Hi guys
I'm not a web developer, but I bought a heap of CoffeeCup software in the hope of building my own website.
I have both Responsive Layout Maker (RLM) and Responsive Site Designer (RDS) ... and I can't come to grips with either of them! The ideas are just WAY over my head...
Now I see they've got the Foundation Framer ... and I wonder "what the heck is that for?" Is it a replacement for RSD? Or to be used in conjunction?
Oh dear, where are the days of my super-super-easy XSite Pro, which I used to build website quickly without ANY web developer skills?

FF isn't a replacement for any of them it's another way of doing the same or similar thing.

The one thing that you have to get to grasp with is the way of thinking for responsive designs, you have to take into consideration the content of your pages not only at larger viewports but also the smaller ones (which becomes restrictive because of the size obviously), decide what's important for your visitors, what's the priority for their viewing and for your rerason for a web-site (info/products etc). Once you have got that thought process working, draw out a design on a piece of paper (either with the design at what represents full size or small size. Then lay over the top of that a piece of tracing paper with rows & columns (the columns divided into 12 equal dimensions (thats a start for you to visualise the Grid system and work out how many spans each part of your design might require to follow the layout.
(thats a very simplistic approach but I found one that helped me right in the beginning.

Look at some of the ready made templates in RSD mess about with them,,, change them play and look at the desgn and the way they were constructed,,, take a couple of weeks mimnimum getting to know your way around instead of jumping straight in & trying to design a site that's real.

I don't have the latest RSD V2 but I do have a couple of video's from the earlier versions which might help you around the bits & pieces what goes where and what stuff is used for. I also know there are some video's on Youtube which others have made which you might find useful (google "coffee cup responsive design" (video) you will get quite a lot of results which might prove beneficial also.

Good luck & happy designing for the future

Thanks Wayan, I'll try your advice and see how I go...
It's not only the grid system that gets me, though. The whole tool (RSD) is over the top for me.

With XSite Pro I could start a page and finish it within a few minutes (having typed up the content before) but when I get into RSD, I start at the thing and have no freakin' clue what to do ... even after having watched the videos that make it look oh-so-easy!

perhaps We should connect via e-mail and I will do a video for you showing you the basic steps to get going,,, it will become easy after a while believe me

Can I have that video too? I'm in a similar pickle, although I've probably got a bit of a head start as I do understand grids and responsive design concepts, the interface for RFF just baffles me. I've been making web sites for years using Netobjects Fusion, but that's fallen so far behind the 8 ball now I've had to ditch it (doesn't do responsive design!) I'd be grateful for that video and any other tutes you know of.

Which version of responsive designer do you have because I don't have the new version, which I believe is very different to the old one

Wayan, the v2 of RSD is basically the same as the RFF and RBB which were released in January. But there are some more bells and whistles.

I know,, thats why I asked,, because no point in showing the video for the old RSD if he has the new RSD,



B***ger just realised it's FF not RSD video he is wanting,,,, hey ho been a long day

Anything made for - or in - RFF can from now on be opened in RSD2.

Hey Franko,

Is this the Franko from down under? I have been using RFF now for about 3 months and had the same feeling as you do now. RFF, RSD, and RBB are so simple to use. I was use to NOF and (you helped me several times)now starting to use CC RFF and I was making it very hard. I think NOF has shot themselves in the foot or butt. Once you get the hang of it you will start to wonder why you stayed with NOF so long. CC designers are light years ahead of others. I too gave up on waiting for Responsive NOF.

The thing that finally turned on the light bulb fort me was as Wayan said above take a piece of drafting paper lay out your rows and columns and visualize your design over it. Always do this first for any new design until you can look at the design and visualize the rows and columns.

I just downloaded RSD V2 and found my projects I designed in Foundation now can be loaded into RSD and saved as rsd project. Now I am wondering if you can take a page design in FF save it as a Component then pull it into a RSD project.

Wayan is a good man that will give you plenty of help.
So welcome to Responsive CoffeeCup.
Larry in Midland TX