Batch node operations in Drupal 5

Question

What is the most efficient way to go through and update every single node in a drupal site, to, for instance mechanically add tags? Drupal 6 has a shiny new batch API, but what to do in Drupal 5?

I started writing a script that keeps a pointer and then goes around all nodes on a cron, loads them and then saves them, but I wonder what else could be done.

Answer 1

I don't suggest working directly on the database level since some modules might want to update some other related tables. The most reliable and flexible way is to write a script to load, change and save nodes in a loop. You can also try using additional special modules for Drupal 5:

• Taxonomy Node Operations
• Taxonomy Multi Editor (similar functionality)
• and more general module Views Bulk Operations