Clonex Pro Documents
Version 1.0
From your first draft copy to reusable templates and structured content production. Follow each workflow with clear instructions and illustrated steps.
Start with installation →Start here
Copy an existing page, reuse a proven content structure, or produce a controlled set of drafts from templates and data.
This document is version 1.0 and covers Clonex Pro 1.0.8. Workspace screenshots show the real 1.0.8 product templates rendered locally with example data. They illustrate the interface and do not represent completed live operations. The activation image is also a local rendering.
For a first trial, use one source page, one copy, and Draft output. Open the resulting draft and review its content before publishing. Use this guide’s search, enlarge screenshots for detail, and choose Print / PDF for a printable copy.
Install Clonex Pro
Download the Pro installation ZIP
Get your Clonex Pro ZIP from the ARN Smart delivery or account area. Keep the archive zipped. Back up your WordPress site before installing or replacing a plugin.
Upload and activate
Open WordPress Plugins → Add Plugin → Upload Plugin. Choose the Pro ZIP and select Install Now, then Activate Plugin.
Open the Clonex workspace
Find ARN Smart Clonex in the plugin list and ARN Clonex in the admin menu. If the license screen opens first, complete the activation step below.
Activate your Pro license
Open License
Open the initial license screen or choose Settings → License inside Clonex. Plugin activation in WordPress and license activation are separate actions.
Enter a one-time ARNA code
Copy the ARNA-… activation code from your ARN Smart account or activation email. Paste it into ARNA activation code and choose Activate. Use a code issued for Clonex and the intended installation.
Confirm Active status
Review the domain, masked key, end date, verification status, last server check, and last problem. Once the connection is Active, open the workspace.
When an existing signed offline approval is available, a temporary licensing-server outage can be covered for up to 24 hours. An inactive license leaves existing site content in place; advanced Pro tools require active access.
Choose the right workflow
| Workflow | Choose it when |
|---|---|
| Simple Mode | You want a quick copy with a small number of guided choices. |
| Duplicate | You need detailed control over source, copied fields, status, slug, and relationships. |
| Bulk Management | You need the same duplication, taxonomy, or replacement operation across several items. |
| Templates | You want a reusable snapshot of a content structure and copy rules. |
| Variations | You want to replace template placeholders with several value sets. |
| Datasets | You have structured CSV or JSON rows to reuse in production. |
| Production | You want to generate drafts from templates, profiles, and datasets. |
| URL Import | You want to fetch a public page into an editable draft. |
| Debug Console | You need to inspect failed jobs, process logs, and operation history. |
The Bulk, URL Import, and Settings menu entries can expose submenus. The Dashboard shows tracked duplicates, queued jobs, saved templates, and datasets.
Make a quick draft copy
Choose your source
Open Simple Mode. Choose the content you want to copy from Content. Where the interface offers an action or preset, use the duplication action for this first trial.
Keep the trial small
Set Copy Count to 1 and Status to Draft. Review Mini Preview for the expected title, content type, affected count, and any warnings.
Run and inspect
Choose Run Simple Action. After the real operation succeeds, use Open Created Content when shown. Check the title, body, featured image, terms, and editor layout before publishing.
Quick Copy from WordPress lists
On supported Posts or Pages list screens, Clonex also provides a Copy row action. It creates an editable draft and opens it directly. Use Duplicate inside Clonex when you need custom copy settings.
Duplicate with full control
Input: select the source
Open Duplicate. Choose the Content Type, search for a title, and select one item in Filtered Source List. Review the content fields selected in Clone Controls.
The copy controls include title, content, excerpt, featured image, terms, meta, SEO meta, builder data, and ACF references. Keep the fields that matter for your page. When copying a builder page, keep the relevant builder data selected.
Configure: choose output behavior
Choose Next: Configure. Enter New Title if you want an explicit title; otherwise the title pattern is used. Set an optional New Slug and choose Draft for the first trial. Review Clone Strategy, Slug Mode, and relationship options.
The interface provides Safe Mode, SEO Mode, Woo Mode, and Template Mode strategies. Use the strategy appropriate to your content. Slug choices include Auto, Keep Source Slug, Pattern, and SEO Friendly. WordPress still needs unique public URLs, so keeping a source slug does not guarantee an identical URL.
Preview: review the prepared copy
Choose Next: Preview. Check the selected source and title pattern preview. If something is wrong, go back and correct it before processing.
Process and Result
Continue to Process and choose Duplicate Content. The Result step becomes available after execution. Open the new draft and verify the content, URL, images, and editor behavior.
