Multiple Sandbox Sessions in Oxygen Builder: Sandbox 2.0

When a client wants to compare design options, you usually end up building each version on a staging copy or making changes on the live site one at a time. Sandbox 2.0 for Oxygen Builder lets you create several isolated sandbox sessions on the same site. Each session has its own edits and its own preview link. You send every version to the client, publish the one they approve, and the live site doesn't change until then.

We built the Sandbox plugin together with OxyRealm. The first version gave you one isolated session. Version 2.0 lets you run as many as you need.

Setup

On the test site the video uses Oxygen Builder, Swiss Knife and dPlugins Sandbox (Version 2.0.0, described as an "Isolated environment for Oxygen Builder plugin").

1. Install and activate dPlugins Sandbox from Plugins.
2. Go to Oxygen → Sandbox. The Oxygen Sandbox screen opens.
3. With no sessions yet, you see only Current Website Style (No SandBox applied). This is your live site.

Create your first sandbox session

Every change you make in a session stays inside it, so visitors keep seeing the live site while you work.

1. Click Add New Session. You get a notice that a new sandbox session was created with an ID (for example Sandbox #68864).
2. Click Click here to change the SandBox session name and give the session a readable name, like sandbox 1.
3. Select the session's radio button to activate it. You get the notice Sandbox session changed to sandbox 1.
4. Open or refresh the Oxygen editor. The Save button turns green and now says Save Sandbox, and the admin bar shows the name of the active sandbox.

Each session card has a Preview link, a Publish button and a Delete button.

Build a second version in its own session

This is the new part in 2.0. You can prepare different versions of the same page side by side without them affecting each other.

1. With sandbox 1 active, edit the page. In the video we duplicate the Homepage Hero Section and click Save Sandbox.
2. Click Add New Session again and name it sandbox 2.
3. Activate sandbox 2, refresh the editor, and make different edits. In the video we delete the hero sections, then save the sandbox.

Switch between sessions

A change applies as soon as you select a session. Pick sandbox 1 and you see the duplicated hero. Pick sandbox 2 and the heroes are gone. Pick Current Website Style to go back to the live site (the notice reads Sandbox disabled).

Send preview links to your client

Each session has its own Preview link. Copy it and open it in a private or incognito window, or send it to your client. In the video we open the first session's link, then the second one, and each shows its own version of the page.

One rule to remember: keep one of the sandbox sessions selected while clients are previewing. If Current Website Style is selected, the plugin is disabled and the preview links won't work. As long as a sandbox is selected, you can send every version to your client at once.

Publish the approved version

When the client picks a version, click Publish on that session. The session is merged into the live site and deleted automatically, so you don't have to clean up old sessions by hand.

Who is this for

• Oxygen Builder freelancers and agencies who need a client to approve a redesign before it goes live.
• Anyone showing a client more than one design option who would otherwise set up a staging site for each version.
• Site owners editing a live site who want changes kept separate until they're approved, then published in one click.

FAQ

Can I have more than one sandbox session in Oxygen Builder? Yes. Version 2.0 lets you create several named sessions with Add New Session. Each one keeps its own edits and has its own preview link.

How do I switch between sandbox versions? Go to Oxygen → Sandbox and select the session you want. The change applies right away. Select Current Website Style to go back to the live site.

Why doesn't my client's preview link work? Check that one of the sandbox sessions is selected on the Oxygen Sandbox screen. When Current Website Style is selected, the sandbox is disabled and preview links won't show the sandbox versions.

What happens when I publish a sandbox session? Clicking Publish merges that session's changes into the live site and deletes the session automatically.

How do I know I'm editing inside a sandbox? The Oxygen Save button turns green and says Save Sandbox, and the WordPress admin bar shows the name of the active session.

Get Sandbox for Oxygen Builder → dplugins.com