Publishing & Versions
ClearCMS saves your work as a draft first. You can edit freely without affecting your live site, publish when ready, and go back to an older version if needed.
Draft vs. published
Every item (pages, posts, and all other content types) has two versions:
- Draft -- your working copy. Edits are saved here automatically. Visitors cannot see draft changes.
- Published -- the live version that visitors see on your site.
When you first create an item, it starts as a draft.
Publishing content
When you are happy with your changes, click Publish in the top bar. This makes the draft content live right away.
You can add a change note -- a short description of what you changed. Notes appear in the version history so you can remember why a change was made.
Unpublishing
To take a page or post offline without deleting it, click Unpublish. The item goes back to draft status. Your published version is still saved. If you publish again later, it picks up from where you left off.
Archiving
Use Archive to hide an item from both the editor listing and the public site. Archived items are not deleted and can be restored.
Discarding draft changes
If you have made edits you do not want to keep, use Discard Draft. This puts the working copy back to the last published version. Any changes since the last publish are lost.
This only works for items that have been published at least once.
Sharing previews
Click Preview in the top bar to see the page exactly as visitors would. The editing tools are hidden. The preview opens in a new tab with its own link.
You can share this preview link with clients or teammates so they can review the content before it goes live. The preview always shows the latest draft. No ClearCMS account is needed to view it.
Version history
Every time you publish, ClearCMS saves a snapshot of the content as a version. You can see the full history of published versions for any item.
Site-wide settings are saved too
When you publish, ClearCMS also saves your site's branding, layout, navigation, and settings alongside the content. If you restore an old version, you can also bring back the exact look and layout that was live at that time.
Viewing versions
Open any item, then click History (or the version counter in the toolbar). You will see a list of all published versions, newest first, with:
- Version number
- Who published it
- When it was published
- The change note (if one was added)
- A preview -- click a version to see what it contained, so you can compare versions before restoring
Restoring a previous version
Click any version to preview it. To go back to that version, click Restore. You have two options:
- Restore as draft — loads the old version into your working copy so you can review it before publishing.
- Restore and publish — immediately makes the old version live.
Restoring does not delete newer versions. You can always go forward again.
Quick reference
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Save (in editor) | Updates the draft. Not visible to visitors. |
| Publish | Makes the draft live. Saves a version you can go back to. |
| Unpublish | Takes the page offline. The content is kept for later. |
| Archive | Hides from visitors and from your editor list. Content is kept. |
| Discard draft | Goes back to the last published version. Unsaved changes are lost. |
| Restore version | Loads an old version into your draft (or makes it live right away). |
If you're making a risky change, publish the current state first so you have a clean restore point. You can always roll back.
Tips
- Publish early and often. Each publish creates a restore point.
- Use change notes to document significant updates ("Updated pricing for Q2", "Added new team member").
- If you're making a risky change, publish the current state first so you have a clean restore point.
- Versions are created only when you publish. Saving a draft does not create a version.
- Not everyone can publish. Editors and above can publish content, but Viewers cannot. See Teams & Permissions for the full role breakdown.