I have been confused for years but more so since I switched from HTML editor and VSD to rlm and rsd.
My latest question is what do the various options mean when I start RDSv2 and get
Bootstrap themes
Foundation Templates
foundation themes

Why would I want these in RSD? What reason would I have to choose one of these
I have a couple of projects on the go that use the themes that came with RSD v1 and I am pleased with those so far.
Mostly I do not find them super easy to use. I am learning, but the curve is way steeper than I thought it would be.Anyways enough of that. On to the question at hand

So What is the benefit...value.....use.......or whatever of these new options??

I can understand where this can be confusing. It took me awhile to understand it, but there is one key aspect that should help you once you have your "ah-ha" moment and grab hold of what "responsive" really means.

"Responsive," when it comes to web sites, means that your web site adjusts itself based on the width of whatever device a person is using to view your site. That could be their desktop computer, their iPad, their phone or anything else that will view a web site. A good way to explain this is to compare a web site that VSD creates versus one that is responsive.

Used to, when VSD was a great program and the majority of people were not looking at web sites on their phones, all a person needed to do was define where things go on the page and they could create a site. That is very tedious to program by hand, but VSD made it easy. You could do it visually instead of programming lines of css and html code. However, it was one-size-fits-all. If you created a site that was 800 pixels wide and a person viewed it on a phone that is 400 pixels wide, they have to shrink the screen or slide left and right. The web site does not fit the phone.

Fast forward to today when responsive programming is a requirement. Now, you not only have to define where each item on the page goes, but it has to done within a grid, and it has to be done for every possible screen size -- computers with big screens, computers with small screens, big tablets, small tablets, phones of various sizes. That's super complicated to program.

Therefore, programmers created "frameworks." A framework provides key benefits:

1. It creates the initial grid for you.
2. It provides "components."
3. It provides pre-defined classes.

A responsive design has to be set up on a grid. Put simply, a grid brings order to a web site layout. It is "an organizational framework that helps to create order in the way information is presented. The order and organization make it easier for the reader or visitor to follow the information and find what they are looking for." For more information, see http://www.coffeecup.com/help/articles/ … ve-design/

As I said above, frameworks also provide "components." Let's say that you want a slider on your page. You can either create all the code yourself, or you can buy another piece of software to create it for you so that you can add it to your site. In the Foundation Framework, there is already a slider component called Orbit. Therefore, you can simply go under the components list and add Orbit to the page instead of having to do all the programming work yourself. There are many other components for both frameworks.

Frameworks also provide pre-defined or "helper" classes. For example, add the "close" class to a button, and the button will have an X for people to click. There are classes to add backgrounds automatically, to define colors for text and lots more. You can see examples of Bootstrap Helper Classes here. http://getbootstrap.com/css/#helper-classes

There are other benefits of frameworks, but hopefully you are getting the idea. A framework gives a web site creator like yourself, a starting point from which to build as well as adds tools (components and helper classes) to make your task easier. Bootstrap is one such framework. Foundation is another. There are many other frameworks, but those are the two most widely accepted and used.

RSD is not a program just like VSD. VSD allowed you to visually put items on the page to create sites which only fit one device. RSD allows you to visually create a site that fits all devices using either the Foundation Framework or the Bootstrap Framework.

(You will see others here talk about RSD also allowing the Coffeegrinder framework. However, there are more steps involved in creating the site and, at the current time, you have to create all your own components. My suggestion is that you work in Foundation or Bootstrap. It will be much easier.)

Hope that helps.

Thank you Brian Durfee for your long detailed explanation, it has been very helpful. Thank you.

Clap Clap !!!

One question left open for me: is there still any use for the separate apps "foundation framer" and "bootstrap"?

There will probably be a lot of people who bought one of them, and who might only be interested in one particular of those grid systems. It would be unfair on them forcing them to buy a more expensive programme so soon after the release of especially RBB. However, if they want the upgrades that came with RSD2, that is a different ball game and might make them want RSD after all. So in a couple of years, maybe...

The upgrades that came with RSD2 should have been done to Foundation Framer and Bootstrap Builder also. RSD2 should have stayed RSD framework only (which by the way Coffeegrinder framework is deprecated) and the Foundation and Bootstrap users should not have been forced over to RSD2 giving up easy file project identification by color and extension not to mention the cool interfaces just to get the new features in RSD 2.0. Its now up to the user to code your project type into the file name in order to identify which framework it was created in which is a step backward and I for one will not be opening any FF project or BB project in RSD 2.0 unless I need a "special component" from the library or do a "photo tweak". If I do need one of those things I will open the FF or BS project in RSD 2.0, do the simple import or tweak, save the file as RSD 2.0, and the change the extension to .rff or .rbb, and reopen it in Foundation Framer or Bootstrap Builder and carry on normally like the way it intuitively logically works !

No one forced anyone to do anything there and to be honest, you really are making a big stink over something so minor. You can easily add 2 characters to your file name as an identifier or simply organize your projects into folders. I just cannot comprehend why you consider something so minuscule a deal breaker. Come on!


You are giving people extremely bad advice. By doing that you run the risk of permanently breaking your project. This is because there are some features in RSD 2.0 that are not found in FF or BB. It will cause irreparable damage.

I will say it clearly, DO NOT DO THIS. If you do and it breaks, we cannot repair the damage! ;-)

Then add those features into Foundation Framer and Bootstrap Builder.

Naming the files to indicate framework types is not the solution.

When I go to a folder on my computer I need to see these flies are Bootstrap, Foundation, or RSD by extensions and icons.

I dont have the eyesight or the time to read every file name and decide if it contains some code that tells me which framework it is. I dont have the memory to remember that Bootstrap has blue dots and Foundation has purple dots.

And I do apologize if I gave bad advice. Not my intention.

I will promise to hold my thoughts and opinions from now on.....after all.....I am just a user.

Hi Twinstream,

I am also a user such as yourself.

What I do to organize myself is keep all my projects in separate folders named RSD, BS, and FF. If I choose only to use the separate app to manage my projects I will open them with their corresponding applications.

With the recent upgrade of RSD 2.0 I found it much easier to manage. I opened all my foundation projects in RSD 2.0 and saved them in my RSD folder. I did the same with my bootstrap projects. This made management of my files super easy. All my files are now opening in RSD 2.0

Super simple.

I would not mess with changing file extensions as this will serious enough damage your family project.

Hope this clarification helps.