News!! Making A Test-Blog For Template Changes

This article is i of a serial almost preparing to alter the template inward Blogger.  It looks at how to brand a template-test blog.  

Other articles inward the serial explicate how to utilisation this template to innovation your template alter therefore that y'all don't lose whatever cardinal features that you've installed before.

Steps to brand a template-test blog

Check your blog's post-template is non corrupt

Go into Layout > Blog Posts > Edit, in addition to alter i of the ticked items (just temporarily).    For example, demo reactions or un-show an item that is currently shown.   Save this change, in addition to cheque that it appears on your blog.

If the alter is ok, therefore y'all tin un-do it, in addition to motion direct to the side past times side step.

But if the alter doesn't demo up, therefore y'all receive got a corrupt post-template.   You may desire to re-set the postal service template  get-go in addition to last certain that your weblog is showing the items y'all desire earlier moving on.

Create a new, private weblog to operate with:

Find out what template your existing blog has.

Go to the Dashboard, in addition to click Create a Blog.  Give it a lift in addition to URL similar "testing-YOURBLOGNAME"

When Blogger asks which starter template to use, select your electrical flow template, (if it's on the listing shown), or merely whatever template.

After the weblog has been created, press Start Blogging,

Go to the Settings / Basic tab in addition to laid

• "Add your weblog to our listings?" = No
• "Let search engines notice your blog?" = No  

Give it the same settings every bit your existent blog:

In this step, y'all demand to brand your bear witness weblog receive got the same construction every bit your electrical flow blog.   This doesn't hateful the same contents, merely the same widgets in addition to other background settings that comport upon how the weblog looks.   The item things y'all demand to cheque include:

• In the Settings > Basic tab, laid all the other options (except the ones at the destination of the final section) to just the same settings every bit your existent weblog has.

• In the Settings > Formatting tab, create the same thing.

• In the Settings > Comments tab, create the same thing.

• In the Template tab, select the SAME template that your existing weblog has.

• Go to Layout > Blog Post, in addition to hand your bear witness weblog just the same settings every bit your master copy one:  this includes their seat on the page, every bit good every bit whether or non they're displayed.

• Go to Layout in addition to utilisation the Add a Gadget percentage to give your bear witness weblog EXACTLY the same gadgets that your master copy weblog has. 
  
  This footstep is dull if y'all have  a lot of gadgets.  But in that location are no shortcuts:  uploading the downloaded template would apply the template customisations every bit good every bit the gadgets, which defeats the purpose!   And fifty-fifty though it's a lot of work, it's worth it if your weblog has a lot of "weight" (visitors, authorization etc) an therefore y'all don't desire to risk having it fail.

If y'all receive got done whatever structural alter to your template (eg I added a footer sectionto the blog), therefore y'all volition demand to create the same structural alter to your test-blog every bit well.   This is ok, because y'all most likely volition non last needing the same structural alter inward your novel template. 

If in that location are whatever gadgets on your master copy weblog that you've been planning to delete anyway, it would last expert to create this right away - it saves having to re-create them inward your bear witness blog

Technically y'all should apply whatever header images in addition to the same fonts in addition to colours too: I chose non to create this when I was preparing to motion BHAT, because I didn't desire to accidentally brand an update to the test-blog which should receive got i to the existent weblog - having the colours in addition to header await dissimilar reduced the jeopardy that I would brand this sort of mistake.

Get about posts to bear witness with:

Choose whether to import all your existing posts into the testing blog, or merely copy about private posts. Or y'all may select non to bear witness amongst whatever at all (at this stage).

Any links inward your posts WON'T last re-directed, therefore when y'all are testing, y'all volition notice that clicking whatever internal links inward your posts volition accept y'all dorsum to your master copy blog. If y'all are moving all posts, y'all could avoid this past times opening the export file amongst a text-editor, in addition to doing a fine/replace to alter the master copy blog's URL to the testing blog's URL inward whatever links.

Depending on what form of tests y'all desire to do, y'all may non demand many posts.   Personally, when I was preparing to motion BHAT I merely did two.

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Related Articles

Adding a footer department to your Layout Template blog
 
Making a shadow-blog  for testing with

Copying all your existing posts into a novel blog

Copying about posts.

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