How do I preview a draft before I publish it? #

The preview shows a version as a visitor would see it, without publishing it. You choose the site design, the language and the place in the tree it is shown in, and the screen size.

Who can do this #

Editors who may read versions of the item (content/versionread); the draft's creator always may.

Steps #

1. In the edit form, click Preview in the left column, under the current draft. What you typed is stored in the draft, and the page Preview of the version opens.
2. Under View control, choose:
   • Siteaccess: the site whose design is used, for example the public site rather than the administration;
   • Translation: the language shown;
   • Location: which of the item's locations it is shown in (for a new item, the place chosen for it);
   • View mode: usually the full page.
3. Click Update view.
4. Choose a Preview size (Desktop, Large Desktop, iPad, iPhone or Landscape) to see the page at that width. Open the preview in a new window shows it full size.
5. Click Back to edit to change the draft, or Publish to publish it from here.

An older version can be previewed the same way: open Manage versions and click View in its row.

What can go wrong #

• The preview looks unstyled or like the administration. The administration siteaccess is chosen. Choose the public siteaccess and click Update view.
• The form comes back with a message instead of the preview. A field is not valid (for example a malformed address). Correct it and click Preview again.
• Lists and menus look old. The preview shows this version of this item only; lists on other pages still show the published versions until you publish.
• Edit is not offered. The version shown is not a draft (it is published or archived). Make a new draft from it: see How do I go back to an earlier version?

Related pages #

• Preview before you publish
• Creating and editing content
• User manual
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.