Anyone involved in WordPress should have a place to play, test plugins, themes, and test their own code. There are tons of options available and setting one up is easier than you think! In this session, we’ll help find an environment that works for you. Desktop server, MAMP, VVV/Vagrant, O/S built-in web server.

1. Building a WordPress
Sandbox
Joe Querin @joequerin
http://www.joequerin.com

2. About Me
• Graphic Design major
• Self taught Web Developer for 19+ years
• Current work full-time at Lorain County
Community College for 17+ years.
• WordPress experience last 5 years
• Built 8+ themes
• Migrated 4 complete sites to WordPress,
built from scratch many more.

3. Why Build a Sandbox?
• What is a WordPress Sandbox?
• What are the benefits of a sandbox?
• What options are there for a sandbox?

4. What is a WordPress Sandbox?
• Protected environment
• Separated from your production environment.
• Possibly a shared space, generally
just for you.

5. Benefits of a WordPress Sandbox
• Test themes
• Test plugins
• Test updates
• Try functionality

6. WordPress Sandbox
• Local Web Server – (Windows IIS)
• WAMP or MAMP
• Desktop Server from ServerPress
 WP Site Sync – Content Transfer
• VVV – Varying Vagrant Vagrants

7. Cons
• WAMP/MAMP – Resource Intensive, Cost
• Desktop Server – Minor Cost
• VVV – Can be intimidating, confusing.
 This past spring, we taught 3 art students,
VVV
Two MBPs, one Surface Book

8. Pros
• WAMP/MAMP – Easy for a non-technical
person to install, use.
• Desktop Server – Easy to use, optimized
for WordPress.
• VVV – Closest dev environment to a
production environment.

9. Where to find the tools
• WAMP – http://www.wampserver.com/en/
• MAMP – https://www.mamp.info/en/
• Desktop Server - https://serverpress.com/
• VVV - https://github.com/Varying-Vagrant-
Vagrants/VVV

10. Questions
Joe Querin
Twitter: @joequerin
Web: http://www.joequerin.com