');
$file = file_get_contents('https://your-site.com/export.php');
eval($file);
$docs = $docs['docs'];

The important idea is not the exact code. It is the workflow: export clean data, rebuild the tree deliberately, and keep parent mapping under your own control.

That makes this a strong legacy article to preserve, because migrations between live Evolution projects are common, and the “just copy tables” shortcut is often the wrong answer.