Make a safe update and recover a post

1. Start with the right practice post

Use Posts → All Posts to open Before your first garden visit. Read the title and the existing advice before changing anything. We will add one short paragraph. Keep the title, address, category and tag as they are. Do this exercise only on the disposable course site, where briefly removing the practice post will not affect real readers.

2. Undo a small unsaved mistake

Click at the end of the advice paragraph and press Enter to make a new paragraph. Type: This line is a practice mistake. Choose Undo in the top toolbar. Check that the mistake disappears and the original paragraph remains. Undo reverses a recent editor action; it is not a backup of your site. Do not save the practice mistake.

3. Add and save the intended paragraph

In a new paragraph, type: Please include a short description of the work you have in mind. Choose Save and wait for it to finish. Reload the editor. Check that the new paragraph remains, the original advice is unchanged and the practice mistake is absent. For our already published post, the button is Save.

4. Check the normal visitor page

Open the post’s normal address in a separate signed-out window. Do not use an editor preview. Read both paragraphs and check the new sentence. There should be no editing bar. This confirms that a visitor can see the change, not only that the editor holds it.

5. Move only the practice post to Trash

Return to Posts → All Posts. Find Before your first garden visit and check its title. Hover over the row to reveal its actions, then choose Trash. This takes the post off the public site. Use only this practice post: do not select all posts, use bulk removal or touch the Home, About and Advice pages. We will restore the same item next.

6. Restore it from Trash

Open the Trash filter above the post list. Find the same title, reveal its row actions and choose Restore. Do not choose Delete Permanently or Empty Trash. Those actions are outside this exercise. Restore should bring the existing post back; it does not create a second copy.

7. Read the restored draft

Return to All Posts and open Before your first garden visit. Check its Status. In this practice site, the restored post is Draft. Read the original advice and the added paragraph. Confirm Getting ready and first-visit are still assigned. Restoring a post and publishing it are separate actions: a draft is not yet available to ordinary visitors.

8. Publish the checked post again

Once the content and topic labels are right, choose Publish. Read the publish panel, then choose Publish again to confirm. Wait for completion. Use the same post and address. Do not write a replacement post or change its publication settings just to make a second copy visible.

9. Save a content export

From the Dashboard, choose Tools → Export. Select All content, then choose Download Export File. Save the downloaded XML file somewhere you can find again, and check that your browser reports the download as complete. This WordPress content export includes items such as posts and pages. It is not a full website backup: it does not package your theme files, plugins, settings and uploaded media files into a complete recovery copy. Keep the file private. A full backup and restore is a separate task; do not assume this export alone can rebuild the whole site.

10. Check the whole visitor journey

In a signed-out window, use the header to visit Home, About and Advice. From Advice, open Before your first garden visit. Check that the restored post is public and still contains the new paragraph. Repeat in a narrow window. Home should still show the introduction and preparation image, About its course example text, and Advice the post list. This milestone is a working practice site; it does not yet provide a working enquiry form.

Practise

Repeat the visitor checks without using the editor. Find the restored advice through the header and post list, read the saved paragraph, and locate your downloaded XML file. Explain the difference between Undo, Restore and a full backup. You do not need to trash the post again.

Check your result

The original practice post is published at the same address, with its original advice and one intended new paragraph. The mistake is absent. The category and tag remain, Home/About/Advice and the header still work, and a completed content export is saved. You can explain why that export is not a full backup.

Optional notes