Pleasure to help. The key thing with Elements is that most components have the same functions and then there are special functions for some.
I would suggest to first read through the Elements documentation to familiarize yourself with how it works, to have an overview. Then once you are happy, try the demo. It makes things easier. You can also watch the dev diaries on YouTube for Elements as @dan explains in a lot of detail.
Before I got onboard with the Beta, that is how I followed, so I had a good foundation when I started working on it.
Yes, I know that, for sure. What I’m trying to say is it would be nice if a web design software worked like the page layout softwares. No templates, just insert a text block, add graphics, move items around until you get the pages like you want them and then hit “publish” to put it on the web. Perhaps I’m asking too much. I used Pagemaker in my work like a beast. I could also sit down with someone and within 15 minutes, have them creating pages, flyers, etc. Adobe purchased Pagemaker and over time “Adobe-iced” it, meaning that it now sucks like the old Venture Publisher and FrameMaker. Right now I’m on a 30-day trial for another web software that promises to be that simple and intuitive. So far, it is anything but. I’m keeping an open mind though, and after this trial, will attempt to give Elements a shot. Ever hopeful, you know. Thanks for your response.
So, ALL of those apps that you mentioned, iWeb, ms Front Page and Dreamweaver to a certain extent all used tables to output the page structure and rendering on a web page. This was very slow and not very accessible. Elements outputs tailwind css and from my experience so far, FAR outclasses anything else out there. I have used all of the above and have been a Stacks/RW user since day one of Stacks. It’s the nature of css rules which dictate how your page is laid out. That being said, Elements has the best css grid component I have ever used and you can achieve very cool layouts once you get the hang of it. Compared to hand coding a css grid it’s a breeze to use.
Give Elements a chance and you will get the hang of it. Especially now that templates are available. Remember also, third party devs have yet to put templates on the Marketplace. Once Realmac opens that up for custom templates and components, this app will really thrive.
At the moment, I have RW Classic, Sitely and Blocs.
I use RW Classic for most of the websites I created for my clients (not that many).
Sitely is OK, Blocs is quite different. I used to like Classic because of the hundreds of add-ons/stacks/templates that I purchased to make working much easier and faster. I feel Classic is going to EOL soon.
I’ve had a hands on with the Elements 1.0 trial. It is good. But…
I am making Blocs my primary software now. It is that good, once you get the hang of it.
Wasn’t the Elements trial only available for one day when you made this comment? Much like that other app it may take more than a day to get the hang of it.
Oh ok, read your other comment that you linked to Sam. I can understand the hesitation by many concerning pricing / restrictions as it compares to other app offerings. There is justification there regarding those concerns.
Elements isn’t a subscription, at least not in the traditional sense. Even if you cancel, you can keep using the app forever. You just won’t receive any future updates.
When you purchase Elements, you get one year of app updates included. You’ll continue to receive updates right up until your renewal date. After that, if you want to keep getting the latest features and improvements, you’ll need to manually renew.
I think you have made it very clear how Realmac subscription model works.
I have Rapidweaver Classic, on subscription. Updates till November 2025. Dont know how many updates there were for Classic since November 2024. How many more till November 2025. It has been scarce these updates. No new features. All your time is devoted to making Elements.
I also have Squash on subscription. Did not renew since last November 2024. But if I were to renew it today, that subscription will only last me 6 months till November 2025.
Like your software very much. Those two mentioned above have served me well, and still are. Used Rapidweaver since v.4, paid for every version upgrades till now. Bought and used Squash since day it was released.
If I were to upgrade Classic to Elements, I have to subscribe to the Pro version, because I do websites for some clients now and foreseeable future. I do not make enough to justify paying for Elements and future upgrades, if I needed them.
I hope when I get the new MacOS 26, RW Classic and Squash still works flawlessly without any need for updates.
Dan, I downloaded the trial of Elements, looked at the Getting Started video and tried to work with it. So far, I’m not impressed. Tried to change font sizes, paste in a logo (pdf and jpeg files), but it’s not very intuitive to me. I’m going to drink a cup of coffee and try another session. At this point, either the program does not offer much in terms of ease of use or I’m just stupid. Probably the latter.
Definitely not the latter, it is just a different way of working. Took me half a day to understand the basics and now every few days I discover something else which just adds to Elements as a whole. It is very frustrating at the beginning but it will click.
@Rickradio You really just need to give Elements a chance. It’s true that a lot of things work differently compared to RW Classic. Not everything is necessarily “better” than in RW Classic, but it does work.
I also struggled with Elements for a long time, but eventually things just “clicked” for me, and I’m now convinced that switching from Classic to Elements was the right move.
Of course, there are still a few things I wish worked like they did in RW Classic, or that were located where they used to be, just so it all felt a bit more familiar.
I apologize for revisiting this topic, but I’ve been receiving promotional emails from Realmac, and I’m starting to worry about the potential discontinuation of Classic. There appears to be an abundance of information regarding the transition from Classic to Elements, which adds to my concern. If anyone has the latest information on the status of Classic and its future plans, I would greatly appreciate your insights. Thank you!
Classic is still being supported (we’ve got another update on the way), but we do have concerns around the long-term reliability of some third-party addons. That’s one of the big reasons Elements is the direction we’re investing in.
Most of our focus is now on Elements, as that’s where we see the future of RapidWeaver heading. If you want the latest features and the most future-proof option, Elements is the way to go.
Is there anything we can do that would help you migrate from Classic to Elements?
Well, as you said it. I rely on third-party add-ons to keep supporting my clients. I can’t jump to Elements for now. It will cost me a lot of money to do so. Classic is my safest bet right now.
