RW4 to Stacks: I don't understand what Stacks is?

I’ve recently come back to RW (previously RW4!) to create new and upgrade old projects, and so a bit flummoxed by Stacks. Currently using Blocks which I’ve just learnt isn’t responsive. I’d like a responsive site. I’ve built a website which is designed to be as paired down as I can get it, partially because I want a ‘bare walled gallery’ look, and partially because I want the content to be the story: using Blank Theme 2.1. Also using the new Payloom3.

The sites I’m currently building: tyzack.co and andrewtyzack.uk (sorry I don’t yet have privileges to link?)

Could someone please suggest how I would use stacks to build a simple looking website featuring artwork and a Payloom3 selling page. Can I just buy a Stack that allows me to do this? Is Stacks intuitive to use, will I struggle? Would it be simple to just upgrade my current projects to Stacks? Payloom3 also doesn’t work with Blocks.

Thanks for any help and advice,

Andrew

Andrew,

Welcome back!

Stacks must have come a long way sine you were last here :smile:

It’s a way to add up to 800 different elements, effects, routines, layouts, includes and so on into a standard RW page.

It’s its own page type; you select it (Suggest Stacks 3, released just last month) as a page; it’s blank - although with some very powerful features, like ‘Partials’, a great Library to manage, group and update Stacks (the components).

So you then add -one by one - the elements (text, image, animation) which you want. In many cases these Stacks expect ‘plain’ content inside the framework which they’re designed to contain… text, images etc.

Once edited, you preview as usual - and enjoy the fun!

I am no expert web builder myself, but I would first look for a theme that is suitable for presenting an artwork. There are dozens of those. I am not going to suggest any particular one, because each web designer has his/her own ideas about the aesthetics. One thing is for sure – the theme has to be responsive.

Next, all the stacks you will use must be responsive as well. Start with buying Stacks3 plugin from YourHead and build upon that. You can use as many or as few stacks and plugins as you want to add functionality to your web site. Payloom3 is just one of them.

Read user guides and watch videos provided by developers on their product pages. Use this forum for asking questions. You will get stuck from time to time, but in general, using Rapid Weaver and stacks is much easier than you may think initially.

Thanks for the advice guys - I was just delaying the inevitable and have just bought Stacks.

I think from what you’re saying that as I want a very simple design I can build more also straight into Stacks without the need for many addons. But just have to make sure that they’re responsive if I do.

Thanks again,

Andrew

Just to make everything clear: ‘Stacks’ plugin is an add-on. It uses various individual stacks (also add-ons – from many developers) to accomplish varied specialized tasks…

Hi Beswax. I suggest you try the Stacks trial and see what you think. It does come with many built in stacks for basic layout. It is a good way to start… From there you can worry about the fancier stuff. Enjoy…

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