Currently my workflow is installing Umbraco via NuGet and working in Sublime Text and Visual Studio 2015, however I have to manually deploy everything to the server.
I setup local IIS or debug the website directly from Visual Studio. When setting up Umbraco I connect to a live database on Plesk (where the live website is hosted). This way I develop locally and just have to move everything to the server and it's live.
So after some time developing or updating I archive all the files (sometimes just media, because adding content locally creates database entries, but files are missing in the media folder, sometimes just the css, js) and then manually go to the server, upload the archive, delete the website and extract the new website.
So this is the part that I want to improve.
Currently I use Grunt to automate my development work by CSS, JavaScript minification, concatenation, file versioning, image optimising, etc.
I used grunt-deploy in the past for assets, however found that slow, sometimes unreliable with connection timing out.
Can anyone suggest/recommend ways to automate my development workflow?
Possible syncing the media folder between local/live server
Automating deploying everything with the latest GitHub commit or any industry standards
Generally anything that could save me time doing all this manual work.
Paulius, then you have to automate your deployment.
If you are making changes in database locally - use uSync for deploy database changes between environments, but fist is automation of deployment files.
Then try to set up the process with your project sourcecode repository and specific action / handlers when you want to perform builds and deploys after that (for example after setting new tag in repository etc.).
uSync (https://our.umbraco.org/projects/developer-tools/usync/) may be very helpful to handle changes in DocumentTypes, DataTypes and even Content (in ContentEdition). I presume that not always you'll be able to have same developer and live database. We use shared database for developers and totally new ones for staging/qa and live enviroments.
You can also check Azure/MS solutions (they are also offering some CI/CD features in VS Online for example) and try to squeeze as much as you can from them e.g. set up media blobs and keep media files there and menage them using UmbracoFileSystemProviders.Azure (https://our.umbraco.org/projects/collaboration/umbracofilesystemprovidersazure/). We found it very useful to not keep or transfer medias even between developers and just share them in blobs.
It all depends from scenario and knowledge level. We're still exploring CI/CD and I think that optimisation of those processes are and should be a little, neverending story :) Happy coding!
Improving Umbraco developing workflow
Hi all,
Currently my workflow is installing Umbraco via NuGet and working in Sublime Text and Visual Studio 2015, however I have to manually deploy everything to the server.
I setup local IIS or debug the website directly from Visual Studio. When setting up Umbraco I connect to a live database on Plesk (where the live website is hosted). This way I develop locally and just have to move everything to the server and it's live.
So after some time developing or updating I archive all the files (sometimes just media, because adding content locally creates database entries, but files are missing in the media folder, sometimes just the css, js) and then manually go to the server, upload the archive, delete the website and extract the new website.
So this is the part that I want to improve.
Currently I use Grunt to automate my development work by CSS, JavaScript minification, concatenation, file versioning, image optimising, etc.
I used grunt-deploy in the past for assets, however found that slow, sometimes unreliable with connection timing out.
Can anyone suggest/recommend ways to automate my development workflow?
Big thanks,
Paulius
Hi Paulius,
Great question.
Look at - https://umbraco.com/cloud
UAAS can deploy what you want to live, dev or stage environment.
Also one of the greatest possibility is - moving content from the live to local, to dev and other environments.
But this tool can't move media between environments.
Cheers,
Alex
Hi Alex,
Yes, I've heard of Umbraco as a Service, however we're not planning to use that just yet.
We have a lot of client website that we work with/maintain and they all are hosted Plesk and moving them is not an option at the moment.
My main focus is to improve my current workflow where possible.
Thanks,
Paulius
Paulius, then you have to automate your deployment.
If you are making changes in database locally - use uSync for deploy database changes between environments, but fist is automation of deployment files.
Thanks,
Alex
Hi Alex,
I have the same database connected to live and local copy of the website so database is always up to date.
Files are the main concern. I am looking for a way to automate the process.
Cheers,
Paulius
Hi Paulius,
if you would like to try something else than UaaS (which IMO will be the best solution for you), check tools like:
Then try to set up the process with your project sourcecode repository and specific action / handlers when you want to perform builds and deploys after that (for example after setting new tag in repository etc.).
uSync (https://our.umbraco.org/projects/developer-tools/usync/) may be very helpful to handle changes in DocumentTypes, DataTypes and even Content (in ContentEdition). I presume that not always you'll be able to have same developer and live database. We use shared database for developers and totally new ones for staging/qa and live enviroments.
You can also check Azure/MS solutions (they are also offering some CI/CD features in VS Online for example) and try to squeeze as much as you can from them e.g. set up media blobs and keep media files there and menage them using UmbracoFileSystemProviders.Azure (https://our.umbraco.org/projects/collaboration/umbracofilesystemprovidersazure/). We found it very useful to not keep or transfer medias even between developers and just share them in blobs.
It all depends from scenario and knowledge level. We're still exploring CI/CD and I think that optimisation of those processes are and should be a little, neverending story :) Happy coding!
Hi Paulius and Marcin,
One more option for Media folder sync - via BTSync or some similar app.
Just remembered.
Thanks
Hi Paulius,
So did you find perfect solution how to improve developing workflow?
Please share experience with us:)
Thanks,
Alex
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