Sandbox or Similar Functionality

nero

Hello All;

I am about to embark on customizing a SmugMug account with personalized domain name along with other changes to personalize the site more to fit our taste. I have not started the process yet, and was just wondering if the customizations can be done in a sandbox. In other words, before the customization would be available to the world, can we look at it and tweak before it is actually published while the stock site continues to be untouched? Is this possible or would we need to have two SmugMug accounts to do this?

Thanks.
Tamer Z

Allen

nero wrote: »

Hello All;

I am about to embark on customizing a SmugMug account with personalized domain name along with other changes to personalize the site more to fit our taste. I have not started the process yet, and was just wondering if the customizations can be done in a sandbox. In other words, before the customization would be available to the world, can we look at it and tweak before it is actually published while the stock site continues to be untouched? Is this possible or would we need to have two SmugMug accounts to do this?

Thanks.
Tamer Z

Have you migrated to the NewSmug?

Butlerkid

I don't know where Tamer Z went, but I have the same question. I migrated to the new SM quite a while ago.

I am considering changing ONLY my Home page.... instead of a variety of images, I would like to "tinker" with having my Home page show "clickable" main folders within my Portfolio:

Travel (or perhaps the 6 sub folders: Asia, US, Canada, Europe, South America, Africa)
Nature
Underwater
Portraits
Infrared

But I sure don't want to mess up what I have now. !

leftquark

You can use the "Preview" button to test any changes before "Publishing" it to the site. Clicking "Save for Later" will keep it around but not publish it.

Butlerkid

Thank you......will the software just make a copy of my entire current site and allow me to edit that?

leftquark

No, it just lets you preview any unpublished changes.

Butlerkid

OK...thanks for the clarification.

pilotdave

It's kind of a pain, but you might consider opening a trial account to play with a new homepage... especially if you are talking about really big changes. While the preview and save for later functions work, it's not always obvious what's being saved, what's being discarded, and what you'll see next time you open the customizer. I wouldn't try to make major changes over multiple sessions without publishing. Eventually you'll make a change that doesn't work, discard your changes, and find out you either discarded everything you've been working on or you can't get your customizer to revert back to the current published state. Obviously you'll have to recreate your work on the real site once you are sure you want to make the change.

If you're talking about minor changes, publish them as you work so you don't lose work by accident.

A real revision control system on smugmug would be cool.

Dave

Allen

Before I edit a box I copy out the box I'm working on, html, CSS, etc. and paste in blank notepad. Make my
changes, publish. Then if not right I can just paste back in original.

I do things in single steps so when published and looks ok I paste that new original in notepad.

I also have saved in text files each latest level of CSS. Then I can always browse thru those to check things
without opening my site in customize. I use version numbers for the saves, v1, v2, etc.
ex: NewSmug CSS All Galleries v8.txt

Butlerkid

After I transitioned to the New SM, I copy all settings, CSS, everything I could think of - at every level of my site - to a Word document! I knew after a year or so of being on "automatic" I'd forget how things worked! !

What I'm thinking of is a BIG change to my Home page...and that's the reason I'm leery of even attempting it.

Although painful, a trial account would work....until I liked the Home page in my trial account and had no idea now to get it to my real account.

denisegoldberg

Butlerkid wrote: »

What I'm thinking of is a BIG change to my Home page...and that's the reason I'm leery of even attempting it.

You'd still need to remember how to build the components to move them to your home page - but have you considered creating an unlisted or private page to experiment with? I keep an unlisted page on my site for that purpose. Doing the experimenting on your site means you have easy access to any photos you want to place on the page.

--- Denise

Hikin' Mike

I create an unlisted page so I can experiment. I also keep my CSS and HTML stuff in a text file (using Notepad++) so I always have a back-up.