Wordpress: How to Work on New Theme While Keeping Old Theme?
 

I want to change my current theme but if I install it straight away it looks shit.

Is there a way to make changes to the new theme while I keep the old theme and then just switch them when I am ready?

Yes, create a child theme.

https://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes

thanks ..

very good info

I don't think child theme is what he asked for. Child theme is for making modifications to the current theme so that the theme can still be updated by regular updates (as the parent theme is updated, not the child theme).

I have solved the posted problem by making test sites (same domain, just subdomain or different folder) those are duplicates for the original site. Just remember to password protect the whole duplicate site, so that nor people or bots can access it. After you have modded the test site/ tested various designs, etc. just copy the ready files to the actual site.

Absolutely right.

This is better approach to you:

Child theme is the best way to go.

"You should be working in your Child Theme if you're modifying the theme. Otherwise you'll lose your changes when the theme updates."

So you can make changes to the original theme, why not, but you wont be able to update it. These are not the most important things, but you are not losing anything, by working on a child theme.

A child theme is not the best way to go, because that would assume you're working off of the same existing theme.

A second install is the best way to do this.

Make a backup of your site (files + database) and install it in localhost with wamp for example.

Then install the new theme and try to target what causes the design crashes. It's possible that your new theme uses other custom field names (to display thumbs for example). If this is the case, you will have to change it to match with the old custom fields.

I was just about to suggest this.

It's crazy how many developers still don't use WAMP (or LAMP, which is what I use) to develop sites on their local machines, and then upload when they're fully tested and ready to launch. You can have 50 different themes working at the same time without affecting the integrity of your live site(s). And people can't say it's because of the price because WAMP, LAMP, and MAMP have been free since their inception.

But there's more than one way to skin a cat, heh?

You're right yes ;)

With local machine there is the problem that it won't duplicate your server setup in detail (or is at least harder). Though it won't crash the server neither.

Yes that's right but if it's simply modifications of custom field names or CSS, it doesn't risk much I think ;)

clone DB and htdocs directory in subdomain and work there.

The only issues I've ever had with migrating from local to remote was directory paths, which is an extremely easy fix, especially with a simply elegant platform like Wordpress. Very few changes in your database, a couple of config files, reconfigure some serials, and you're set. :thumbsup

P.S. There's even a plugin that does most, if not all of the heavy lifting for you. Double :thumbsup

https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-migration/

I always just create a site like test.domain.com and then work on my new theme on the test site. When I get it the way I want it, then I transfer it over.

Theme Test Drive WordPress plugin allows you to safely test drive any theme on your blog as administrator, while visitors still use the default one.

VPS accounts are so low today like $5 or $10/mo -- you don't need a lot of bandwith.

Just set up a development server with that same operating system -- play around without screwing up your production server. wget the wordpress base version then unzip in ssh set it up with the same database name -- wget the theme unzip. Develop> **edit a child theme > Tarball and rsync or wget the files server-to-server then untar.

Or use a gnu/LINUX os (same version os) locally with the identical file paths -- best way :2 cents:

Dude.... Just do it live!

make a dev site that has all the same addons or plugins as your live site, some dummy content, and go from there.

or, stop using wordpress and get something a bit better.