9 Replies Latest reply: May 29, 2013 1:39 AM by osgood_ RSS

    using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages

    westwm Community Member

      quick question guys

       

      our company has an older existing webspace and website running

       

      i'm currently re-doing the website and would like to test how it currently runs online but without disabling the existing older pages, how can this be done?

       

      when i looked at the online space of the existing site via ftp program, it contains 4 folders:

       

      cgi-bin

      logs

      private

      public

       

      public is where all the current website is housed. what are the other folders for? they are currently empty.

       

      can i simply create a folder called test1 and upload all the files for the new site into this folder in the existing public folder and access it by simply using the "test1" folder in my webaddress?

       

      eg. existing site:

       

      www.website.com

       

      test site:

       

      www.website.com/test1

       

      will this work? all my coding (js, css) has filepaths pointing to their respective folders from the root, ie "../css/website.css" etc. will all the root access to the new site work this way?

       

      hope you understand my question.

       

      thanks for any input

        • 1. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
          Nancy O. CommunityMVP

          Put new site into a TEST folder and upload it to your server for testing.  When you're ready to launch the new site, move everything from your TEST folder into your Public folder.

           

           

          Nancy O.

          • 2. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
            SnakEyez02 CommunityMVP

            Best thing you can do is either setup a local testing server, or if you have higher access setup another website account on that same server and setup permissions so that it's only viewable within your own network through IP restrictions.  I wouldn't upload to a folder on the active web server account for testing. 

            • 3. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
              osgood_ CommunityMVP

              I always include the test folder in the public folder to begin with but use a meta tag to stop search engines indexing the pages.

               

              I'm always a bit nervous about moving things around once extensive testing has been undertaken incase something breaks

               

              You could then just redirect the root level index file to point to the test folder, just rename the folder to something more discret like the initials of the company name.

               

              so www.thiscompany/tc looks better than www.thiscompany/test

               

              Of course if you have any absolute url coding in the site you will have to change that too so it points to the correct file. You'd have to do that anyway

               

              This http://www.thiscompany.co.uk/test/images/image_1.jpg is not going to be the same as http://www.thiscompany.co.uk/images/image_1.jpg

              • 4. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
                mhollis55 CommunityMVP

                I do not think search engines would ever find the pages in your test folder if they are not, somehow, linked to pages in the regular website. I have never encountered any webcrawler action in any test folder I set up (and I do check statistics).

                 

                And when I define a site in Dreamweaver, I make all links relative to the document, not a site root. That way, a move from a test folder (actually, I tend to delete everything and then re-upload everything in the site root folder after redefining the server in Dreamweaver to not put anything in a test folder) will not have any spurious /test/ folder in any links.

                 

                Nancy has given the correct answer. She should be credited.

                 

                -Mark

                • 5. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
                  MurraySummers CommunityMVP

                  You could always set up a subdomain for the development work, giving you -

                   

                  dev.example.com

                   

                  When development is finished, just move all the files from dev.example.com into example.com. This is a much more 'compartmentalized' approach than simply having a TEST folder on the legacy domain, but it's basically the same methodology.

                  • 6. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
                    osgood_ CommunityMVP

                    mhollis55 wrote:

                     

                    I do not think search engines would ever find the pages in your test folder if they are not, somehow, linked to pages in the regular website. I have never encountered any webcrawler action in any test folder I set up (and I do check statistics).

                     

                    I'm most probably being over cautious. This stuff is so sticky to play around with so whenever I can I try and bolt things down just to be extra sure nothing escapes.....but it always seems to anyway

                     

                     

                    mhollis55 wrote:

                     

                    And when I define a site in Dreamweaver, I make all links relative to the document, not a site root. That way, a move from a test folder (actually, I tend to delete everything and then re-upload everything in the site root folder after redefining the server in Dreamweaver to not put anything in a test folder) will not have any spurious /test/ folder in any links.

