Creating development environment?

[darrell]

I was hoping to get some ideas on how others have implemented a development environment. At the moment I have an OSc store live and running but would like to get a development site going so I can add/test various bits without it affecting my live store.

 

I used a host and don't want to setup a server in my house to test things out. Do others just have a secondary installation? Do you point to the same DB or do you have separate ones for dev/prod? Any other recommendations on how to do this?

 

TIA

[dahui]

I was hoping to get some ideas on how others have implemented a development environment.  At the moment I have an OSc store live and running but would like to get a development site going so I can add/test various bits without it affecting my live store. 

 

I used a host and don't want to setup a server in my house to test things out.  Do others just have a secondary installation?  Do you point to the same DB or do you have separate ones for dev/prod?  Any other recommendations on how to do this?

 

TIA

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

just my 2cents and I may do way too much but I am really afraid of messing up so my process is the following:

 

I do have a local install, infect several, e.g. one absolute vanilla, that I do not alter at all but use just for lookup

 

but mainly 1 dev environment on my local laptop on win xp pro

 

then I do have a 2 domains on my own VPS, the live one (which is fair enough) and a sillyname.com that I already had.

 

all installations of cause DO have their OWN DB !!!

 

when I started getting into osC I read a lot on this board, and figured out quickly that I might modify a lot, therefore backups and versions would be auite usefull

 

whatever I do, like a nwe contrib I do first on my local installation. I start making a complete copy of the osc into a folder from local->local and name the folder with some comments and a version to know what it contains. like 'before new contrib install'. I make a quick db dump into that folder, and have a complete package to roll back to!

 

thenI do modification on local untill I am satisfied!!

 

when I finish I backup that again completely on a new local folder with new version an name ' after contrib install xxx' gain with db dump

 

now i start to bring that upto my dev install ONLINE I make a ftp sync of the complete folders and dump the db to online db as well. the only files you never touch in this process from one install to another is the 2 config files!

 

when I am satisfied with the rsult online I go on with a new contrib local.

 

if online something workz different, I work on the online install untilI am satisfied and the check back the differences to the local and learn that way how everything 'ticks'

 

now that I am right about to go live, I just needed to dump the db and files from one online install to the other.

 

what I do in future, as this week my store goes online:

 

minimum 3 installs

1st local for development

2nd online for testing

3rd live-shop

 

if you do have only one domain, you may setup a subdomain, like http://development.mydomain.com with its own db and secur the complete directory with .htaccess, basically you have yr testing then on same domain, but nor open for anybody and !!! every install with it#sonw DB !!!

 

meanwhile I was to lazy to always make backups and installed a vitrtuell-source-system. in combination with a nice ftp-proggy and a local tool to admin my db's, the local ones as well as the online ones, I am pretty oversave :)

 

hope that hepls you figure out the right process for yourself, I always try to have a

DEV TEST LIVE environment minimum

 

dahui