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Converting existing HTML site/domain into Buddypress: what\'s best practice/order

  • @stripedsquirrel

    Participant

    14 years, 10 months ago

    Hi all,

    I am planning to turn a 10 year old but popular spaghetti-coded html/php mishmash of a site into something more, well, current and valid :)

    Starting points:

    – The domain is live and currently running on a simple Hostgator account (it is amazing how much traffic that can handle if you are not PHP-heavy).

    – I have a Hybrid Server, which has already one other WPMU/BP community running, so I know the basics and have the resources.

    – I want to build the new site -stealth- while the old one is still live and then when all seems well and ready, ‘flick the switch’.

    Would this be the best practice or am I thinking wrong?:

    – Install the new BP on a (temporary) domain on the new server and then populate it while being hidden to Google, regular visitors etc.

    – Once everything is working, update MySql to the domain I really want to use.

    – Change name servers to point to new server, change HTPPD.conf info for new (old) domain.

    – Ready?

    Am I missing something here and could you help me with the following:

    – What is the best way to populate a ‘live’ (on a public server) site, view/test it online, but keep it hidden/private for non-admins (to prevent copycats, leaking, Google indexing etc)? The ‘privacy settings do no offer this choice? do I need a plugin for that?

    – Which way to Chenge the Site url is working best (see http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_The_Site_URL ), are the 2 ‘defines’ enough currently?

    Many thanks for your help,

    Cheers, Harry

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

  • @andrea_r

    Participant

    14 years, 10 months ago

    “- What is the best way to populate a ‘live’ (on a public server) site, view/test it online, but keep it hidden/private for non-admins (to prevent copycats, leaking, Google indexing etc)? The ‘privacy settings do no offer this choice? do I need a plugin for that?”

    The simply brilliant way: edit your computer’s hosts file.

    Slap MU up wherever, even on an IP address, but change your own host file to show the old domain at the new location. Proceed as usual. You & your computer is the only person to see the site “live”.

    (oo bad construct there – computers aren’t people. yet.)

    You won’t need any google-fu or the more privacy plugin. When the time comes, all you need to do is remove your own hosts file edit, update the DNS to the new server, and wait.

    “- Which way to Chenge the Site url is working best (see https://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_The_Site_URL ), are the 2 ‘defines’ enough currently?”

    in MU? Oh heck no. Nowhere near enough. The url is saved in a multitude of places. That’s why I suggested the hosts file way.

    Yes, you have to keep editing it to go back to the live site, but it’s way less painful.

    @stripedsquirrel

    Participant

    14 years, 10 months ago

    >(oo bad construct there – computers aren’t people. yet.)

    Hmm, careful or you will hurt Lenny’s feelings. (No, Andrea was joking, Lenny, really!).

    ehmm, anyway, thanks for the tip about the hosts file; it seems useful for testing. But how would the wildcards and internal references to the site url (if any?) work? Could I set up any blogs?

    Cheers, Harry

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
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