Run a controlled bulk operation
Bulk Management uses the sequence Target Scope → Rules → Preview. Start with a small, explicit set of items.
| Operation | What you set |
|---|---|
| Bulk Duplicate | Select content and define clone rules for new copies. |
| Taxonomy Edit | Select existing content, then add, remove, replace, or move term assignments. |
| Category Move | Choose a taxonomy, source term, and a different target term to migrate matching content. |
| Content Replace | Select existing content, define find/replace values, and choose the scopes to change. |
Choose the operation and target scope
Open Bulk → Bulk Management. Choose the operation card. Select items manually or use the available type, title, status, author, date, hierarchy, taxonomy, and meta filters. Review whether you have a manual selection or a filtered result.
Define the rules
Continue to Rules. For duplication, review copy settings and output status. For taxonomy work, verify source and target terms. For replacement, enter the exact find/replace values and selected scopes.
Preview, run, and monitor
Continue to Preview. Review the affected count and rules before starting the operation. Follow its status in Bulk Jobs. Saved Operations, Saved Filters, and Operation History help you reuse or review previous work.
Create a reusable template
Prepare a good source
Build and review a source post or page with the structure you want to reuse. If you intend to vary content, add meaningful placeholders such as {city} and {service} in the fields you want to change.
Select the source in Templates
Open Templates, search the source title, and select it in Source Content. Continue to Settings.
Define the template rules
Enter a Template Name, category when available, visibility, clone strategy, slug behavior, notes, and copied fields. Keep builder data or ACF references when the source depends on them.
Review and save
Continue to Preview, review the template details, and save the template. It appears in Saved templates and can be reused in Duplicate, Variations, and Production.
Map variation values
Choose a saved template
Open Variations. Select a saved template, enter a Profile Name, and choose the variation mode. If no placeholders are detected, edit the template source or its saved structure before continuing.
| Mode | Use it for |
|---|---|
| One-to-Many / Row Match | Matching rows of values that belong together. Keep paired lists aligned and verify the saved profile preview. |
| Matrix / All Combinations | Every combination across value sets. Two cities and three services can produce six combinations. |
Map each placeholder source
Continue to Sources. Choose Manual values, CSV / pasted values, or Taxonomy terms for each placeholder. Manual values use one entry per line; CSV/pasted values accept comma or line separation.
Review and save the profile
Continue to Review and choose Save Variation Profile. Inspect the saved profile and its available combination preview before using it in Production.
Prepare a CSV or JSON dataset
Prepare clean columns
Use clear column names that match your placeholders, such as city and service. Each row should contain the values for one intended record. Start with two rows so you can inspect the output.
city,service
London,Visitor information
Edinburgh,Visitor informationSave the source
Open Datasets, enter Dataset Name, and choose CSV Upload or JSON Paste. Select the CSV file or paste a JSON array of objects, then choose Save Dataset.
The same example as JSON:
[
{"city":"London","service":"Visitor information"},
{"city":"Edinburgh","service":"Visitor information"}
]Review the stored dataset
Open the saved dataset and inspect its headers, row count, and preview. Correct misspelled columns or empty values before binding it to a template in Production.
Generate content from a template
Production brings a template, optional variation profile, and dataset together. Review the mapping before starting a job.
Source: choose inputs
Open Production. Choose the saved Template, Generation Mode, optional Variation Profile, and Dataset. Use Dataset Generate for the two-row dataset example.
| Mode | Inputs |
|---|---|
| Template Generate | A template and its configured values. |
| Dataset Generate | A template bound to stored dataset rows. |
| Dataset + Variation Generate | A template, dataset, and variation profile. Inspect the expected count carefully. |
Bindings: connect placeholders
Continue to Bindings. For {city}, choose Dataset Column and the city column. For {service}, choose the service column. Use Template Default or Manual Value when a variable should keep one value.
Preview & Run: keep output as Draft
Continue to Preview & Run. Set Status to Draft and choose a modest Batch Size. Select Preview Generation and check the generated titles, variable values, and expected item count.
Run once, then inspect the job
When the real preview is correct, choose Run Generation. Monitor Production jobs. After processing completes, open the generated drafts in WordPress and verify content, slugs, images, terms, and placeholder replacement.
For scheduled output, choose Scheduled and provide Scheduled Date. Check the WordPress site timezone and the prepared output before using a schedule.
For the example dataset, check that the London and Edinburgh rows resolve to the intended draft values. Once the small trial is correct, expand the dataset deliberately.
