Benj,
Assuming that you are keeping your codebases pretty current local and remote and it is mostly a database synching challenge, here is a screencast that shows a technique that I have used for years to work with local-sandbox and public-remote:
http://www.sohodojo.biz/sqlyog
I use a slick app called SQLyog -- there is a free version and a paid version. I've had the paid version for years and can't live without it. I believe the free/community version can do the technique I show in the webcast but I am not totally sure as I don't use that version.
I know lots of folks want a free tool and/or drush to do similar things. I just find that the multi-copy tactic I use as shown in the webcast has served me well, especially when you want to roll back and forth both within your local dev box and your public server.
BTW, this webcast was done as an entry for a SQLyog customer testimonial contest. I didn't win the iPad 2 grand prize -- they tended toward more highly rating the testimonials from database admins -- but it was fun putting this presentation together.
Hope it gives you some ideas about how to organize your daily routine.
--Sohodojo Jim--
From: support-bounces@drupal.org [mailto:support-bounces@drupal.org] On Behalf Of Ms. Nancy Wichmann Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:06 PM To: support@drupal.org Subject: Re: [support] Keeping dev and live site in sync
I believe he's mostly concerned with new content and users getting pushed down to his dev instance.
Option D: Use the Feeds module to pull down the new / modified stuff.
I'm not sure how you get files that are not fielded. Nancy Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. -- Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.
________________________________________ From: Benj Fredrick
this is an age-old drupal question, and there are many different solutions. The main problem is that site configuration is stored in the db alongside site content.
Option A:Use modules like Features and Strongarm Option B:Use something like Backup and Migrate to only overwrite certain tables. Option C:Use Pantheon hosting and their slick UI tools. ;)
On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 2:12 PM, prothero wrote: Hi. I am pondering the best way to modify and test my site without corrupting my live site. Currently, I ftp all of the files and db tables to my local computer and use MAMP to run my development site. But, since my live site is changing every day from users creating accounts, etc, how should I set this up so that when I upload my development site to the live one, it stays current?