CMS user interface

Elements
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@dan @ben I’m trying really hard to be a team player, so please don’t take offense to my inquiry. I really want to build my website with Elements — so much so that I’ve been doing extensive research on how to work around the existing functionality. I’ve also been developing a new SEO and visitor linking and navigation strategy.

That said:

Are there still plans to release a non-paid UI for the CMS that can be used exclusively within the Elements app? Any clue on a timeline if so?

I understand that there’s a plan for a paid online version, but my question isn’t related to that.

— Thanks!

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As far as I remember, there was never a plan to release a separate, non-paid user interface for the CMS.

Basically, you already have the free version — since you can create and edit the markdown files directly.

The question is: what exactly is stopping you from using the Elements CMS with its current tools to build a website?

Basically, the existing version already allows you to achieve and implement quite a lot.

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There was definitely a plan for a UI in the app.

My hesitation? All the coding involved—at any level. Frankly, building a website from straight hand-coding is less frustrating to me and more straightforward than dealing with the mix-and-match process of integrating code with Elements.

RW has fought hard to make the Elements UI fully WYSIWYG, even refusing to add Markdown to the core because it isn’t WYSIWYG. Yet the CMS itself isn’t developed with the same philosophy, at least not yet.

I know Elements and the CMS are still in development. As such, things remain fluid—tools and processes are constantly changing or even being removed from the feature list. As such I look at this as a long-game process. Yet this does add a lot of frustration to the process.

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Simply put, I am just asking this simple question. If I ultimately choose to build a huge website with Elements depends on a lot of factors I am still trying to work through or around. My purpose is not to bash or even request a feature. I am just asking if the original plan still stands.

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Agreed. That’s the problem. Building with the CMS at this point is risky.

In retrospect, I believe that the team should have fixed Typography and added the Store and called that 1.0, and saved a complete CMS for a 2.0 release or as something sold later in the store. Yes, that wouldn’t have allowed for a blog function in 1.0, which was a high request, but perhaps we would have seen someone else build one or integrate something already existing (e.g. use Elements to style WordPress).

Also, the whole WYSIWYG thing has been revealed to be a false claim. The current CMS essentially violates it by putting a placeholder box into the editor that, yes, does show the current style, but can be misleading in wrap/extension/size/grids. Moreover, it complicates the page structure of the entire site in ways I’m still trying to wrap my head around.

The above has changed my plans for 2026 (and remember I was in on the earliest Elements Beta, so have been fiddling with it since day one). I now am no longer going to use Elements to prolong my current site structures with a new Element-designed set, and am going to a completely different vendor for what I need to do. I’ll still use Elements for some small projects, but not for my main product. The question I have now is whether the CMS/typography components will settle enough for the next redesign I have to do later in 2026. “Making it pretty” is not the same as “making it functional.” We’re still on the pretty side of things, AFAIC.

I can’t answer for Dan and team, but @flash I believe the answer to your question is yes, RW is still pursuing the same plan as outlined earlier as far as I can see. That includes adding lists, completing the Store, migrating to Tailwinds 4, completing the CMS, and adding a separate Populate-the-CMS component that we’ll pay something for. The problem, though, is the when, which is really only known (guessed at) by Dan.

It may seem that I’m being harsh here, but I get it. Software development is tough, particularly from scratch with new architecture. At every step of the way you have to make ship/delay/delete decisions from the bigger scheme that you started with, and there’s always the compromise of bringing in money to keep development running. This is one reason why I don’t complain about subscriptions, at least as long as I see that development is moving constantly and further, as well as keeping up with OS and other creeping tech issues. So I’ll continue to subscribe to Elements (already have had to pay a second yearly fee), but I’m not currently planning to use it as I once was.

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Hopefully things will change so that elements will meet your needs…

It’s hard to plan ahead….

I’m building little sites… biggest is 80+ pages…

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Thanks for asking about the CMS components and UI :slight_smile:

We’re still hard at work on the Elements CMS and aren’t ready to commit to a specific release date for the remaining components just yet. Our current priority is strengthening the underlying CMS foundation to ensure it’s fast, stable, and reliable for larger sites.

Alongside this, we want to improve the in-app experience of using the CMS, including better editing for Markdown files and more intuitive ways to view and manage CMS data within Elements. We know a smoother, more visual workflow will make content management far easier for everyone.

Longer term, we’re also exploring an online CMS editor to complement the in-app tools, giving users the flexibility to edit and manage their content from anywhere.

We’re fully committed to building out the CMS and continuing to evolve both its functionality and user experience over time.

I realise this doesn’t directly answer questions about specific timelines or when certain features will ship, but we’re not in a position to commit to dates right now.

As a small team, we’re balancing a lot of core Elements work alongside the CMS, so it’s important that we prioritise carefully and stay focused as the app continues to evolve.

If you have any other questions around the CMS, please let us know :slight_smile:

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Thank you. No actionable info but good to hear you have a vision. Have a great day!