I’ve talked about this before, but I’m finally getting around to implementing a workflow change and I need a little help.
Currently, my company is developing Freeway Pro websites (both regular sites and CMS driven sites) on my Mac Pro, then uploading the files to our development server at GoDaddy, which is usually a subdomain of our server setup for that specific client.
I was told by one of the owners of Perch that this is a risky workflow, especially with CMS managed sites.
I’d like to change my website development workflow so that I’m developing and testing our websites on a local MAMP server, then uploading the files to a client proofing area (probably a subdomain on our server) and then eventually to our client’s server.
Is this how most of you work? Do we lose the ease of updating our clients websites though the Freeway Pro uploading tool? Where do I begin?
If I remember correctly (and I may be wrong) Drew (one of the Perch devs, for those who don’t know), was advocating against building Perch sites in a sub-folder of the site root, not a sub-domain. The whole idea is to build the site as though it’s living at the site root, which is where 99.9% of your sites will live anyway. When you use a sub-folder instead that’s when it complicates the process.
For example, moving a development site from a sub-domain:
Drew’s issue with the latter approach is that it requires changing file paths in the db when the site goes live. The former does not.
So if you want to develop locally with MAMP that’s fine. It should also be fine if you then upload the files (and export the db) to your development server which in your case is your subdomain, e.g., dev.mysite.com, for client viewing. It could also be a sub-domain on your client’s server. In either case when the site goes live you shouldn’t need to adjust db file paths (though you may have to modify db usernames/passwords depending on how you set things up initially) which is what you would need to do if you built the site in a sub-folder, which you didn’t. That, I believe, is Drew’s point. But I have been wrong before.
To clarify, I meant to say “staging server” instead of “development server”.
Todd
On Sep 22, 2012, at 12:44 PM, Todd email@hidden wrote:
So if you want to develop locally with MAMP that’s fine. It should also be fine if you then upload the files (and export the db) to your development server
Todd is absolutely correct, which is why I started developing in subdomains vs directories, especially for CMS enabled sites. However, Drew also advised against developing on live servers. Although that’s not a big problem for FWP, since all of the main files exists on your Mac, that’s not necessarily the case for add on apps like Perch, where some of the files only exist on the server, unless you run their Backup App fairly routinely. Maybe that’s really all I need to do.
Working on the “live” site is not recommended, but if you have a working copy in a sub-domain on the remote server (perhaps you’re developing the site on the remote server in a sub-domain), that’s ok because it’s not the site visitors will see, theoretically.
Todd
On Sep 22, 2012, at 1:00 PM, RavenManiac email@hidden wrote:
However, Drew also advised against developing on live servers.
Of course I guess I could do all of my development and update work on a subdomain and then, after testing, simply drag and drop the files to my client’s live server.
A development server is where the site is built, a staging server is where a work-in-progress version of the site is held for client viewing, tweaking etc.; a place to work out any kinks with the design, layout or functionality before it goes live.
Todd
On Sep 22, 2012, at 1:01 PM, RavenManiac email@hidden wrote:
On 22 Sep 2012, 6:00 pm, Todd wrote:
To clarify, I meant to say “staging server” instead of “development server”.
What’s the difference?
I only use a development server and a live server?
One other thing about a staging server is that it should be as nearly identical to the production server as is physically possible. Particularly when you get into server-side programming, some things just never come to light until you have the site hosted on the client’s server and getting some actual traffic. The better you are able to simulate that without live-testing it during a high-visibility launch, the more professional you will look (and be).
Walter
On Sep 22, 2012, at 2:45 PM, Todd wrote:
A development server is where the site is built, a staging server is where a work-in-progress version of the site is held for client viewing, tweaking etc.; a place to work out any kinks with the design, layout or functionality before it goes live.
Okay, so I have a situation this morning where I need to work on an existing website, but I don’t want to do it to the live site— for obvious reasons.
Am I better off using a local MAMP server for or setting up a subdomain for website edits and maintenance, and then manually moving the files from either my local MAMP server or my client’s subdomain?
I vote on a sub folder as the two servers may react slightly differently but a sub folder should behave exactly like the main website.
On Sep 25, 2012, at Tuesday7:09 AM, RavenManiac email@hidden wrote:
Okay, so I have a situation this morning where I need to work on an existing website, but I don’t want to do it to the live site— for obvious reasons.
Am I better off using a local MAMP server for or setting up a subdomain for website edits and maintenance, and then manually moving the files from either my local MAMP server or my client’s subdomain?
