I have a website built on wordpress which is bloated to a considerable degree. I would like the website built in rapidweaver and I’m happy to do the updates, and modifications as and when they are required. However, I don’t have the time to create a theme similar to the theme I have on my current site. Copying over the text, images and videos is not a problem for me.
Is there anyone who can help in designing a theme for me so that I can maintain the same look and feel for the site, but reduce the size of it?
Thanks for the reply. So I can buy the foundation theme and I can make adjustments so that I can make it work like that? I used to use rapidweaver when it was on version 5 and I lost touch with the software so I’m going to have to learn it again, so apologies for the basic questions
Hi, I build custom projects for people in your situation using UiKit3, which is a Rapidweaver framework available from @Lucas at https://uikitstacks.com/
This will require you have Rapidweaver 8, Stacks 3 and of course UIkit3. There is no need for any additional third-party stacks as UIkit covers everything.
Another option for you might be to purchase a ready-made project, that you then adapt to suit your own needs. This can be a great way to get a framework based project off the ground. I make such things for UIkit3, and there are many people who make the same for the other frameworks out there.
Hi I’m Lucas, developer of UIkit for RapidWeaver. UIkit is the most popular item today in RW community and just recently released. And it’s getting amazing reviews as well: https://rapidweavercommunity.com/addons/stacks/uikit
UIkit is both for the novice and for the experienced users, with many affordable pre-built projects available. @TemplateRepo is also making amazing stuff for it, more is coming as we speak
t wouldn’t be right for me to answer that, as I’m obviously biased. All I can say is that I build websites with Rapidweaver for clients as a commercial business. I have all the frameworks available, since the launch of UIkit3, I only use Uikit3.
I am on no way affiliated with UIkit3, i get no kickbacks, I just appreciate high quality work that helps me make beautifully functional business websites with Rapidweaver quickly.
And I can’t advise you because I haven’t used UIkit. It looks good, though. I’ve used Foundation for years and it allows you to do just about anything you want. I’m sure you’d find either framework would meet your needs.
@taimurshoaib I may be wrong here but you may be going about this a bit backwards. There are regular themes in RW (like WordPress) where you can “tweak” the theme itself but, overall, need to live with the theme’s look and feel.
In the Rapidweaver world there are also things like WP page builders (think Elementor or Divi for WP). These are not pre-formatted themes per se. Instead they let you build your own theme/look. Foundation, uiKit, Foundry, and Platform are all examples of “page builders”: they are tools for building your own theme.
From your initial post it sounds like you don’t want to create the theme (or “look and feel”) yourself, but to only add content. If that’s still the case then you need to first find someone willing to duplicate your current theme. (BTW the theme may not be able to be exactly duplicated, but in large part it can look similar.) So it’s finding that “someone” first. Then find out which tool they want to use as they will have a preference. That preference, in the end, is what you want to purchase.
If I’m wrong, or if you’ve changed your mind and what to duplicate the theme yourself, then there are still the options listed above. In that case I’d probably suggest looking into Foundry and/or Platform. They are both more accessible to newbies. If you do have a background in design a bit then UIKit might be a wonderful option (I’ve only heard great things about it but haven’t used myself).
Thanks everyone. I’d like to have a theme built for me and for me then to add my content. I’m happy with the current look and feel of my website but it’s too bloated and I blame WordPress for that, rightly or wrongly. Having used rapidweaver in the past and having made websites with it that have been very acceptable I’m happy to continue to use it. I have been advised by designers about the look and feel of previously created rapidweaver sites and this is something that I probably need someone to do. As you say, I should find someone who is comfortable with the tools they use and go with that, bearing in mind that the templates are highly customisable in any case and I should ask someone to help who can use the tools they find best for the job
I couldn’t get a look at the site earlier, but have now. That could be replicated pretty easily in either Foundation, Foundry or indeed UIkit3. Foundation and Foundry would require some third party stacks, but not many. All the frameworks would need some custom CSS added to get it “just right”.
The existing site actually suffers from a few design issues, in particular on intermediate sized screens, so be sure whoever you hire is able to spot and fix them in the Rapidweaver version.
Totally agree about the design issues. I think the chat section is possible from what I’ve uncovered with looking at rapidweaver options, but I’ll ask my digital lead how he activated that and will find a workaround. He’s away for a few days and when he comes back I’ll ask ask him.
I looked and the site that came up was not secure and did not display. After refreshing, I got the secure site. When you switch to RW, I suggest asking the designer to ensure that the insecure site does not appear. For my site, I got the theme developer to customise it to my requirements. Although RW comes with a few themes, there are are several independent RW theme developers You could browse their sites for what’s on offer so that when you find a developer to replicate your existing site you’d have an idea of the calibre of their ability. On RW, I should expect your site to load faster!
[On a personal note, regarding the address of your Brentwood branch. I know the building well. having advised the (previous?) owner on property matters.]
