How to convert several almost...

User 2719365 Photo


Registered User
29 posts

Hello experts,

I am upgrading from RSD 1.5 to SD 3 (imported into SD 3 as Foundation) and have a newbie question.

Each of my sites have basically the same structure with a heading/logo, navigation, main body and footer, were only the main body contains individual information.

Is there an easier way to convert pages that are almost identical, than to change all individual containers on each individual page?

I ask because I have probably not found the best way to convert several webpages/sites and the way I do it now, takes time and opens up for small mistakes!!!!

Looking forward to your input.

Nils, Sweden
User 122279 Photo


Senior Advisor
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I don't know of any 'shortcuts' here. I have myself converted a site with 10 pages, one page after the other.

But in view of what you are saying about your page structure, only the main section being different, you could try converting one page, then duplicate it as many times as you need, and just copy over the contents for each page. When I say 'copy over', I think you need to create, say, a paragraph, but then copy/paste the contents of that paragraph. I haven't done this myself, but it is worth a try. :)
Ha en riktig god dag!
Inger, Norway

My work in progress:
Components for Site Designer and the HTML Editor: https://mock-up.coffeecup.com


User 2719365 Photo


Registered User
29 posts

Hej Inger,

The way you suggest is what I had in mind myself, but it still involves MANY actions/tasks. So I hope someone else have an idea how to solve this in a easier way :).

Ha en riktigt god dag även till dig / Nils
User 379556 Photo


Registered User
1,533 posts

I think that, in addition to considering easier methods, it may also be worth considering exactly how much conversion work is really necessary. It will, of course depend much on the web pages in question.

The questions I asked myself when I opened my RSD 2.5 projects in SD V3 were somewhat as follows.
(a) Am I likely to enhance the pages by using Display Grid with them?
(b) If they work OK already in Fallback First (which some browsers will need anyway) are there many changes I need to make anyway?
(c) Can I use the facilities of third-party software I already have (an enhanced clipboard program and a macro creator program) to help?

The answer to
(a) was 'Not yet, and I will probably want to rework the pages completely by the time it becomes desirable for my simple utilitarian website - artistic design is way beyond this seriously inartistic and colour-defective person, and significant changes are limited by the copyright agreements';
(b) was 'No, just a bit of reorganising of containers as I get the time';
(c) was 'Not for the basic conversion, but definitely for some improvements I had in mind (e.g. inserting some javascript etc. to allow flipping from page to page using keyboard arrow keys).

As there were hundreds of pages involved, I'm glad I asked those questions before ploughing ahead. They saved me a lot of work, as did the fact that I had concluded long ago that, once significant nesting of containers became available in RSD 2.5, it would be sensible for my site to use just one row per page, and for all columns to be the full width of the page.

I had thought of not converting anything at all, but the fact of new and better facilities with SD V3 (e.g. Structured Data) led me to proceed.

Frank
User 2719365 Photo


Registered User
29 posts

Hi Frank,

I think that is a very fair question to ask and I have ask myself that after my first days of struggling with Site Designer 3.

I am basically happy with the 4 - 5 websites I have today and do not have any intention to change the appearance, since I only work with web production when needed.

However I also see improvements in SD 3 compared to RSD 1.5 (I skipped RSD 2!) that would benefit me.

For example nesting of containers, more focus on mobile units (?), more customized for foreign languages like Swedish (in RSD 1.5 I had to use a text editor to change code every time I made an "Export"), structured data a s o.

So I will keep on struggling with SD 3 until I have solved what I have to silve :-).

Regards Nils

P.S. You write "... it would be sensible for my site to use just one row per page, and for all columns to be the full width of the page". Does it mean that you still keep on use columns and rows on your canvas when using SD 3 or ... ?
User 379556 Photo


Registered User
1,533 posts

Regarding the P.S. - No, it just meant that SD V3, in its initial conversion, had only one row to turn into a container, and did not have to contend with converting columns with push/pull manipulations etc. The result was that I had less work to do in getting the site to look as it should in SD V3 after the initial automatic conversion. The extra nesting of containers etc. to which I referred was in RSD 2.xx, which was missed by those who went straight from RSD 1.xx to SD V3.

Having made the necessary minimum adjustments to my site in SD V3, I can, of course, start using the newer facilities, such as Structured Data.

Frank
User 2719365 Photo


Registered User
29 posts

Thank you Frank for the clarification, much appreciated :)! / Nils

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