Publish and versions
Publish the draft with a note, fix what the publish check refuses, make an older version live again, or bring back one page from a version.
Everything you edit is a draft. Visitors see it only after you publish, and every publish becomes a version you can return to. This page covers publishing, what the publish check refuses, and the two ways back: making a whole version live again, or restoring one page from it.
Before you start #
- Publish from Publish & versions needs a Super admin, Content editor or Content author. The Publish button in the editor's top bar is shown to Super admins only.
- Restore a page… needs a Super admin or Content editor.
- Make live (an older version) needs a Super admin or the owner of the site's workspace.
- Wait until the editor has saved your last edit. A publish that starts while an edit is still saving is refused (see Pitfalls).
Publish from the editor #
- In the editor's top bar, select Publish.
- The panel says Checking what changed…, then Ready to publish? and These changes will go live: with the changed areas (Pages, Design system, Site settings, Menus, Animations and so on) and, under Pages, each changed page, header or footer, template or component.
- Select Publish changes.
While it runs, the button says Publishing… and the editor pauses edits briefly (Publishing the latest page… editing is paused briefly.). When it is done the panel says Published and Your changes are live., with View live site.
If the panel says Nothing to publish, the live site already shows your latest changes.
Publish from Publish & versions #
Use this page to write a note with the publish, and to see the version history.
- In the sidebar, open Publish & versions.
- Under Current draft, Ready to publish? lists what changed since the last publish.
- In What changed? (optional), write a short note, for example "New opening hours". It is shown in the version history and helps you find this version later.
- Select Publish changes.
- In Publish these changes?, read the consequence and select Publish changes again.
The message Published confirms it, and the new version appears at the top of the table as Live.
Pages that are still drafts #
A new page is a draft and stays offline even when you publish the site. In the list of changes it reads Page · draft, stays offline. To put it online with this publish, select Publish the page on its row, then publish the site.
Removed items #
When the list warns Removed items leave the live site when you publish., the publish will take those pages or collection items off the live site.
When a publish is refused #
Before anything goes live the publish checks every page. The first page that fails stops the publish, and nothing changes on the live site. The reason shows on the page you published from:
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Page “slug” has content to fix first: | A required field is empty (in the main language), or a text holds a language the site no longer has. | Each issue has Select the element (or Open the page). It opens the editor on that element; fill the field, then publish again. |
| An animation on page “slug” moves something that is no longer there: | A scene targets an element that was deleted or moved to another page. | Open the page, then fix or delete the scene in the motion panel. See Scenes and recipes. |
| Some edits are not saved yet. Wait until they are saved, then publish again. | You published while the editor was saving. | Wait for the save status, then publish. |
| The site could not be published: reason | Another refusal, worded by the server. | Read the reason; if it says another publish is running, try again in a moment. |
Note: The editor's Findings button runs the same check while you work and lists empty required fields first, as errors. Clearing its errors before you publish saves a round trip.
Read the version history #
The table on Publish & versions lists the versions, newest first:
| Column | Shows |
|---|---|
| Version | A short code that names the version, such as 3f9a01c2. |
| Status | Building while it is made, Ready when it can be used, Failed when the publish broke after it started. The live version has the Live badge. |
| Note | The note you wrote, or —. |
| Published | The date and time. |
| Screenshots | View (n): desktop and mobile captures of up to five pages, taken after the publish. Use Desktop, Mobile and Full page in the viewer. |
The site keeps the 20 most recent versions, plus the live one. Older ones are deleted automatically.
Under the table, Live website speed shows how fast the live site is for real visitors (Good, Needs work, Poor) over a Period you choose. It stays empty until visitors open the site.
Make an older version live #
- In the version's row, select Make live.
- Read Make this version live?: the selected version replaces both the live website and your editable draft.
- Select Make this version live.
The message The version is live. confirms it. The live site and the editor now hold that version's content.
Pitfall: Unpublished changes in the draft disappear from the admin when you make a version live. The draft is kept aside on the server for 30 days, but the admin has no button to bring it back. Publish first if you want to keep it as a version.
Restore one page from a version #
Use this when one page went wrong and the rest of the site is fine.
- In the version's row, select Restore a page….
- In Restore a page from this version, pick a page. Each page says what it would bring back (Brings back: content, title, page settings, animations), Same as your draft when nothing differs, or Not in your draft: it will be added back for a page you deleted since.
- Select Restore this page.
The message The page is restored in your draft. Publish to make it live. confirms it. Nothing else on the site changes, and the live site changes only when you publish.
Recovery copies #
When a design update removes or changes a setting your pages use, the pages are copied first. Super admins find these copies under Site settings › Recovery: each with when it was Saved, Why, and What it holds. Restore this copy puts every page's content back as it was in that copy; changes made since then are lost. Most sites never get one (No saved copies yet.).
What you see #
- The draft is what you edit and preview; the live site shows the live version only. There is no live preview of unpublished changes for visitors.
- Each publish adds one row to the history, with your note.
- After Make live, the editor opens on that version's content.
- After Restore a page…, only that page changes, and only in the draft.
Pitfalls #
- A new page stays offline. Publishing the site does not publish a draft page; use Publish the page first.
- The check reads the main language. A required field filled only in another language still blocks publish.
- Make live replaces the draft. See the note above; publish before you roll back if the draft matters.
- No Make live button. Only a Super admin and the owner of the site's workspace see it. Other roles see the versions list without it: ask one of them to put the version back.
- Only 20 versions are kept. Do not count on a version older than the last 20 publishes.
- Download and delete a version are not available. Versions cannot be compared side by side either.
Related #
Something wrong on this page? Write to docs@librettocms.com.