With the MainWP Bulk Settings Manager Extension, you can adjust your Child site settings for the WordPress Core and almost any WordPress Plugin or Theme.
How it Works
MainWP Bulk Settings Manager Extension works together with the MainWP Key Maker plugin. The Key Maker plugin grabs necessary data from your WordPress site (where you have set your preferences); next, the Extension converts the data to a key that you can submit to the rest of your child sites and apply your preferences.
Quick and easy, with just a few clicks, you can update settings on all your child sites!
Does Bulk Settings Manager work with the XYZ plugin or theme?
While we have not tested every plugin or theme, Bulk Settings Manager should technically work with any plugin or theme that uses standard forms.
If you want to check if the information you want to work with will be recorded:
Install the free MainWP Key Maker Plugin (link to WordPress.org)
Submit the form you want to be able to use in Bulk Settings Manager.
Once you have submitted the form, press the MainWP Key Maker button in your WP-Admin Top Menu.
You will now see at least 2 “Keys” that will pop up for you “Post-submission Request” and “Pre-submission Request” (you almost always want to use Post-submission since that is the information gathered after you submitted the form).
Now click on “Verify Form Fields and Values” this will show you in a human-readable way what information was gathered.
If everything looks right and all your information was gathered correctly, you can be 99% sure that it will work with Bulk Settings Manager to change all your Child sites.
An example of where Bulk Settings Manager would not work is during the initial setup of JetPack, where you are required to leave your Child site to verify log-in credentials. However, you would be able to set up keys for JetPack after the verify credential step.
Pre-submission requests often don’t have all fields and values detected. Using the Pre-submission requests may lead to incomplete Keys. We strongly recommend using Post-submission requests!
To see the Post-submission request, you need to submit the form that you are trying to grab and make the Key. Once you get to the page where the form is located, make sure that the wanted values are correctly set, submit the form, and after that, you will see the Post-submission request.
Some forms are divided into multiple mini-forms. MainWP Key Maker plugin detects all mini-forms and displays Post-submission requests for all of them.
If you get multiple Post-Submission requests, be sure to use the Verify Form Fields and Values button and find the “biggest” one. The request that is showing all form fields will probably be the one.
Bulk Settings Manager Workflow
Install the Key Maker plugin on a site that has a Theme or Plugin with settings that you want to share across your Child Sites
Install the Bulk Settings Manager Extension in your MainWP Dashboard
Go to a settings page of plugin or theme that you want to copy to all your Child sites and Submit that page, so the form is passed
Press the MainWP Key Maker button listed at the top of your screen
Select the post-submission Request field and copy the generated code by clicking the Copy to Clipboard button
Login in to your MainWP Dashboard
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager page
Click the Import Keys tab
Paste that copied code in the Key Code field
Give your Key a name
Click the Make the Key button
After the Key has been created, you will be redirected to the Key Edit screen.
Verify the form fields look correct for you and, if needed, update field values
Click the Save Key button
Go to the Single Keys tab
Select the Key
Select your Child Sites
Click the Save Key to Selected Child sites button
Add a Key to a Key Ring
Key Ring feature allows you to group your Keys and submit them all at once. It comes pretty handy in case one Plugin or Theme has multiple settings forms. After you create all Keys for a plugin or theme, you can group them in a single Key Rings that allow you to manage them more efficiently.
Login to your MainWP Dashboard
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager page
Go to the Single Keys tab
Locate the Key that you want to add to a Key Ring
Click the Edit action
In the Key Settings box, locate the Key Ring options
Create a new Key Ring for your Key or assign the Key to an existing one
Click the Save Key button
Save Keys to Child Sites
Submit a Single Key
Login to your MainWP Dashboard
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager page
Go to the Single Keys tab
Locate the Key that you want to submit
Select it
Select your Child Sites
Click the Save Key to Selected Child Sites button
Submit a Key Ring
Login to your MainWP Dashboard
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager page
Go to the Key Rings tab
Locate the Key Ring that you want to submit
Select it
Select your Child Sites
Click the Save Key Ring to Selected Child Sites button
Create a Single Key
MainWP Bulk Settings Manager extension allows you to create Keys manually or import them from the MainWP Key Maker plugin or a file.
Please note that we highly recommend making your keys by importing them from the Key Maker plugin. This method is much easier, quicker, and minimizes potential issues. However, if you decide to make keys manually, note that it is a harder process and recommended only to advanced users.
Make a Single Key with the Key Maker plugin.
The Bulk Settings Manager Extension works with the MainWP Key Maker plugin to record your form settings and make a “key.” Once you have the “key,” you save it into your Bulk Settings Manager Extension. From this point, you can submit your settings to child sites, or if needed, you can update your settings and submit them to child sites after that.
Login into your website where you have the plugin set as you want it
Install the MainWP Key Maker plugin and activate it
Go to a settings page of a plugin, theme, or one of the WordPress settings pages that you want to copy to all your Child sites
Submit the settings form, so the form is passed
Press the MainWP Key Maker button listed at the top of your screen
Select the post-submission Request field and copy it to clipboard
Login to your MainWP Dashboard
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager page
Go to the Import Keys from Key Maker tab
Paste that copied code in the Key Code field
Give your Key a name
Click the Make the Key button
After the Key has been created, you will be redirected to the Key Edit screen.
Verify the form fields look correct for you and, if needed, update field values
Click the Save Key button.
Bulk Settings Manager Settings
Delay – allows you to set a time delay between two submissions. For example, if you set a delay to 5 seconds and submit a key to 3 child sites after the Key has been submitted to the first site, the extension will wait for 5 seconds before it proceeds to the next child site. This option helps you to reduce server load.
Clear History – by clicking the button, you will delete all historical data from the Bulk Settings Manager extension.
