Duplicate an item

Duplication is the fastest way to add a dish that resembles one you already have. It copies almost everything and deliberately leaves the copy invisible to guests until you finish it.

What the copy contains

Duplicating an item creates a new record that carries over:

• the content and every field value, including prices;
• the featured image;
• every taxonomy assignment — the category, the allergens, and the featured mark;
• the language, on a multilingual site.

Two things are different by design:

• the title gets (Copy) appended;
• the status is Draft.

The copy is therefore complete but invisible, which is exactly what you want while you edit it.

Duplicate one

1. Open All items under the menu type.
2. Find the item.
3. Select the duplicate action on its row.
4. Wait for Post duplicated successfully.
5. Open the new draft and edit it.

Finish the copy properly

Work through this list every time — the copied values are the ones most likely to be forgotten:

1. Title — remove (Copy) and write the real name.
2. Prices — the copy carries the original's prices. Correct every format.
3. Descriptions — rewrite. A near-identical description on two dishes is the clearest sign of a duplicated menu.
4. Photos — replace the image; the copy shows the original's photo.
5. Allergens — the copy inherits them. A similar dish is not necessarily the same dish.
6. Featured — if the original was featured, the copy is too. Unfeature it unless it should be.
7. Category — the copy lands in the original's category. Move it if it belongs elsewhere.
8. Publish when it is finished.

When duplication is the right tool

• Two preparations of the same base — the same fish grilled and baked.
• A dish that returns each season with small changes.
• A wine from the same producer with a different vintage or format.
• A cocktail variant that shares the base spirit and method.

When it is not

• Building a whole menu. Use the bulk paste table instead; it creates many published items in one step.
• Copying a dish into another menu type. Duplication stays inside the same type. Create the item in the target menu type instead.
• Making a translation. Translations are created from the item's translation panel, which links the records together. A duplicate is an unrelated item that will drift out of step.

Duplicates on a multilingual site

The copy is created in the same language as the original and is not linked to any translation. Its translations must be created from the copy itself, in the usual way.

Housekeeping

Drafts named … (Copy) accumulate quickly. Filter All items by status Draft every so often and finish or delete them — remembering that deleting is permanent.