Hand-built sites, changed the careful way.
Some client sites were written by hand, not built on WordPress, Magento or Drupal. The Orchestrator reads the code first, keeps a copy of each file before changing it, checks the code before it is saved and proves the result from the live page.
The jobs agencies bring us on hand-built sites.
There is no standard layout to lean on, so the first job is always to understand the site. These are the requests we see most.
Take over a site
Read the code and write down how the site works before anything changes.
Fix a bug
Find the cause in code nobody remembers writing, then change the smallest thing that fixes it.
Add a feature
A new form field, a changed price rule or a new page, written in the site's own style.
Move to a newer PHP
Check the code for functions the new PHP version removed, before the server moves.
Bring back a blank page
Find the stray character or missing file that stops a page from loading at all.
Change it safely
Back up first, change the file, check the live page and keep a way back.
The Orchestrator on a hand-built site.
Your project agent works on one site at a time. It plans, you approve, and it ships the change with the proof attached.
Reads the whole site before it changes a line.
With no framework to lean on, the agent finds out how the site is put together, what it depends on and what the last developer left behind. It keeps those notes with the project, so the next job starts from them.
- Notes kept per project, not lost when a developer leaves
- Questions asked before the plan, not after the change
- Your house rules and the PHP playbook read first
Larch client · Site notes
Project agent · Custom PHP
- Entry point · index.php loads the settings, then the page
- Forms · all send email through one function
- Database · one connection file, used by every page
- Left behind · an old backup folder in the web root
A backup and an error check before every save.
PHP is unforgiving: one stray character can blank a whole page. So the agent copies each file first, checks the new code with PHP's own checker, and only then replaces the file in one step.
- A backup copy of every file it will touch
- Every changed file checked for errors before it is saved
- The file replaced in one step, so visitors never see half of it
Hale client · Opening hours page
Before saving
- Backup copy made of 2 files
- Error check passed on 2 of 2 files
- Files replaced in one step
UNDO: put the backup copies back
Proof from the live page, not from the editor.
Code that looks right can still fail on the real page. After the change the agent reads what the site actually serves, and you get that evidence with the validation.
- Page status and size compared before and after
- The served page searched for fatal error text
- Screenshots on desktop and phone for visible changes
Validation
Complete- Opening hours page loads with the new times
- No fatal error text on the served page
- Phone layout checked at 390px
Evidence: 2 screenshots · 3 of 3 checks passed
Webgentic for sites on a hand-built site.
The site owner asks for a change in plain words. Webgentic for sites shows a plan first, the change appears on the page as it is made, and every change is saved with a plain-English note.
| On a hand-built site | Today | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Site files | Yes | The PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript files that make up the site. |
| Restoring a file | Yes | Any earlier version of a file can be put back in one click. |
| The database | Not built | Anything kept in a database is out of reach. |
| Server and hosting | Not built | Server and hosting changes are Orchestrator work. |
A plan comes first and you see each change appear as it is made. Stop cancels the job on the server. Every change is saved with a plain-English note.
An Orchestrator job, start to finish.
Can a client's site move to a newer PHP version? Here is how the Orchestrator answers it.
Brief
The Larch client's site runs on an older PHP. The agency asks whether it can move to the next version.
Plan
The agent plans a readiness check. First search the code for functions the new version removed. Then run the site under the new PHP while visitors stay on the old one.
Approve
You read the plan, its risk and its way back, and approve it. Nothing has changed on the site yet.
Deliver
The agent proves its search on a test file first: 3 of 3 real problems found, 0 of 5 safe lines flagged. Without that step, harmless calls such as jQuery's
.each()showed up as more than 20 false problems.Prove
The site is loaded under the new PHP. Page status and size are compared with the old version, and the served pages are searched for fatal errors. You get a list of what is safe and what needs a fix.
What our PHP playbook covers.
Each topic was learned on a real job and written down, so the next agent starts from it.
- Reading an unknown codebase before changing it
- Checking new code for errors, then saving it in one step
- The one stray character that blanks a whole page
- Whether a site is ready for a newer PHP version
- The difference between a feature being installed and being switched on
- Why a page still shows old code after a change
- Checking a page that sits behind a password
- What really limits the size of an upload
Questions agencies ask about hand-built sites
Can it work on a site with no documentation?
Yes. The first job on any hand-built site is to read it. The agent writes down how the site is put together, then plans the change from those notes.
What if a change breaks the page?
The Orchestrator copies every file before it changes it and checks the new code for errors before saving. After the change it reads the live page. If something is wrong, the backup copies are the way back.
Can it check whether a site will run on a newer PHP?
Yes. It searches the code for functions the new version removed, then runs the site under the new PHP while visitors stay on the old one. You get a list of what is safe and what needs a fix.
Does Webgentic for sites change my database?
No. On plain PHP sites it works on the files that make up the site. Anything kept in a database is not built yet.
Which one do we need, the Orchestrator or Webgentic for sites?
The Orchestrator is for your agency: planned, approved jobs across your client projects. Webgentic for sites is for a site owner who wants to ask for small changes to their own site in plain words.
Something else on your mind?
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Bring us the site nobody wants to touch.
Join the waiting list. When your place comes up, we will show you the Orchestrator running on one of your real jobs in the first call.