Website staging environment / Save Without Publishing

Feature Requests Website Builder Request
1

I really need a way to work on a clients site and save changes without making them live. How things are is fine for new sites, but when making updates or changes to a published site, I need to allow the client to approve them before I publish them, however I can’t show them without saving, hence the problem.

I know I could make a draft on another page and hide it from navigation / put a password on it, but this is super inconvenient and a horrible work flow.

9 Likes
2

Hi @Chad_George, so you want a development branch where you can make changes on your website and your client have to approve or reject the merge with the changes you made before it goes to the main/production branch (live website).

Did I miss something, or do you have any other comments?

3

+1
That would be super helpful!

2 Likes
4

Basically yes, but even simpler, just break apart the Save and Publish Feature. I often find myself working on an update and can’t finish in one setting. I don’t want to lose my work, but I’m not ready to publish either. Mainly asking for a way to save changes without making them live on a published site.

2 Likes
5

+1 I up vote for this.

When we make many updates on a published website. I would like to save first, so I don’t lose the changes. And then preview it, tweak it again. And later decide to publish it and replace the production website.

3 Likes
6

That would indeed be great; just had that question today with a client myself.

Simply allow work in progress on changes or additions like many clients are used to from WordPress.

Thanks!

3 Likes
7

+1 that will be great feature so we can have a staging environment too.

1 Like
8

Thanks for the feedback. I updated the feature request ticket. If you have more ideas, then keep going and share them with us.

9

I’ve seen other editors simply use a combination of a save button and auto save in the editor which allows team and clients to see the changes and then simply hit the publish/republish button to push it live.

1 Like
10

A nice workaround would be:

  • Duplicate the website
  • Move the domain to the duplicated website
  • Publish it
  • Make changes to the original website (do not delete the content, like pictures, as they are referenced)
  • When the website is done, just move the domain back
  • Publish the “new” website with the changes

Hope that helps!

1 Like
12

Sitejet - in my opinion - too often requires workarounds even for features that are very common and built-in at other tools.

Same with maintenance mode (as I put a festure request on recently).