I’m new to web developement. I have spent a fair amount of time studying html,css and javascript but now want to put it into practice to see what I need to imporve on/learn next.
I have my first project which is a redesign of a very basic website and I just have a couple of questions in regard to redesigns
The website already has a domain name and host etc. I plane to code a completely new website and use wordpress as the CMS so that it is easy for the owner to update.
When it comes to transferring my files do I need to take down the old website completely first and then transfer mine or can I transfer my files to the server and then take down the old files so it is more seamless.
Do I need to upload WP to the host first and then intergrate my html/css files with WP or can I somehow integrate my files with WP and then upload the whole thing to the host.
I’m not sure I’ve worded these questions right and I’m sure they’re very basic but whilst I have gotten to grips with writing code it’s these sort of things i’m not so sure about.
Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
When it comes to transferring my files do I need to take down the old website completely first and then transfer mine or can I transfer my files to the server and then take down the old files so it is more seamless.
You can have all the files on the server at the same time. Just be careful of any conflicts. For example, if the original site has index.html in the root folder, you obviously can’t have another one too. But you could simply rename the other one temporarily, such as index-new.html, or even better, index.php. Just be aware that when you point the browser to the root (e.g. mysite.com) the index.html page will load, so if you want to view index.php, you’d have to type mysite.com/index.php into the browser. (Once you delete index.html, you won’t have to do that any more.)
Do I need to upload WP to the host first and then intergrate my html/css files with WP or can I somehow integrate my files with WP and then upload the whole thing to the host.
You can do the whole lot on your own computer if you like and then upload later. Lots of people do it this way. The easiest way is to set up a simple server environment on your computer by downloading something like WAMP (if on a PC) or MAMP (if on a Mac). Then you can install WP and mess with it as much as you like, integrate the old site etc, then upload the whole lot to the server when it’s working nicely.
HI ralph.m, thank you for the kind welcome and the extremely helpful advice. You’ve answered my questions perfectly. I’m sure there will be more questions to come as I get further into the redesign but thanks for now.
Depending on the arrangement that you have on the hosting server you can often create a sub-domain on the server to develop the new site on. Once you are done, you can change the settings on the hosting server to point the domain name at the new site and avoid uploading and swapping the website. I do particularly like that route because it makes launching sites that much easier.
Alternately, I’ll develop a CMS site (or any site for that matter) on a local server as Ralph suggested and then transfer it over. It’s usually a quick process to swap the old site with the new but sometimes there are hitches with the version of PHP or something or another so I do the switch in the evening or when I’m sure the traffic will be low.
Oh, I also take a copy of the old site and archive it just in case something of value is left out of the new site and it becomes an issue sometime after the old site is long gone and forgotten.
Thanks awasson, more very helpful advice. It’s greatly appreciated. I think I will prefer the method of intergtarting my site on a local server and transferring it over. That’s good advice to wait until periods of low traffic, especially as it’s my first time doing it.
