Although most developers tend to build sites offline, I however do not. Once I install Concrete, the first thing I do is create an "under construction" page. Then, on the home page, I add the FREE re-direct block, and have it re-direct non-registered users to the "under construction" page (or it can be any URL, if you create a static HTML construction page).

Then, when the site is done, I simply remove the re-direct block. This way, even while I'm still developing the site, I can login and see the homepage and the rest of the site exactly as it will be live.

Hope that helps?

On a live site, you can install into a subfolder and develop there. When you want to go live, just move everything to root, and update config/site.php and your .htaccess file.

jero's solution works as well. Using a sub-folder is ideal for re-design projects. I have a client right now that has an existing site built with another system. I'm developing their new concrete site in a sub-folder, and then when I'm done with it, I will simply copy everything over to the root directory.

My previous comment was referring to fresh installs / brand new projects.

I prefer to do everything in subfolders of the webroot, never the actual webroot. Then when I want to make a new development live I just change the domain to map to whatever subfolder is currently live. I also use subdomains for various development stages.

eg:
/webroot/sf1/a_concrete_installation is at mysite.com
/webroot/sf2/another_installation is at beta.mysite.com
/webroot/sf3/and_another_installation is at alpha.mysite.com

Then later I can change the domain mapping:
/webroot/sf1/a_concrete_installation is at old.mysite.com
/webroot/sf2/another_installation is at mysite.com
/webroot/sf3/and_another_installation is at beta.mysite.com
/webroot/sf4/yet_another_installation is at alpha.mysite.com

When I am happy sf2 is working, I can then delete sf1, but until that point it remains there so I can revert if there is an issue.

Hi all,

Thanks for the response! I appreciate it. I'm a writer/photographer/videographer who is setting up a couple of sites for myself with C5: one a personal/self-promotional/marketing site, and the other strictly for creative content. I've enjoyed learning to do a lot of this stuff myself but sometimes get stuck, thus asking you for advice.

Growthcurve's original reply fits my circumstances it seems: new project. And, frankly, it seems the easiest for a novice like me. I'll give that a shot and get back to you when I invariably hit a brick wall. Thanks again!

This is what I did given some other research on the C5 site. I created an "Under Construction" page type. Downloaded the block redirect add-on and installed it on the home page (in the main content area) and redirected all unregistered and registered users to the "Under Construction" page type. Now I get a "page not found at this address" error(?). When redirecting I allowed the block owner access (me, right?). Should I have allowed registered users access, since I'm the only registered user?