I am a RW user from way back. I just got a Mac for the first time in forever, so naturally I purchased RW Classic 9 and purchased element pro. I purchased a theme that requires Foundry which is no longer available. While I am enjoying and looking forward to the evolution of elements, are all things classic dying off? Is there a work around for the Foundry requirement? Should I bother investing in stacks? RW 9 is still very robust.
Hi @wjckc,
The existing RapidWeaver Classic workflow and legacy stacks won’t disappear overnight. However, the focus is shifting to RapidWeaver Elements, but you have plenty of time to evaluate things going forward.
As you’ve probably seen, RapidWeaver Elements is a more modern approach to web building compared to Classic and the Stacks plugin. It focuses on a WYSIWYG no-code/low-code experience while offering more powerful tools, and using the latest web technologies. Due to these advances, it does mean Classic addons will need to be rethought and redeveloped to work with Elements.
While these changes come with their challenges, they also open the door to some really exciting possibilities.
As you have a copy of Elements, My advice would be to start building your new website with Elements and see how you get on.
We’re here to help if you have any questions!
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Which theme did you purchase that requires Foundry? Foundry came with its own theme that must be used, you can’t use third-party themes with it.
Perhaps the theme you purchased came with a demo project file that contained some Foundry stacks? If so, those would be optional. The theme wouldn’t require Foundry to function. But again, that would be weird because Foundry requires that you use its included theme.
I purchased a theme called Bumble. There is a tutorial note: This Project File uses only the built-in Foundry set of Stacks, so no Tutorials are needed for this project besides the ones provided here → Foundry 3 Documentation
Have Fun 
That page says:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
FORGING A NEW PATH: Elixir has closed up shop
These documentation pages are here for your convenience for the time being.
I purchased it here:
https://marketplace.realmacsoftware.com/projects/bumble
I get the error: The Foundry v3 theme that this document uses is missing.
If I can’t get Foundry v3, can I get my money back? Is there really no way to get Foundry v3? I was looking forward to this. I was also considering purchasing Stacks. Is it going away too?
Hmm, yeah this is going to cause a problem for RapidWeaver users. Sorry that you’re the first to catch it @wjckc, but thanks for bringing it up.
So the problem is you purchased a starter project file (or a template), not a theme. That starter project file requires Foundry 3 to work.
The problem is Foundry is no longer being sold as of a few days ago.
I think you could reach out to the developer @weaver to ask about this, because if you don’t have Foundry 3 already, then that project file you purchased wouldn’t work, and there isn’t a way to purchase Foundry 3 any longer. Perhaps the developer could offer you a one-time courtesy refund because of this.
Foundry is no longer being sold. I understand people who already have Foundry can still purchase these project files in the Market Place and use them, however I think we might see a lot of users who don’t have Foundry purchase these project files thinking they are themes, and then realize they can’t use them after purchase. This wouldn’t be a great experience customer service wise.
Thoughts on how to go about that?
All the more reason to keep learning elements as it develops. I will contact the developer and see how it goes.
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Refund was no problem.
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Hiya @dang ,
I know, you didn’t tag me, but may I suggest a banner on those marketplace items stating that the item requires Foundry, which is no longer available to new users?
Or something to that effect?
Cheers,
Erwin
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I think we should leave it to the developers of the Templates/Projects as customers have to purchase via their website (not ours). Developers can make it clear during checkout that Foundry is now a legacy product, and not available or supported.
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