                     

                     

                    I usually do that but I've become a bit nervous of moving things around after it's all been extensively tested and the faults ironed out. I mean sometimes when you upload again you do get a corrupt file which could stop the whole thing working.

                     

                    I'm taking to just sticking an index page in the root and redirecting it to the 'test' folder. I'm not aware of any issues doing it this way as far as search engines are concerned they just get redirected to the index file in the test folder or whatever you name it or rename it to.

                    • 7. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
                      westwm Community Member

                      hey everyone

                      thanks so much for the answers and feedback

                       

                      I eventually followed osgood's example and created a two letter folder (name "ts") and uploaded it to the public folder of our existing website with the relevant new files.

                      I was then able to access those files (well a single page right now) in browser by simply appending the folder name at the end of the existing webaddress:

                       

                      acompany.net -existing page

                      acompany.net/ts/ - location of new webpage(s)

                       

                      when i add more pages they should be referenced within this folder only,unless i have specific outside links to go to, correct?

                       

                      i'm curious as to why there are so many various and warning messages about doing testing this way? is it really bad? will search engines remember these test pages and degrade the company's web prescence later?? i guess with larger corporate sites with hundreds of pages, more caution has to be used? I hope i'm not doing anything harmful to the existing webstanding of the online site.

                       

                      osgood_ wrote:

                       

                      I always include the test folder in the public folder to begin with but use a meta tag to stop search engines indexing the pages.

                       

                      I'm always a bit nervous about moving things around once extensive testing has been undertaken incase something breaks

                       

                      You could then just redirect the root level index file to point to the test folder, just rename the folder to something more discret like the initials of the company name.

                       

                      so www.thiscompany/tc looks better than www.thiscompany/test

                       

                      Of course if you have any absolute url coding in the site you will have to change that too so it points to the correct file. You'd have to do that anyway

                       

                      This http://www.thiscompany.co.uk/test/images/image_1.jpg is not going to be the same as http://www.thiscompany.co.uk/images/image_1.jpg

                      • 8. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
                        mhollis55 CommunityMVP

                        My new sites do not reference the old site. And I think this is the essence of all of the warnings. Others may build new pages that reference material in the old website.

                         

                        When I locate a new website inside another one, I always use Dreamweaver to define a new site. Generally, on a Linux/Apache server, you place your website root on /index_html/

                         

                        I create a new website for that domain in /index_html/new/ and all of my files, including JavaScript, php, css, the template and so on are created in that subdirectory. I never refer in any way back to the old website's directory. If I am using the same image files as the old one, I copy them on my operating system  level from the old site to the newly-defined website and then link them to the /images/ subdirectory in the new site. If I have two different copies of "machine.jpg" on the server while I am building the new website, so be it. I doubt if it will bring down the server.

                         

                        I suspect, based on what osgood is saying here, he may be linking back to his original root folder for the new site.

                         

                        -Mark

                        • 9. Re: using a single website for testing while running older existing webpages
                          osgood_ CommunityMVP

                          mhollis55 wrote:

                           

                           

                          I suspect, based on what osgood is saying here, he may be linking back to his original root folder for the new site.

                           

                          -Mark

                           

                          I'm only linking the old index file in the site root to the new site in the 'test' folder AFTER the new site in the 'test' folder has been thoroughly tested and approved by the client. Yes I could and have done and probably will do in the future just upload all the new site files to the site root IF I feel I havent had to jump through hoops to get the new site working.

                           

                          I was doing some research about php header location redirect last night and it might possibly not be a good solution as some threads were saying Google looks for a 301 error and a php header location gives a 302 error apparently.....so I may have to use the .htaccess file to redirect to the new index.php which will be in the test folder.

                           

                          This stuff really get on my nerves as it seems you are 90% of the time testing. I'm trying to eliminate having the need to test again after the files have been approved and working. Moving or re-uploading approved and tested files could break something somewhere in your site so to test again to make sure what you have already tested is still working seems like double the work.