The Template Package Sandbox includes the Clone option that may be used to create a complete copy of a template package.
Creating a backup copy of a template package is recommended before making changes to the template package. If the changes do not work out as planned, having a saved backup copy will greatly simplify the process of restoring the previous storefront design.
To create a backup copy, simply follow the copy a template package process described below. If it is necessary to restore to the backup copy, follow the activate a template package process to make the backup copy the live template package.
Copy a template package
Follow the steps below to copy a template package:
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Go to [Design > Template Package Sandbox].
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In the Select a Template Package section, select the template package to backup from the dropdown menu.
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Click the Clone link in the Template Package Options section.
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In the Clone a Template Package popup window, enter a new name for the copy of the template package. The template package name may only contain letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens. Any uppercase letters will automatically be saved as lowercase. For example: TemplatePackageName would be saved as templatepackagename .
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Click the Clone button.
Activate a template package
Activating a template package does not alter the template package, and does not delete the template package that was previously applied to the storefront.
Any customization of the old template package will not transfer to the new template package, but neither will the customization be lost. The old template package, along with any customization, will be saved as-is until it is deleted or edited.
Follow the steps below to select a different template package to apply to the storefront:
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Go to [Design > Template Package Sandbox].
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In the Select a Template Package section, from the dropdown menu, select the template package to apply to the storefront.
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Click the Apply to storefront link in the Template Package Options section. The Apply to storefront link only appears when a template package that is not the live template package has been selected from the dropdown menu.
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The selected template package will be activated as the store's live template package, and will be displayed to customers browsing the storefront. If the storefront was already open in another browser window or tab, refresh the page to see the newly activated template package take effect.
Create a working copy and edit in storefront preview mode
When major design changes are planned, it may be helpful to make the changes to a working copy of the template package, instead of just creating a backup copy before beginning the changes. If changes are made to a working copy instead of to the live template package, any glitches or display issues will not affect customers browsing the storefront.
The store admin editing the template package can activate storefront preview mode for the working copy. While storefront preview mode is active, the store admin will be able to see the full effect in the storefront as each edit is saved -- but customers will still only see the live template package and will remain unaffected by any edits to the working copy template package.
To create a working copy of the live template package and load the working copy into preview mode, follow the copy a template package process to copy the live template package.
Once the copy has been created, follow the steps below to enter preview mode with the working copy:
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On the Template Package Sandbox page, in the Select a Template Package section, select the working copy template package from the dropdown menu.
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Click the Preview link in the Template Package Options section.
The storefront will open in a new browser window, with the selected template package applied in preview mode. It may be necessary to enable popups to allow the new browser window to open.
While in preview mode, a red border will be displayed around the outside edges of the storefront pages.
The storefront preview is fully functional, and all of the normal navigation options are available, including the category menus, checkout links, etc. After saving a change to one of the HTML templates in the previewed template package, simply navigate to the corresponding page to view the change. If the page was already loaded, refresh the storefront page after saving the change to the corresponding HTML template.
To exit preview mode, and view the storefront as it appears to customers, on the Template Package Sandbox page, click the Stop previewing link in the Template Package Options section.
Preview mode will also be ended if the browser is completely closed (including all windows and tabs), or if the Click here to stop previewing [template package name] link in the top edge of the red preview border is clicked.
Once the design of the working copy has been finalized, simply follow the activate a template package process to set the working copy as the live template package.
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