Wordpress Test Environment

Hey guys.

I’m okay with a site-by-site Wordpress install for clients or my own site.

My question is how do you go about setting up a test environmnet for themes? Do you have to install a new database for each theme you work on because I think my hosting only allows one install.

I know you can have themes but I’m not aware of a switcher that would work for templates – how does everyone else go about their live previews?

All the themes have a live preview, and there is no problem to install unlimited number of themes on a test server.

Anyway… I can’t see why your hosting would allow only one install? I am using 9 hosting plans and even the cheapest one gives me 50 databases and most of them gives me unlimited number of databases.

Cheers. I’m using www.000webhost.com which is free. I think I get 2 databases (whoopee). Generally it’s suited me for one Wordpress install so i guess what I’m really after is how to link to specific themes that are installed?

e.g. say I created a new theme, uploaded it ot the right folder and all that good stuff. How do I like to my site using that theme specifically?

Apologies if this is a stupid question lol.

Well… you must activate the specific theme in wordpress admin area. Or you may use some kind of theme switcher/preview plug-in.

jeffeatworld said
Cheers. I’m using www.000webhost.com which is free. I think I get 2 databases (whoopee). Generally it’s suited me for one Wordpress install so i guess what I’m really after is how to link to specific themes that are installed?

You may want to just splurge for a cheap shared hosting account. It will make life much easier. We’re talking like $5-10/mo. I think that’s worth it to host your live previews and maybe even a website to promote your themes.

You’re right, I’m such a cheapskate lol.

Final question then – do you have to do a new wordpress install for each theme, surely I can just have the themes seperately but looking at the same db?

I always set up the DB and theme on my client’s shared hosted service and build it there. That way the files are already there as I am working on the site. It also let’s you see what kind of WP friendly environment you are facing. Or not.

I moved my recent client from Network Solutions to Hostgator. NS is the worst for WP sites. Slow as hell, hard to config and the charge extra for each MySQL DB. Go Daddy is bad too.

OxfordGroup said
I always set up the DB and theme on my client’s shared hosted service and build it there. That way the files are already there as I am working on the site. It also let’s you see what kind of WP friendly environment you are facing. Or not. I moved my recent client from Network Solutions to Hostgator. NS is the worst for WP sites. Slow as hell, hard to config and the charge extra for each MySQL DB. Go Daddy is bad too.

99% of the time I can get the client to move to my hosting (offering it free for the first year). Helps with renewals too

Count me in for Hostgator. Best bang for the buck especially if you’re going VPS or Dedicated…they’re flexible as far as adding new dedicated ip’s for dirt cheap. Most importantly, I’ve never had a problem with Hostgator Wordpress installs. Faster hosting than most and great support.

Yeah see installing it on client hosting is what I’ve been used to be fore – so one database, one Wordpress isntall – no problem

I think you guys pretty much answered my question which is to really just treat the template like you would a website, I mean for $5 a month or somthing I shuoldn’t really moan.

I’m from the UK, I wonder if there’s a simlar hosting company here…

jeffeatworld said
Yeah see installing it on client hosting is what I’ve been used to be fore – so one database, one Wordpress isntall – no problem

Maybe I got you all wrong, but what about WordPress MultiUser? You can create multiple sites and use different themes for each site. Makes it much faster to create new test sites while developing themes

http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network