I want to design pages in Pinegrow and then add my CMS tags after, probably in code view. I prefer the ExpressionEngine CMS and the tags are like liquid.
Since I have Laravel Valet will I be able to preview at a custom URL so PHP and MySQL work?
Does anyone else design in Pinegrow then inject in CMS code somehow? How do you do it? I am not a WordPress fan so please don’t suggest that one.
Thanks.
I like flat file CMS as well if that is better with Pinegrow.
You need to have a local testing environment of some sort running a webserver of some kind with php and mysql installed. Then you use the “Open url” option on the start page and enter the local website address.
This also works for External websites hosted out there on the internet. You will not be able to save changes to external websites directly via the internet with Pinegrow. You will be able to save files locally on your computer. This works well for local testing environments.
I personally find that Pinegrow is not 100% when it comes to editing php or javascript directly. Instead of using Pinegrow for working with ecma script or php I use Atom or Visual Studio Code and Chrome web browser to display the site.
Think of Pinegrow as the front end Pretty tool. The backend database management and actual programming you should use a programming IDE or something like Notpad++, Atom, Brackets, Visual Studio Code or similar tools.
You are not going to find a one stop shop solution that works reliably or produces standards compliant code. Choose the right tool for the job. Pinegrow is for the front end Pretty, AFTER you have the content management whether static files or database based setup and working.
How do I inject my CMS code?
I work backend to front. First I design the database if I am going to use one, then I make sure retrieval, insertion, update, deletion via my custom written cms works properly for the site I am developing.
Then I design the backend workings for retrieving and displaying the content.
I manually create a skeleton Template using CSS and then JS as required.
Once that is setup then I open Pinegrow and further work with the template. Everything to do with the content is displayed via a working local URL. I use Pinegrow to retrieve this URL and then I work on the template in Pinegrow.
When I have it how I want I save to either the source CSS or a separate CSS file and then merge or replace the source via Atom or direct copy replace of the file.
I also make incremental backups of all the files as I go so if I screw up or want to revert back I can.
Thanks so much. Loving Kirby 3