Do you have a separate development install for each of your sites?

[Joe Link]

I'm a big fan of standardization, both from a member and admin standpoint. I have a few sites that, to the best of my current ability, are configured exactly the same way. They use the same XenForo style, run the same add-ons, have the same ad locations, etc.

We're going to being development on a couple new features, as well as a refreshed style soon. My question is, does it make sense to create a separate development version of each of these sites, or will one work, if they're configured the same? I plan on continuing the standardized approach, and I'm guessing that keeping track of the changes and configurations across four dev sites is going to take a ton of time.

I'd like to know which pros or cons I might not be considering.

 

[Paul B]

If each site has different XenForo versions and add-ons installed, then a separate one for each would enable you to do test upgrades of XenForo and the add-ons.
If they are the same in terms of XenForo version and add-ons installed then only one is required.

 

[Joe Link]

Thanks for the reply. They're all exactly the same, or at least that's my goal.

As soon as I get a bit of free time I'll be hiring @AndyB to teach me how to write basic add-ons to replace template edits. Doing this makes a lot more sense to me, for someone who owns multiple forums, as you can simply go down the add-on list and see that everything is standardized.

 

[Paul B]

Creating a template modification as an add-on is very simple.

It isn't necessary to hire nor pay anyone.

 

[Joe Link]

It's worth it to me to have someone looking over my shoulder

I owe him for all his excellent free add-ons anyhow.

 

[Paul B]

Free support for basic stuff like that is available on the forum from experienced developers.

Your choice though.

 

[thedude]

We do all template edits as template mods so it's simple keep it consistent across our sites. We put all the random template mods under a single add-on, and then it's easy to enable or disable them individually via the template modification page with just a mouse click. Just give each mod a good description so you can see what it is at a glance in the list.

 

[Joe Link]

We do all template edits as template mods so it's simple keep it consistent across our sites. We put all the random template mods under a single add-on, and then it's easy to enable or disable them individually via the template modification page with just a mouse click. Just give each mod a good description so you can see what it is at a glance in the list.

That's a great idea, thanks for the reply.