Hi guys,

Just to let you know, I have a very mixed experience with RSD and I feel like some of the help documentation is outdated especially with the latest update.

Okay, so my experience is going well but apparently there is allot to chew here (this being my first time of building a website from the ground up). I decided to go with RSD because it seemed based on my research that it is probably the best for designing a business site of sorts and for having the widest appeal in terms of tweaking design and functionality. But there are some things I really need input with.

1. Breakpoints

I know from experience RSD is primarily geared towards desktops, however I still haven't really figured out how you can manage to just change the breakpoints for tablet and desktop while leaving mobile alone for later configuration. Don't get me wrong I have had several instances in which this does appear to happen, but I cannot replicate this experience by sheer will for reasons unbeknownst to me.

2. Elements, Components and Columns

I'm presuming based on what I've read that elements such as search engine were available from the design pane but I see no such add-on to be found. Also, I'm having difficulty being able to rearrange columns and rows without making major revisits to my design plan, removing entire objects altogether or having to add a bunch of rows and columns I might not even need but have to create anyway as a contingency.

3. Software interchangeability

Am I wrong on this one or does it seem like at least 80% of the all of the software apps are not translatable to others? For instance, am I capable of applying the Web Editor to the site I am building through RSD or am I forced to start from scratch in Web Editor? Or what about sites built through RSD and then if it would be better to switch to Bootstrap format or any of the other alternatives? This would be a major convenience and it would really cut down on the time of manual labor in constantly having to start all over and redesign everything just because it may be geared more towards mobile formats or whatever the case may be.

So yeah, kind of lost. I'm starting to get the ropes but I'm still not really quite proficient at this. What am I missing here?

Hi Jonathan,
If this is your first time building a website, I can see where you can get confused. RSD"s power is way beyond anything I've ever used. There's so many options to chose from now with modern browsers and responsive design.
1. RSD is geared towards responsive webdesign so websites look great on any device. The user is solely responsible for which device their site is primarily geared towards by knowing their target audience. I would never limit yourself and make your site friendly to all devices if you can because technology has a way of shifting who views what sites.

2. It can be daunting to come up with a design but the best thing to do is to sketch out a rough layout on paper for mobile devices and start there. Only add what you need to render the content the way you see fit. There's not a wrong way if the site looks and behaves the way you want it to. Other designers may make suggestions to improve your design based on their experience with what has worked for them.

3. The latest version of RSD will open the latest BB and FF files made with CC's apps but if this is your first go around stick with RSD. After you export your site from RSD you can alter it with the Web Editor or the HTML Editor. I do this a lot to add php functions or to do things I didn't originally think of when I designed the site. After making the tweak I typically go back to my RSD project and try to add the tweak from within the app.

Take your time and you will be successful

Thanks I'll take that into consideration.

Hi Johnathon
I have a video on my site which sort of goes over the Grid Rows & Columns within RSD (using the RFF wireframe) which might help you gain some small understanding of how that works and organising the columns etc. There will be a second video in this series shortly which is aimed at actually doing something and how to alter the styling sizes etc at different breakpoints,, it's not up yet but will be I hope by the end of my weekend (Bali Time)
It's the video "grid rows columns" "Part 1"

Hop on over if you are interested

Wayan in Sunny Bali

I definitely will Wayan thank you!