Website Management: Creating, Deletion, Switching and Duplication
The first time you run Publii the first screen you see will be the Create New Website page:
There's only a few steps to take care of here, but it's important that you are aware of the effect each setting will have:
- First, create an icon for your site. This icon will be displayed only in the Publii backend to help you distinguish this site from any others you create later; it will not have any effect on the actual live website. Click on the icon and color that you wish to use; a preview will be created on the left.
- Enter the website name in the Website Name field. This name will be used both on the Publii backend and also on your live site in both the logo position (if it is set to text) and for the tab title (what you see at the very top of the browser tab).
- Enter your name or the name of the person who will be writing/posting to your site in the Author Name field. This name will be used on all created posts, with a separate author page available. Additional authors may be added via the Authors section of the Publii interface.
With these steps finished, click on the Create Website button; at this point you can start adding posts and tags, but it is recommended that you first choose a theme for your site, and also configure your server settings; you can find details on these steps in the Installing Theme and Server Configuration sections.
Publii doesn't place a limit on the number of websites you can create at one time; each installation of Publii can manage an unlimited number of sites. To make creating, managing and switching between your websites easier, Publii includes a Site Management area, which can be accessed by clicking on your website name at the top of the Left-Sidebar Menu.
Creating a Site From a Backup
If you have already used Publii in the past and have a backup file that you would like to use to restore your site into your new Publii installation, you may do so by clicking on the Install From Backup tab at the top of the Create New Website screen popup:
A new box will appear where you can drag and drop your backup file, or click on the Choose File button to open the file explorer to choose your file. Once the file is selected, a dialogue box will open where you can enter the site name; this will default to the original site name, but you can change it if you wish. Next, click on the Create Website button to restore your site; once the process is finished, the restored website will automatically be opened, ready to modify.
Creating Additional Websites
Though many users only manage a single site via Publii, there's actually no limit to the number of websites you can create and manage in the app! If you want to create another website, you can do so via the Website Switcher, which appears in the toolbar at the top of the Publii app.
Clicking on the name of your website in this section will open a drop-down list; if you have multiple websites they will all be listed here so that you can easily switch between them. To create a new website, open the drop-down list and click on the Add New Website button at the bottom of the list:
This will take you back to the Create a Website screen, where you can set the basic options for your site. Once done, click on the Create Website button to complete creation. You may now switch between which site you are working on at any time by clicking on it in the list of sites in the drop-down list.
Each website that you create in Publii is considered to be a separate entity; the Global Settings for the Publii app will apply to all websites that you work on, but individual options such as the selected theme, the server, and the content, will all be separated and unique to each website.
Switching Websites
Once you've added new sites to Publii you can switch between them at any time by opening the Site Management page. Your available websites will be listed in the main window. From here, simply click on the website you wish to modify to switch to it.
If you have a large number of sites, you can type the website name you're looking for into the Search Bar at the top of the website list; this will dynamically sort your websites according to your search term.
Duplicating a Website
If you wish to create a duplicate of an existing site, open the Site Management screen, then mouse-over the website you wish to duplicate. You will see two options appear to the right of the site name; from here, click on the first icon which looks like two overlapping pages to create a duplicate.
Publii does not allow for two websites to have the same name, as individual folders are created using the site name to store the website files. After clicking on the duplicate icon, a pop-up will open where you can enter a name for your duplicate site; once done, click on the Clone Website button to create it.
Deleting a Website
To delete a website, open the Site Management screen, then mouse-over the website that you wish to delete; two icons will be displayed to the right of the site name. Click on the second icon, which looks like a waste bin, to delete it.
To prevent accidental deletion of sites, you will need to confirm deletion. After clicking on the Delete icon, a pop-up will open asking for confirmation; to start deletion, click on the Remove Website button.