Background of the issue:
Our developer is preparing to migrate our new website to our hosting environment on Pantheon, which has distinct Dev, Test, and Live environments, each with its own URL (e.g., hidden link, hidden link, and our main domain hidden link). We would like guidance on the best procedure for installing WPML across these environments to avoid conflicts when moving from Dev to Test to Live.
Symptoms:
No specific issue or error message mentioned.
Questions:
What is the best procedure for installing WPML across Dev, Test, and Live environments on Pantheon?
What settings, configurations, or best practices will support seamless synchronization of WPML across these environments?
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )Italian (Italiano )
Timezone: Europe/Rome (GMT+01:00)
Hello!
You mention "What is the best procedure for installing WPML across..."
This tells me that WPML is not already enabled or installed on the staging sites, which at the same time tells me you're not "migrating" the live site into the dev and staging and viceversa.
Can you walk me through the workflow you follow so I can suggest the best thing you can do here?
Thank you for your response. Let me provide some more clarity on the current situation and our intended workflow:
Our developer is currently working on the new WordPress site in their own hosting environment, but it has not yet been migrated to Pantheon. We plan to migrate the new website into Pantheon, which includes distinct Dev, Test, and Live environments.
The intended workflow is:
1. Deploy the new WordPress website to the Dev environment on Pantheon.
2. Conduct internal reviews and testing, then push to the Test environment.
3. Finally, promote to the Live environment after final checks.
We need guidance on:
1. Best procedure for installing WPML across these environments to avoid conflicts when promoting from Dev to Test to Live.
2. Best practices for managing plugin licensing and synchronization across these environments.
3. Optimal activation strategy for WML: During our onboarding with Agnes from WPML, we were informed that WPML is aware of certain issues with the license type we purchased when used with Pantheon hosting. We were advised to contact WPML for specific instructions before proceeding. Should WPML be activated in all environments from the start, or would a particular sequence help prevent conflicts?
4. Environment-specific settings/configurations: Any adjustments necessary for staging environments to ensure seamless promotion through the WebOps process.
We want to ensure we follow a setup that supports the best use of WPML without causing issues during deployment transitions.
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )Italian (Italiano )
Timezone: Europe/Rome (GMT+01:00)
Alright.
1) Since you'll install WPML from scratch on the dev site, then only install WPML on the one where you need to (where you have the first time wizard).
The license is to finish installing the plugin and also to send credits, so there's no need to have it licensed on every installation, only where you want to send credits from WPML.org.
If you'll use Pay-As-You-Go which I recommend, then you don't really need to license it
2) Once you migrate you'll be prompted a banner from WPML. in here, i'd suggest you select the "no" option ("This is a copy of my site"). Then you'll be asked if you want to connect the sites or not.
Only connect the sites if you'll be moving back and forth between dev, test, live and the domains will always be active.
Why? because by copying a site you'll create an independent version of the translation editor, which will not share the translation memory, credits, anything and since you'll be moving back and forth, if you don't connect them, chances are you'll probably lose credits by deleting the site that had the credits. by connecting them together, you'll prevent that.
Thank you for the information provided. It's helpful to understand the options available with WPML, especially regarding licensing flexibility. However, l'd like to clarify that we're not currently concerned with automated translation credits, as we have a team of translators handling this manually. For our setup, we aim to keep WPML functional across environments without relying on the automated translation system.
To ensure we proceed correctly, could you please provide specific guidance on:
1. *Step-by-step installation and activation across Dev, Test, and Live environments* to avoid conflicts when promoting from one environment to the next in Pantheon.
2. *Best practices for plugin configuration and synchronization between environments*, particularly since we'll be testing in each one. Are there any specific configurations we should adjust on staging environments to ensure seamless promotion through WebOps?
3. *Handling potential conflicts with Pantheon hosting:* During my onboarding with Agnes from WPML, I was advised to consult WPML for instructions before proceeding with Pantheon.
Any additional insights on how to optimize WPML for Pantheon-hosted environments would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your help in ensuring a smooth deployment process!
