---
title: '4 · The everyday loop'
description: 'The safe, repeatable way to change your shop — preview every change on its own URL before it touches your live store.'
canonical: 'https://cartwright.app/docs/getting-started/from-code-to-live/4-everyday-workflow'
---

# 4 · The everyday loop (/docs/getting-started/from-code-to-live/4-everyday-workflow)



This is the skill that makes everything else worth it. Once you've got it, you can change your
shop confidently, forever — because **nothing risky ever hits your live store until you approve
it.**

<Callout type="info" title="The idea in one sentence">
  Make changes on a **branch** (a safe copy) → Vercel gives that branch its **own preview URL** →
  when it looks right, **merge** it → your live shop updates.
</Callout>

## The loop [#the-loop]

<Steps>
  1. **Start a branch** (a safe parallel copy of your shop).

  <Tabs items="['Uden terminal', 'Med terminal']">
    <Tab value="Uden terminal">
      In GitHub Desktop: **Current Branch → New Branch**, name it something like
      `new-homepage`, and click **Create Branch**. You're now editing the copy, not the live shop.
    </Tab>

    <Tab value="Med terminal">
      ```bash
      git checkout -b new-homepage
      ```
    </Tab>
  </Tabs>

  2. **Make your change** — edit text, swap an image, add a product, change a colour. Save the files.

  3. **Save a version (a "commit") and send it to GitHub.**

  <Tabs items="['Uden terminal', 'Med terminal']">
    <Tab value="Uden terminal">
      GitHub Desktop lists what you changed. Type a short summary at the bottom-left (e.g.
      "New homepage headline"), click **Commit to new-homepage**, then click **Publish branch** (or
      **Push origin**) at the top.
    </Tab>

    <Tab value="Med terminal">
      ```bash
      git add -A
      git commit -m "New homepage headline"
      git push -u origin new-homepage
      ```
    </Tab>
  </Tabs>

  4. **Open a Pull Request** — this asks "please consider these changes for the live shop".

     On your repo's GitHub page you'll see a **Compare & pull request** button — click it, then
     **Create pull request**. (In GitHub Desktop, use **Branch → Create Pull Request**.)

  5. **Preview it on its own URL.**

     Within a minute, **Vercel posts a comment on your Pull Request with a preview link** — a
     complete, live copy of your shop *with your change*, at its own address. Click it, click
     around, share it with someone. Your real store is untouched.

  6. **Publish — merge the Pull Request.**

     Happy with the preview? Click **Merge pull request** on GitHub. Vercel rebuilds your **live**
     shop with the change. Done.
</Steps>

<Callout type="tip" title="Made a mistake? Undo it.">
  Because every version is saved, you can always go back. In Vercel: **Project → Deployments*&#x2A;,
  find a previous good one, and click **⋯ → Promote to Production** (an instant rollback). Or revert
  the change on GitHub. Nothing is ever truly broken.
</Callout>

## When do I just push to `main`? [#when-do-i-just-push-to-main]

For tiny, confident changes you can commit straight to your `main` branch — it deploys to
production directly, skipping the preview. The branch-and-preview loop above is the safe default,
especially while you're learning. Use previews for anything you're unsure about.

That's the whole craft. You now have everything: a shop, a home on GitHub, automatic deploys on
Vercel, and a safe way to change anything.

Optional next: add a [**Sign in with GitHub**](/docs/getting-started/from-code-to-live/5-sign-in-with-github)
button to your shop's login.