Title: Best practice for testing new code
Last modified: August 19, 2016

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# Best practice for testing new code

 *  Resolved [hexley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/hexley/)
 * (@hexley)
 * [18 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-testing-new-code/)
 * I am bad, and I generally make code edits to my theme live, which at times, when
   I am mucking around in the php, can cause runtime errors.
 * In most cases, I am working on the index.php file in themes, or search.php, you
   get the idea.
 * I have tried to make a copy such as index2.php in themes, and load that, no love.
   Is there a doc or tech note, on when dealing with a live blog, and changed not
   warranting setting up a totally new dev system, how do you manage a singe copy
   of a page to make code changes and not affect regular traffic?

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

 *  [moshu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/moshu/)
 * (@moshu)
 * [18 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-testing-new-code/#post-710224)
 * You may try to have a copy of yout theme installed (with a different name) and
   using a plugin like:
    [http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-preview/](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-preview/)
 * Another option is to have a test install in a subfolder on your server, or on
   your machine (I have XAMPP on my PC and use that for building themes, testing
   etc.)

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

The topic ‘Best practice for testing new code’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [development](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/development/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 1 reply
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [moshu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/moshu/)
 * Last activity: [18 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-practice-for-testing-new-code/#post-710224)
 * Status: resolved

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