Is there an option to create a "Test Site" and move it to the live directory when complete?

6 posts by 3 authors in: Forums > CMS Builder
Last Post: March 19, 2009   (RSS)

By gagester - March 17, 2009

Hello!

We actually haven't tried CMS Builder yet. Our main question before we do is this:

We need the option to create a "test site" for our clients, as they usually have an existing site that needs to stay in place until the new site is complete and approved.

Is this an option? Can we install CMS Builder on their existing host -- within a directory or something and easily move it when it's ready to replace the existing site?

Or what are our options?

thanks!

Re: [gagester] Is there an option to create a "Test Site" and move it to the live directory when complete?

By ricrogram - March 17, 2009

This is exactly what I did. I had a static site and when I installed the CMS software (which is in it's own directory) it had absolutely no effect on the existing site. From then on because the new pages I was building had .php extensions and the existing ones had .htm ones there was no chance of a file name clash. Then when I was ready to go live I just renamed home.php to index.php and removed index.htm ... and DONE!

Re: [ricrogram] Is there an option to create a "Test Site" and move it to the live directory when complete?

By gagester - March 17, 2009

awesome. This is VERY very helpful. Thanks so much!

On a similar note:

What if the client has yet to determine/decide on a web host or url? Would there be any any any way to create the whole thing on our own test server, and "move" the entire thing upon completion?

We usually are able to get the url/host nailed down early on, but sometimes not...

Would this be nearly impossible -- or more doable than i imagine? (As there's a database/MySQL thing associated with it, etc. Seems like it would be quite troublesome to uproot and transplant it. right?) It's just a little fuzzy in my mind what all 'happens' when the CMS Builder is "installed" I guess. :)

Thanks again!

Re: [ross] Is there an option to create a "Test Site" and move it to the live directory when complete?

By gagester - March 19, 2009

This is very helpful. Thanks much!

One question though: when you say that it's "quite easy to move CMS Builder itself from server to server if you don't need to worry about the data."

what do you mean be not worrying about the data? Would we be able to build the ENTIRE site, fill it with the right content, images, etc, via the admin and move it at that point -- when it's 100% ready to go live?

The MySQL would have to be moved at that point also, right? (I have very limited understanding of the whole MySQL thing... and how exactly they "link.") [crazy] Any pointers?

Re: [gagester] Is there an option to create a "Test Site" and move it to the live directory when complete?

By ross - March 19, 2009

Hi gagester

When you setup a copy of CMS Builder, you first create a bunch of sections, and then add a bunch of articles and other content to these sections.

Moving CMS Builder and the sections you created over to a new server is really easy.

Moving the content that you added to your sections (images, text, etc.) will involve extra work.

If you are ok with entering your content again (and uploading the images again), then the server move will be quite easy. All the sections and things will be there.

Either way, you will also need to update a bit of code on each page you have CMS Builder on. We can go over all the details later. I want to make sure we are on the same page to start with for now :).

Let me know if this clears things up :).
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