Import one public URL into a draft
Enter a public source URL
Open URL Import or + New Import. Paste the full URL of content you own or have permission to reuse. Review the cleanup options for share buttons, dates, source labels, tag blocks, and duplicate titles.
Fetch and review
Choose Fetch Content. The Review workspace opens after content has been fetched. Check the cleaned title and body, choose an output type, and review the useful images before saving.
Save an edited draft
Edit the imported text as needed, select the relevant images, and choose Save Edited Draft. Open the created WordPress draft and verify formatting, links, image placement, featured image, and source references.
Import a list of URLs
Choose the source input
Open Bulk → Bulk URL Import. Choose Upload CSV or Paste URLs. CSV columns can include url, title, and category. Pasted input accepts one URL per line, with optional url,title,category values.
Check the list and import rules
Review detected URLs and possible invalid lines, then choose Next: Import Rules. Select Post Type, Post Status, Import Mode, and an optional template. Keep Draft for your first trial.
Choose image handling
Review whether to import images, replace image addresses with local URLs, use the first image as the featured image, and remove that featured image from the body. These choices apply to each queued URL.
Review and process the queue
Continue to Review, confirm the source count and rules, then use the queue-start control. Monitor Bulk URL Import Queue for pending, running, completed, or failed jobs. Open several created drafts to inspect the results.
Set defaults and manage jobs
Open Settings → General. Review the three groups before saving:
| Group | What to set |
|---|---|
| General | Default output status, clone strategy, title pattern, and conflict strategy. Draft is a useful starting point for content review. |
| Slug Safety | Slug mode, pattern, suffix strategy, maximum length, and reserved words. |
| Integrity | Internal-link rebuilding, parent/child handling, WooCommerce relations, and available integrity controls. |
Save the settings after reviewing the groups. Individual flows can override some defaults; verify the values in the operation you actually run.
Monitor jobs rather than restarting them
Use Production jobs, Bulk Jobs, or Bulk URL Import Queue for the relevant workflow. Where available, use pause/resume or retry controls deliberately. Review processed counts and error messages before retrying. Clearing finished jobs removes queue records rather than serving as an Undo action for created content.
Update Clonex Pro
Back up your site, confirm the license connection, and apply an available official update through WordPress Plugins or Dashboard → Updates. Test one draft copy and inspect an existing template afterward. On multisite, the network administrator manages the plugin update.
Troubleshooting and support
The source I want is not listed.
Check Content Type, title search, taxonomy, and term filters. Confirm the source exists and your account can edit it. Use the correct workflow for a post, page, product, or supported custom post type.
The copy has the wrong status or URL.
Review output Status, New Slug, Slug Mode, and the global defaults. Same as original can preserve the source status. A collision can require a different slug. Use Draft and Auto for a small trial, then inspect the result.
Builder content or relationships look wrong.
Check Builder Data, Meta, ACF References, and relationship options before making another copy. Inspect the copied page in the relevant builder and review source-specific references. Keep the affected version and a screenshot for support.
A template has no detected placeholders.
Confirm the reusable template actually contains placeholders such as {city} or {service}. Review its saved snapshot after editing the original source. Check that the names match your dataset columns or variation mapping.
The preview count is much larger than expected.
Check whether Matrix / All Combinations or Dataset + Variation Generate is selected. Reduce the value sets and review a small preview before running the production job.
A job is pending, paused, or failed.
Open the matching queue, inspect its status, processed count, and errors. Ask the site administrator to check scheduled WordPress tasks when processing does not advance. Resume or retry only after reviewing which items have already completed.
A workflow button does not advance to the next step.
Check required input and any visible validation message. Reload the screen only after noting your configuration. If the panel still does not open, keep the installed version, screenshot, and steps to reproduce and contact support before starting the operation.
URL Import cannot fetch a page.
Confirm the address is correct and publicly accessible. Some servers block requests or present content only after login or client-side rendering. Keep the error and source URL. Review the imported draft when fetching succeeds.
The license or package integrity screen blocks Pro tools.
Review the domain, end date, and Last problem on License. Use a fresh one-time activation code when required. For an integrity warning, ask the administrator to reinstall the official matching Pro package rather than editing protected files.
Prepare a support report
Open Settings → Debug Console and use Export Report when appropriate. Keep logs until you have understood the issue; Clear Logs removes diagnostic history. Include Clonex, WordPress, and PHP versions, the affected workflow, source type, steps, expected result, actual result, and a screenshot. Hide activation codes, keys, and private content. Use the support route in your ARN Smart account or start at arnsmart.com.