User Manual For Website Editors and Administrators
Preview function in Contentstack
The preview function in Contentstack
The preview function in Contentstack helps to quickly see changes you make in a web page or a content block of a web page without publishing it to UAT. This makes the handling easier and quicker especially because the preview will not have a cache.
For our customized CMS, we had to install a small workaround to enable you to use the preview.
This workaround is described below. Please follow the exact order of steps and observe the hints marked with .
The workaround to use the Preview function
1 – Open a web page in Contenstack (or create a new one first, including a content block).
2 – Click on the “Live Preview” icon in the menu bar on the right side.
4 – Click on “ … “, then on “Settings” to select your local UAT you are working on. It will offer all Locales in UAT which you have admin rights for.
For technical reasons, we had to install the UAT access through Internet which requires user name and password:
mefaTest
MrtTa_1221*
5 – The web page will appear in the selected UAT environment next to the “Web page”
Do not continue working from here, but proceed with the next steps.
6 – Click on the icon “Open in New tab” in order to do so
7 – You will now see two tabs indicated as “Contentstack”.
Do not continue working from here, but proceed with the next steps
8 – Copy the Preview link from the new tab into a third tab (Tab 3)
This is the actual workaround. You should never forget to do so, because Tab2 will automatically close when you continue with step 11.
9 – Now you can start working in the Backend to make your modifications in the Web page.
Make a change
SAVE it, but don’t publish
Go to Tab3
Reload the page to see your saved changes in the preview
Backend Web Page
10 – To make changes in the referenced Content block, please proceed in the Backend as usual.
11 – As soon as you click on “Edit” to open the Content Block, Tab2 will close.
That’s why it is so important to never forget step 8.
If you use two monitors, open the "preview tab" on the second monitor to have an even better overview.
12 – Now you can start working in the Backend to make your modifications in the Content block. The procedure is the same as for the Web page (step 9)
Make a change
SAVE it, but don’t publish
Go to Tab3
Reload the page top see your saved changes in the preview
Example:Move and change the HeadlineMove and change the HeadlineLive preview
13 – As soon as you are happy with the preview, don’t forget to Save and Publish the content / changes as usual.
If you had published the page to PROD, please always publish to both environments, UAT and Prod, even if you don't need UAT for testing.