Title: Best practice for pre-launch development
Last modified: August 19, 2016

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# Best practice for pre-launch development

 *  Resolved [Sheila](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sheilahoff/)
 * (@sheilahoff)
 * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-pre-launch-development/)
 * I’ve been designing static websites for several years and recently started integrating
   WP blogs into existing sites for clients. Now it looks like I’ll be developing
   some WP sites. I’m scratching my head about how to develop the site before going
   live with the domain name. Up until now the static site’s been live and the blog
   went in a folder called blog. **Now for a new site that will be entirely built
   using WP how does one do that?**
 * I tried setting up a new site for the client but of course since the domain name
   isn’t yet resolved none of the WP links work. If I install it into a directory
   of an existing site and develop it can I then move it all to the new place later?
   I imagine that’s possible but a PITA. Surely there’s a simple way people are 
   doing this and I just am not seeing it.
 * Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
 * Sheila

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  [MichaelH](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michaelh/)
 * (@michaelh)
 * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-pre-launch-development/#post-1224063)
 * Could be this easy. Assuming WordPress is in the blog folder…
 * To make WordPress available at [http://mydomain.com](http://mydomain.com) just
   change in Settings->General, the Blog address (URL) to [http://mydomain.com](http://mydomain.com)
   and put this index.php file in your web-root folder (it is the same folder that
   contains the blog folder)
 *     ```
       <?php
       /* Short and sweet */
       define('WP_USE_THEMES', true);
       require('./blog/wp-blog-header.php');
       ?>
       ```
   
 * Then update your permalinks in Settings->Permalinks.
 *  [MichaelH](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michaelh/)
 * (@michaelh)
 * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-pre-launch-development/#post-1224064)
 * Of course you could install WordPress on your local computer using something 
   like Xampp, do the development there, then follow [Moving WordPress](http://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress)
   when the time is ripe.
 *  Thread Starter [Sheila](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sheilahoff/)
 * (@sheilahoff)
 * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-pre-launch-development/#post-1224070)
 * Perfect…thanks Michael.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The topic ‘Best practice for pre-launch development’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [moving](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/moving/)
 * [new installation](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/new-installation/)
 * [pre-launch](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/pre-launch/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 3 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Sheila](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sheilahoff/)
 * Last activity: [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-pre-launch-development/#post-1224070)
 * Status: resolved

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