Is thee a way to customize a "test" theme before activation?

littlesophia · Member · Dec 3, 2011 at 7:38 pm
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I have LSmita.wordpress.com in the Twenty-Ten theme and it’s okay, but a bit staid.

I really want to see how our blog would look in the new Adventure theme, but when I click preview on Adventure, it doesn’t create a sidebar. Everything is full-width and that’s not what I want. I don’t see a way to customize the “test” to really see what it would look like when properly configured without fully activating the theme.

I have no problem doing the configuration but… if I don’t like it, I don’t want to have to then rebuild my blog to bring it BACK to where it is right now, working just fine. Everything just where I want it (in it’s IKEA-like sterility).

Is there a way to more fully “test” a theme candidate and / or more easily “revert” my blog if I find a deal-breaker of an issue that makes me want to go back to the safety of the Twenty-Ten theme? I guess what I’m asking for is a “sandbox” where I can test different themes, configure them to work for me, and be able to leave my existing blog completely untouched. (being able to switch between two or more “candidates” would be just amazing.”

The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
timethief · Member · Dec 3, 2011 at 7:49 pm
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Have you considered registering and setting up a “private” mirror blog for testing purposes? You can register as many free blogs as you wish at WordPress.com and then use them as you wish. Once you have registered a test blog and set the visibility to “private” to keep out search engines, you make it into an exact replica of your main blog AKA a “mirror blog” and use it for testing themes, lay-outs , widgets, and any other new items you are considering adding to your main blog.

You can also use the theme demo sites:
Adventure Journal

I really want to see how our blog would look in the new Adventure theme, but when I click preview on Adventure, it doesn’t create a sidebar. Everything is full-width and that’s not what I want.

Five layout choices are available for this theme: One-column, Two-column, left content; Two-column, right content; Three-column, center content; Three-column, left content. Select your favorite layout from Appearance → Theme Options. http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/adventure-journal/
thesacredpath · Member · Dec 3, 2011 at 7:50 pm
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Create a test blog on your existing account to use for testing themes. I suggest using a blog name that others might not want such as mytestblog7392.wordpress.com or something similar. Set the blog to private and then you can test away. You can if you wish even export your content and import it into the test blog so you are working with your content. Just make sure and keep it private so it doesn’t conflict in the search engines with your main site.
thesacredpath · Member · Dec 3, 2011 at 7:50 pm
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And Timethief beat me to it.

G’day TT!
timethief · Member · Dec 3, 2011 at 7:54 pm
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G’day TSP :)
littlesophia · Member · Dec 3, 2011 at 8:19 pm
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Walk me through the “export your content & import it” part?

Oh, and you both rock.
timethief · Member · Dec 3, 2011 at 8:24 pm
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The walk through is in the post I linked to above. Scroll down to: “Creating a mirror blog”

support docs:
export
import
import/export links

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