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1. eRAZOR
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Let's say you have an existing blog and want to prepare a new version (new layout, plugins and everything) without messing with the live site. Is it possible to prepare the new site and easily switch it to the live URL once you are done or do you have to go through the whole enchilada of URL switching using database manipulation?

2. justinratwebtek
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Install in a secondary dir or "sandbox" subdomain. Setup how you need it and play with it for awhile. After you're done and like it, _backup_ the old copy and DB. Edit your options area in the new blog and change the 2 addresses to the main location - which will effectively break that WP install. Move your new files over, hit refresh and everything *should* work correctly.

   If you're going to be using the same DB (for content, etc), then it gets a little more complicated when you start playing with plugins, themes, etc.

3. eRAZOR
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   So it boils down to changing the two URLs in the options as a last step before replacing the old site?

4. moshu
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   When you say "prepare a new site" - will the new one have the same content as the old?

   In a separate installation you can develop a theme but that doesn't necessarily has the same content (unless you import it, i.e. import the database).
   You can switch over the new blog's WP files to point to the old database (as described by justin), however, the plugin used and tested on the new install will not be active on the old one (= which one is active is stored in the DB).

5. eRAZOR
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Yes I intend to carry over the content.

6. MichaelH
   Volunteer
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Is there content such as posts, pages, categories, blogroll, tags, on your working site that you are expecting to use in the updated site. If so then copying the database might not be something you want to do.

   Once you've got the new look developed, why not just copy the wp-content/themes/new-look-theme folder, as well as the wp-content/plugins folder, to your working site. The hard part is the widgets, as widget data is in the database, so you'd have to either copy that infomration from the wp_options table or reconfigure the widgets once you activated your new-look-theme on your working site.

7. eRAZOR
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   @Michael: Well it depends. Of course I would like to initially import all categories and posts to the working database - or just copy the database but I guess that's not an option.

   All I want to do is develop a face lift for the existing site in a sandbox while preserving all content and when I'm done, flip one or two switches and *bingo* I'm live with the Blog v2.0.

8. moshu
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Well, for me "facelift" is mainly theme, layout.

   You don't need content for that. I develop themes first on my local WP install and, eventually, test them on online WP installations.
   Then I upload the theme (as Michael said) to the live site. If the new layout/theme requires some plugins, quickly upload and activate them.

   I think you are over-complicating the whole process...

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