Use Boilerplate – if enabled, you will be able to use Boilerplate tokens as key field values. Note that this option works only if the MainWP Boilerplate Extension has been installed and activated on your MainWP Dashboard.
Import a Bulk Settings Manager Key
There are two ways to import Bulk Setting Manager Extension keys, first, by pasting a key code, and second, by importing a key file.
Paste Key Code
Login to your MainWP Dashboard
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager > Import Keys page
Locate the Import Key from the MainWP Key Maker option box
Enter the key name in the Key Name field
Paste the previously copied code in the Key Code field
Click the Make the Key button
After pasting the key, you will be prompted to the Edit Key screen, where you can verify the key fields. Once all set, save the key, and you are ready to go.
Import Key File
Login to your MainWP Dashboard
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager > Import Keys page
Locate the Import Key from a File option box
Click the Choose File button
Browse and select the previously downloaded key file
Click the Import Key button
After importing the key, you will be prompted to the Edit Key screen, where you can verify the key fields. Once all set, save the key, and you are ready to go.
Edit Key Values
To edit Key values,
Go to the MainWP > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager > Single Keys page
Locate the Key that you need to edit
Click the Edit button
Once prompted to the Key Edit page, locate the fields that you need to update
Click the Field title to expand it
Update the Value
Update these two steps for all fields that you want to edit
Once ready, click the Save Key button at the bottom of the page.
How to Use Boilerplate Tokens in Keys
MainWP Bulk Settings Manager Extension supports Boilerplate tokens. By using tokens, it is possible to set per-site unique values in forms. Changing the WP > Settings > General Settings form is the best example of this.
In the WP General Settings, 2 fields have to have unique values for each child site. Those are Site URL (siteurl) and WordPress Address (home). So to properly handle this form,
Make sure that the Support for Boilerplate tokens is enabled
Next, after creating the Key, please find it in the list and Edit it
Locate the siteurl and home key fields
Replace the URL in key with the [url.site] token.
Save settings.
By default, the [url.site] token values are set for each child site. But if you need to use any other token or even create a custom one, be sure that values are set for each child you submit the key to.
Change WordPress Administration Email Address on Multiple Child Sites at Once
The WordPress admin email address of all/selected Child sites can be changed using the Bulk Settings Manager extension.
Considering that the Bulk Settings Manager will overwrite all WordPress General Settings and that the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) must be unique for each Child site, we will use the Boilerplate extension to define tokens for those two fields.
Both extensions are included in our Pro plan.
Please note that the tutorial is written with the assumption that the Administration Email Address is the only field that needs to be changed and that all other options on the WordPress General Settings page should be the same on all Child sites.
Follow the following steps, and visit linked articles for detailed instructions for individual steps.
Install Bulk Settings Manager and Boilerplate extension on your MainWP Dashboard
Install MainWP Key Maker on any of the Child Sites to create a template to replicate on other Child sites
On MainWP Dashboard > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager > Settings page, enable Use Boilerplate option
Navigate to WordPress Dashboard > Settings > General Settings on a Child Site with the Key Maker plugin installed in step 2, and create a Key
Navigate to MainWP Dashboard > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager > Import Keys and import the Key you just created
Next, after creating the Key, please find it in the list and Edit it
Locate the siteurl and home key fields
Replace the URL in key with the [url.site] token.
Note: In some specific WordPress installations, WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) is not the same. In that case, [url.site] token cannot be used for both fields. A custom Boilerplate token will need to be created and used for the other field.
Locate the new_admin_email key field
Replace the Value of the field with the new address you want to apply to Child sites
Save changes to the Key
Select Child Sites from the right and Submit the Key
By default, the [url.site] token values are set for each child site. But if you need to use any other token or even create a custom one, be sure that values are set for each child you submit the key to.
How to fix Invalid nonce error in Bulk Settings Manager
When saving a key to a Child Sites, Bulk Setting Manager can, under some circumstances, report an “Invalid nonce” error message.
To resolve this issue:
Edit the key
Create a new text field by drag-and-dropping the “Text Field” from the “Available Fields” box on the right
Fill in the values of the Text Field
Description: can be any arbitrary value
Name: use the text from the error message after the “Try to use:” part
Value: mainwp-bsm-unverify-nonce
Save the key
If another type of Nonce error message appears after saving the key, repeat the steps above by adding another Text Field in the key, but in the Name field, use the new error name.
How to change Rank Math settings on your child sites using Bulk Settings Manager
In this help document, we will cover how to change the settings of the Rank Math plugin on your Child Sites using Bulk Settings Manager.
Even though most settings pages can be changed, a notable exception is toggling Modules On/Off on the Rank Math > Dashboard page because that page doesn’t use submission requests to save changes.
Note: Considering that the Bulk Settings Manager will overwrite all options on a given settings page, please ensure that it is acceptable that all Child sites have the same options on that page.
This help document will cover how to change the options on the Rank Math > General Settings page. However, the same logic applies to other settings pages.
To change Rank Math settings, please follow the following steps, and visit linked articles for detailed instructions for individual steps.
Install Bulk Settings Manager extension on your MainWP Dashboard
Install MainWP Key Maker on any of the Child Sites to create a template to replicate on other Child sites
Navigate to WordPress Dashboard > Rank Math > General Settings on a Child Site with the Key Maker plugin installed, and create a Key
Navigate to MainWP Dashboard > Extensions > Bulk Settings Manager > Import Keys and import the Key you just created
Next, after creating the Key, please find it in the list on the Single Keys tab
Select Child Sites from the right and Save the Key
All options from Rank Math > General Settings page are now applied to all selected Child Sites
In case you would get a nonce-related error when Saving the Key in Step 6, please follow the instructions in this help document to resolve the issue.
