SellCloud Staging Pro provides the ability to create a staging site for a WordPress Multisite network.
You can choose to copy the entire MU network(only subdirectory Multisite supported) or a specific subsite(both subdomain and subdirectory Multisite supported) to the staging site.
Once the staging site is created, you also have the options to update the live site to staging site and push the staging site back to live with one click.
Install Staging Plugin for WordPress Multisite
First, log in to your SellCloud admin panel and go to your app's Plugins tab in SellCloud Dashboard > Products/Services > Your Server > Wordpress > Web Application > Your App > Plugins
Find the SellCloud Staging Plugin and tick it and then scroll down and add your app's system user password and click the Install Plugin button. It will install and activate the Staging plugin on your Wordpress Admin Panel. Then login to your Wordpress Admin Panel. Since it's installed, you can access the plugin from your left admin menu > SellCloud Staging.
To create a staging site, click the Create A Staging Site button.
Note: SellCloud Staging will automatically exclude some most-used cache plugins when creating a staging site, but considering that there are hundreds of cache plugins on the market, we would recommend temporarily deactivating cache plugins before creating a staging site to rule out possibilities of unknown failures.
1. Choose Database and Directory to Install the Staging Site
First, enter a name for the folder where the staging site will be installed and a prefix for the staging site database tables.
The information you entered will be reflected immediately on the staging site overview section under the fields.
Next, choose a database for the staging site with the options to:
Choose which directory to install the staging site:
- Install the staging site to the root directory of the current site
- Install the staging site to the wp-content directory of the current site
2. Choose What to Copy to the Staging Site
Next, choose what content on the live site you want to copy to the staging site:
Option 1: Create a staging site for a single MU subsite
This option allows you to create a staging site for a single MU subsite, it supports both subdomain and subdirectory Multisite.
First, you will need to choose a subsite for which you want to create a staging site. You can search the specific subsite if you have many.
Then click Next Step to start choosing what content you want to copy to the staging site.
By default, the plugin will copy the entire database and WordPress files to the staging site, however, you do have the option to exclude files/folders that you don't want to copy. To do that, expand the option "Exclude Additional Files/Folders" > Select directory from the dropdown menu: /themes, /plugins, /wp-content, /uploads and select files/folders under the directory to exclude them. Click the trashcan icon delete a foler/file from the exclusion list.
3. Create the Staging Site
Once you are done with the content, click the Create Now button to start creating the staging site. You can view the live progress on the dashboard.
Note: Please don not close or refresh the page while the plugin is creating a staging site. It can take some time depending on your connection speed and the size of the copy.
Once created successfully, the staging site will show up in the Staging Sites tab where you will get an overview of the staging site:
- Staging Site URL: e.g.,http://yourdomain.com/mystaging01
- Staging Site Admin URL: e.g., http://yourdomain.com/mystaging01/wp-admin/
The urls are clickable so that you can click them to access the staging site¡¦s homepage or admin dashboard to start your development work. Your login credentials for your staging site will be the same as your live site¡¦s.
- Database: e.g., wpvivid_db_9
- Table Prefix: e.g., wpvividstg01_
- Site Directory: e.g., /var/www/html/yourdomain.com/wordpress/mystaging01
Manage the staging site
You can also manage the staging site with the options:
- Copy the Staging Site to Live
- Update the Staging Site
- Delete the staging site