I am planning on doing a future 2.0 site, but need to use an existing CMS the client has. 1) in my absence, the client has butchered the existing design. 2) Will do a re-design anyway. BUT, at the same time, the client’s site needs to keep running as I design and re-work things. Can this be done, or do I need special support direct from Webflow staff?
Not yet ready, but I can already feel the pain. Hope so! Otherwise… well, I’m doing to cry lol. Thank you!
Hey!
Uhhh, grrrr 
You’ll have to copy the site project and do everything in the copy. Going page by page, you’ll write down each element’s class name, etc and insert. If you try to keep the original open and open the copy it will kick you out eventually. It used to work if you opened a cognito window in two different browsers, but I haven’t had luck doing that lately.
You can try two different computers, it may work. There’s really no easy way to do it. If you copy the original, just go page by page, section by section and adjust everything manually. After finishing, you delete the original. Then change the name of the copy back. The DNS will need to be reset.
Before doing this I would contact support directly to make sure this will run smoothly. Sometimes processes change on the back end. So give them a contact and they may help you after the copy is finished.
Sorry for boo boo news.
G.J.
@rps What can be done is to have the client duplicate the site then transfer the copy to you. Then, you make whatever changes you need to do, then transfers that project back. Then what the client will have to do is simply request a hosting transfer to the site you transferred over.
I have another solution, but it doesn’t sound like your client can afford to have any momentary downtime.
To avoid these issues on future projects: Ask the client if they would be comfortable with you keeping the site under your account. This way you can utilize the client billing and just give the Client access to the editor. This allows them to edit content and still utilize the CMS and ensures they won’t butcher your work and then have to take your time with tedious fixes.
or
Ask them to use the editor anytime they want to edit content/add CMS items instead of going to the designer to do so.
This actually is easier than I thought it might be. Since my intent is a redesign from scratch, I assume the CMS remains intact? That’s my real worry, as they have 3, and certainly copying those manually would be utter insanity.
And yes, this time around, the plan is to keep the site under my account and use client billing. Thanks all!