How can I generate a post preview url in Wordpress?

Question

I would like to generate the preview url for a post outside of wordpress admin (wp-admin).

Normally this link is available while editing the post, but I would like to generate it to display on the frontend (a page only accessible by admin).

How can I generate this link using the $post->ID? Note: preview_post_link filter is only for changing the url, whereas I need to actually create it.

Answer 1

Turns out it's quite easy using get_preview_post_link() like:

get_preview_post_link($post = null, $query_args = array(), $preview_link = '' )

This is in wp-includes/link-template.php

Answer 2

We use a plugin called "Public Post Preview" to allow preview of author books before going live. Works great and author keeps it up-to-date.

https://wordpress.org/plugins/public-post-preview/

Basically you tick the box to allow public review and use the link supplied by the plugin. Not much more to it than that.

The only draw back is preview only works for 48 hours. You can of course modify the time limit using authors instructions.