Thanks for taking time to read this. is there anyway to edit and customize a wordpress theme without having to do it live? i mean like a software or something that you can upload your theme and work on it without people being able to see it? i am farley new in this filed, so i don't want to do it live and risk messing up what i already have setup. i heard something about doing it on local server or something like that, now is that the only way? if yes how would you go bout it, and if no, what are some other options? thank you so much in advance.
you can modify wordpress theme offline just follow this guide line http://www.webdesignerwall.com/tutorials/building-custom-wordpress-theme/ but for testing your modifications you need a web server. you can install web server on your own local computer. XAMPP is easy and per fact. http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
Like techtricker said the best would be to install XAMPP and then install a local copy of wp on your pc.The installation process is the same as installing it on a web server for a live site. You can then edit you theme without having to go live. Cheers
thank you both for taking the time to help out. i heard about this method, however one of my online friend gave me a simple idea that i had never thought of. sub domain! in case any body else having the same problem as mine, it is as easy as making a sub domain on your domain management area and downloading word press. its basically another blog (which nobody will see unless you give them the sub domain url ) you can work on until your satisfied with it, then just copy it to your main blog. i guess some times simple solutions are too easy that i don't even think about them. any way thank you guys for responding.