Preferred method to redesign existing site with new template
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- Ed Croteau
- Sr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 173
- Thanks: 0
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Hi,
I'm using the Crystalline template on a site and want to redesign the site using a newer template, like say Mercado (so I can integrate e-commerce this time).
Any suggestions on how people go about this ? In the past I created a menu item at the end of the last dropdown with the new template assigned and worked on that but it's really not an elegant way of doing it.
I don't want to have to recreate all the menus/content/modules etc. right away. I'm hoping to change the look get it working, go live, and then start to make more changes after that.
I know how to use Akeeba backup to setup a new site from the backup but then what's the best way to switch over to the "new site" when ready ? There seem to be URL issues with temp URL's involving the ~ symbol (as in gator123.hostgator.com/~username/new-test-site/index.php). Need to point the database correctly, etc.
Just thought to open up a discussion on this.
Thanks,
Ed
www.jedzebel.com
www.ecogirlclothing.com
www.hatagirl.com
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- JEM
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 17917
- Thanks: 4
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1. Use Akeeba to back up the site.
2. Create a sub folder in the root, e.g., www.mysite.com/test
3. Extract the back up to the 'test' directory
4. Create a new DB on the server for the new install
(Note - when you are developing a new site - it's on a separate DB - you'll need to move newly developed site to the root later.)
5. Run the install on www.mysite.com/test
6. Develop the site in the new directory
(In Ed's case, just swapping templates should do the trick instead of creating new menus, etc... Remember if the new template has different extensions that the old one doesn't you'll need to install those also.)
7. When you are finished development, run a back up on the new site
8. Clean out the root directory (all the files from the old site)
9. Extract the back up from the newly developed site to the root.
10. Dump the tables from the original site's DB or create a new one
11. Run the install on www.mysite.com
You can also back up the site and install it on localhost for development, then move it when you are done (#7-11)
In either case, you can develop the new site while the old site is still live and then make the switch when you are done.
Swapping sites should take less than 15 minutes or so if you are prepared, and if you do it when you expect the least amount of traffic (late PM or early AM, etc.) your users will never notice a thing, except for the new site, of course... - Thanks,
jim
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- Ed Croteau
- Sr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 173
- Thanks: 0
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JEM,
Thanks for the response.
What do you think of cheating a bit and replacing steps 8-11 as follows ? :
8. Rename original directory to mysite-old or something like that
9. Rename new test directory to mysite (and start using the new DB effectively from that point on)
Would all links and configs still work as the URL structure itself will remain unchanged after the switch ?
Thanks,
Ed
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- JEM
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 17917
- Thanks: 4
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Well, if you are running a live site in the root at this point, e.g.,
www.jedzebel.com
, the purpose of creating a sub directory, e.g.,
www.jedzebel.com/test
or
www.jedzebel.com/new
is to allow the live site to stay live without interrupting your traffic while you develop the new version of the site.
If you move your current site from the root to a sub directory, e.g. www.jedzebel.com/mysite-old , you will need to either create a redirect through your host's CP or create an html page with a message and a link such as 'Our site is here' as current visitors that return to your site www.jedzebel.com would not see the site unless they use www.jedzebel.com/mysite-old ....
(Note that you would also have to alter the configuration file to point to the new directory…*)
The three sites you have in your signature all indicate they are all running from the root, not a sub directory
So note according to your ‘cheat’ a current address such as:
store.jedzebel.com/best-sellers-jedzebel-ecogirl-hatagirl.html
would look like this in the address bar during the changeover:
store.jedzebel.com/mysite-old/best-selle...cogirl-hatagirl.html
So, perhaps moving the live site to a directory such as ‘/mysite-old’ and developing in a directory such as ‘/mysite’ could wind up being confusing for you as well as visitors to your site because once the new site is up, and presumably, you would delete the old site and DB, those links would become dead. And still in the end you would have to move the new site from the ‘mysite’directory to the root
I think in the end, the goal is to run any site from the root, not from a directory, e.g.,
www.jedzebel.com/ not www.jedzebel.com/mysite , etc…
So, as I suggested in my previous post, the best case would be to leave the current live site as it is and develop the new site in a sub directory, then move it when it is ready to go live.
* Akeeba is really the way to go, it will automatically change the paths in all the files when you are installing a site in a new or its final directory. And it it especially helpful when it comes to moving Gantry sites or sites that use the RokNavMenu as they can be a bit tricky when they are moved. - Thanks,
jim
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- Ed Croteau
- Sr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 173
- Thanks: 0
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Thanks JEM.
I see the value in Akeeba - have used it numerous times. As well as their Admin Tools - indispensable.
I was thinking of creating folders at the root of my host (right in the public_html directory) not a folder inside the existing site. The URL would be something like " gatorXXX.hostgator.com/~username/mysite-new/ " during the construction of the new site. But maybe that would create path issues. I've setup WordPress sites that way but had to use a dummy domain name to get things to work, then edit the config fields of the dB to point to the new URL when finished. Maybe it's too messy for a more complicated Joomla site.
I will try your method. Thanks for the input.
Ed
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