Learn how to switch to a "staging" version of your Hub to review OnBrand customizations during development, as well as how to switch back to the live version again.
Note
This article applies to Hubs which are using the new OnBrand staging process. While this process is used for the majority of Hubs, in some cases it may be necessary to use an alternative process (separate staging Hubs), or to apply changes without staging. In these cases, the process described in this article is not applicable.
Tip
We suggest using Incognito Mode in your browser to view your staging Hub. This way, when you exit Incognito Mode, you'll be back in the live version of your Hub automatically in your regular browser window.
If you do use staging in a regular browser window, you can use the steps in the Switch back to live section to exit staging mode.
About OnBrand staging
When developing and deploying software, it's standard practice to use distinct software environments for different stages in the process. These environments are separate from one another, and allow developers to write and test new code without affecting (and possibly breaking) the software that end users interact with (known as the production environment).
One type of environment that is commonly used is the staging environment, which is a duplicate of the production environment. The purpose of a staging environment is to allow stakeholders to try out changes in the software in a way that closely resembles the final experience, but without any risk to the production environment.
For this reason, Uberflip's OnBrand team uses a staging version of your Hub when deploying customizations you have requested. The staging version incorporates the changes that OnBrand has made, but is otherwise identical to your production Hub. This gives you the opportunity to review and approve the changes before they are pushed to your live Hub.
In this article, you will learn how you can access the staging version of your Hub, as well as how to switch back to the live version once you've finished reviewing the changes.
How it works
Uberflip's servers send you the live or staging version of a Hub based on whether or not a cookie exists in your browser. By default, this cookie does not exist, and the server returns the live Hub.
To switch to staging, you simply access your Hub using a modified version of its normal URL. Using this URL sets the staging cookie, and returns the staging version of the Hub at the same time.
Once the cookie is set, it will remain in your browser until you delete it. This means that you'll remain on the staging version of the Hub, even if you use your Hub's normal URL (or your bookmarks). To switch back to the live Hub, you must delete the cookie either by using a different modified URL, or by manually deleting your browser cookies.
Tip: Use an incognito browser window to avoid having to delete the staging cookie when you're done reviewing changes.
Switch to staging
To switch to the staging version of your Hub, your Onbrand Coordinator will provide the unique query string that can be added to the end of your Hub URL.
For example, if your Hub URL is:
https://resources.mycompany.com/
Then the URL to switch to the staging version would be something like:
https://resources.mycompany.com/?ufcc_onbrand_branch=OB-1234
When you use this modified URL, Uberflip's server will set a cookie in your browser to indicate that you are now on the staging version of the requested Hub. Note that when you use this URL, the query string will disappear as soon as the page loads. This is intentional: as you have been successfully switched to the staging version of the Hub, the query string is no longer needed.
Important
The cookie used to switch to staging will remain in your browser until it is deleted. As long as the cookie is present, you will be served the staging version of your Hub, even if you use the normal, unmodified URL, or browse to different pages in the Hub.
This only affects your browser: any other visitor to your Hub will still see the unchanged, live version of the Hub.
Tip: Use an incognito browser window to avoid having to delete the staging cookie when you're done reviewing changes.
The representative of the Onbrand team that's working on your request will provide the special query string/link. This allows to review changes before they're published to your Hub.
To request assistance from an Onbrand Development Coordinator, head to https://help.uberflip.com/ and select 'Onbrand Request'.
Switch back to live
Once you have switched to the staging version of your Hub, you will continue to remain on that version as long as the cookie remains in your browser.
To switch back to the live version of your Hub, you need to delete the cookie by adding the following query string to the end of your Hub's normal URL: ?ufcc_reset.
For example, if your Hub URL is:
https://resources.mycompany.com/
Then the URL to switch back to the live version would be something like:
https://resources.mycompany.com/?ufcc_reset
When you visit this URL in our browser, the cookie that switches you to the staging version is deleted, and Uberflip's servers will once again serve the live version of your Hub.
Alternatively, you can also simply clear your browser's cookies, which will have the same effect: after you delete your cookies, visiting your Hub's regular URL will once again return the live version.