Set Up a Local Testing Server
It’s common practice for web designers to set up a web server on their computer so that they can develop a website without having to connect to their hosted web space. If you’d like to design Micro Themes and you haven’t set up a testing server yet, we can recommend WAMP if you’re on Windows or XAMPP for Mac if you have a Mac. Both are free. Note: we don’t provide support for these software packages, but both sites have their own forum.
If setting up a testing server on your own machine proves to be too tricky, the simplest way to set up a testing environment for Micro Theme authoring would be to create a sub-domain and then use a one-click WordPress install tool to create your dummy site.
Download Theme Preview Dummy Data
When designing a Micro Theme, it’s much better if you use the same dummy data that Themeover uses to exhibit themes in the marketplace. Click here to download the theme preview dummy data. And then follow this tutorial for importing the dummy data into your fresh WordPress install.
Use Theme Packs as a Starting Point
It is strongly recommended that you use a free Theme Pack as a starting point when authoring a Micro Theme. Browse available Theme Packs here.
Install Firebug for Firefox or Chrome
Firebug is an indispensable addon for Firefox. It also comes pre-installed with Chrome. Get it! And then learn about all the cool things you can do with it.
