Batch replace string in wordpress table

18 May 2010 • 2 Comments • Tips&Tricks

Today I needed to replace LOTS of values inside a wordpress database, especially the meta_value in the wp_postmeta table. This solution will allow you to only replace values with a specified meta_key. It is very usefoul if you are using (like me) some “custom values” plugin in your posts.
UPDATE `YOUR_WORDPRESS_DATABASE`.`wp_postmeta` SET `meta_value` = REPLACE(`meta_value`,"OLD_STRING","NEW_STRING") WHERE `wp_postmeta`.`meta_key` = "YOUR_META_KEY";
This solution is also much better than downloading the database and using a text editor because you can specify the meta_key to be selected!