Can I create a practise site?

[andym]

Hi

I'm going to add a whole new range of products shortly and would like to give my site a makeover while I'm at it. I don't want to tinker with my "Site1" just incase I can't get it back to how it currently is but would like top experiment with "Site2" which are the original files renamed.

Is there a way that I can have an experimental site to play with without the possibility of mucking up my current site?

Thanks

Andy

[wjcampbe]

From Help - Editing your Network Settings

You can also put Actinic in 'Test Mode' in order to check the store works correctly online without putting it 'live'. To do this, go to 'Web | Switch to Test Mode'. When you next upload, Actinic will upload your store pages to a sub-folder called 'test' within the 'acatalog' folder online. Once you can verified the store is working correctly, you can switch out of test mode and put the site live.

[pinbrook]

the above ensures you upload to a test site on the web.

but in order to have 2 sites on your Pc, you will have to take a backup copy of site1 (your current live site), then use site1 to develop/apply your new site, then when you want to download or upload to the live site copy site1 back in.

[andym]

Thanks for the replies. Have tried renaming alternating the demo site and the live site as 'Site1' and it works a treat.

Cheers

Andy

[Luddite]

the above ensures you upload to a test site on the web.

but in order to have 2 sites on your Pc, you will have to take a backup copy of site1 (your current live site), then use site1 to develop/apply your new site, then when you want to download or upload to the live site copy site1 back in.

Sorry if this is is a stupid question - but the 'real' site does stay live when you do this doesn't it?
Nick

[pinbrook]

Because with actinic catalog and business you buy a licence to run one site only, there is no facility here to have a 2nd site under development which is a drawback when you want to develop a new site on the same PC and not affect the running of the live site.

The only way to do this is the cumbersome method of swapping site1 folders in and out. You must then ensure the dev copy does not upload to the live webspace when it is site1, you can do this by having the network settings in dev as being test mode as detailled by Bill above.

A better method is to use 2 pcs (if you have 2) one for live one for dev