Site Designer Git version control? -...

User 91411 Photo


Registered User
1 post

Hello Everybody,

I'm very new to use Site Designer for stuff going into production. I've used that app as a kind of prototyping and then make all the fine-tuning and changes on the exported files. Allowing me to keep track of the project with git. This way of working makes it's very hard to keep the Site Designer project up to date.

It will be highly appreciated if someone can share their experience with ways to handle version control (e.g. git) on a Site Designer project.

Very best regards

Jens Kjelsbak

User 122279 Photo


Senior Advisor
14,447 posts
Online Now

I'm not so much into version control, but if I understand you correctly, you are looking for a way to go back to earlier versions of something, be it a project in SD or any other kind of project. I don't know Git, is that a programme to use for this?

Anyway, what most people here in this forum are doing, is maintaining their own system, something like 'project.rsd', then 'project-1' or 'project 20200716' or something like that. We sometimes post our projects if we need some help, and then it comes back after someone have been working on it, with the file name extended with something more or less meaningful.

As to SD itself, every time there is a new version, it has a new build number. Those of us who are doing a bit of help here in the forum, have to watch that we use the same version as the one who has posted a project, otherwise the project owner will not be able to open it. So, if I guessed correctly what you're after; no, you cannot go back 'in time' between the SD versions just like that, you actually have to keep previous versions stored if you need to open an older version and save it as the same version. That may mean quite a bit of uninstalling and reinstalling.

If I missed your point, then please excuse.
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 187934 Photo


Senior Advisor
20,181 posts

I save each version under a new name myprojectname-ver1, myprojectname-ver2 etc.
I can't hear what I'm looking at.
It's easy to overlook something you're not looking for.

This is a site I built for my work.(RSD)
http://esmansgreenhouse.com
This is a site I built for use in my job.(HTML Editor)
https://pestlogbook.com
This is my personal site used for testing and as an easy way to share photos.(RLM imported to RSD)
https://ericrohloff.com
User 2699991 Photo


Registered User
4,782 posts
Online Now

Unless I am also misunderstanding what you are trying to do SD is not capable of doing, what I am also wondering is what the "fine tuning" is that you think you need to do outside of SD that you think cannot be done before exporting?
Mastering The Understanding With Hands-On Learning
NEW TO "COFFEECUP SITE DESIGNER" FOUNDATION 6 FRAMEWORK?
STUCK ON SOMETHING?

LEARNING & UNDERSTANDING "THE HOW TO"? THE WHY'S & THE WHEREFORE'S?
WITH WAYAN'S STEP BY STEP TUTORIALS
Contact Me For One To One Assistance
https://alphathemes.coffeecup.com/forms … an%281%29/
User 2885740 Photo


Registered User
60 posts

Hi Jens,

I'm not sure, if I understand your way of working correctly.
I guess you want to start a project in SD and do as much of the development there.
Then change devtools in order to make enhancements you can not do in SD.
And after finishing the fine-tuning, you would like to bring back those changes in SD to start a new cycle of development.

What I read from your question is that you expect some kind of easy way for maintaining the SD project by using Git in this development cycle.
But, that won't work.

Git is a versioning tool that saves the differences between consecutive commits.
I'm not using Git for SD at the moment, but it should be possible to save the SD files to the Git-DB and,
in case you need to return to a former version, restore that particlular version of the SD project.
But that you should test.

What you can not simplify is, the work you have to do in SD, when you want to add to the project the changes you made to the exported files with another devtool. And that is mainly so, while you can not import the exported files back into SD and work with them further in SD as if the changes were made inside of SD.
SD uses its own proprietary file format.
What you of course can do, is import new JS- or CSS-files, or even HTML-files into an existing SD-Project. But, do not expect that these logic or styles show up in the visual editor of SD.

These things have nothing to do with using Git.

Perhaps following works better:
Develop as much as you can in SD. Export the files and improve them. But do not return to SD.
Just, keep developing and maintaining your website with that other tool from that moment on.

And for versioning it should be able to use Git.
User 2699991 Photo


Registered User
4,782 posts
Online Now

Develop as much as you can in SD. Export the files and improve them. But do not return to SD.
Just, keep developing and maintaining your website with that other tool from that moment on.

So why use SD at all why not just do it all in a HTML editor right from the beginning?
Mastering The Understanding With Hands-On Learning
NEW TO "COFFEECUP SITE DESIGNER" FOUNDATION 6 FRAMEWORK?
STUCK ON SOMETHING?

LEARNING & UNDERSTANDING "THE HOW TO"? THE WHY'S & THE WHEREFORE'S?
WITH WAYAN'S STEP BY STEP TUTORIALS
Contact Me For One To One Assistance
https://alphathemes.coffeecup.com/forms … an%281%29/
User 556652 Photo


Registered User
146 posts

What I do is not along the vein in which I think the OP wants to work, however, it may be of use to someone.
I have gotten so that I create a "versionHistory" folder in the Project Resourses. I then create a RevHistory.txt file that I add via the "Add Files" in that "versinHistory" folder. I can then edit it with the new "Edit Code" editor that has been added recently. In this text file I assign a Rev # and state what changes I made for that Rev #. I also sometimes add that Rev. # to the main page header.

It allows me to track what changes I've made and I can refer to it if needed to reverse that change. Not an elegant solution that could be implemented in the software itself but it works for me.
___________
Artist At Heart
User 379556 Photo


Registered User
1,533 posts

This isn't an answer to the initial question, but rather wondering about the matter of using SD4 mainly for prototyping and then trying to keep the SD4 project up to date.

Perhaps there are situations where the following will not be applicable, but I have found that adjustment can almost always be made within SD4 by using its own facilities, or by extending them in one of the following ways. I find it incredibly useful having to keep copies just of SD4 project files and being able to make all future edits within SD4.

1. Custom CSS files saved in Resources and editable there using the Edit Code button.
2. Custom js files saved in Resources and editable there using the Edit Code button.
3. Using the Attributes section in Element > Select Element Properties to create custom attributes. This can often be used for snippets of javascript.
4. Using View Element Code for an element which one thinks cannot be tweaked in any other way, and copying the HTML into an HTML Element and the CSS into one's custom CSS file. The HTML Element is then used to replace the original element.

Perhaps others have other techniques for avoiding post-export tweaks which they may wish to post in this thread.

Frank
User 2699991 Photo


Registered User
4,782 posts
Online Now

Frank Cook wrote:
This isn't an answer to the initial question, but rather wondering about the matter of using SD4 mainly for prototyping and then trying to keep the SD4 project up to date.

Perhaps there are situations where the following will not be applicable, but I have found that adjustment can almost always be made within SD4 by using its own facilities, or by extending them in one of the following ways. I find it incredibly useful having to keep copies just of SD4 project files and being able to make all future edits within SD4.

1. Custom CSS files saved in Resources and editable there using the Edit Code button.
2. Custom js files saved in Resources and editable there using the Edit Code button.
3. Using the Attributes section in Element > Select Element Properties to create custom attributes. This can often be used for snippets of javascript.
4. Using View Element Code for an element which one thinks cannot be tweaked in any other way, and copying the HTML into an HTML Element and the CSS into one's custom CSS file. The HTML Element is then used to replace the original element.

Perhaps others have other techniques for avoiding post-export tweaks which they may wish to post in this thread.

Frank


There you go as you can see there is virtually nothing that cannot be done within SD no need to export to tweek, fine tune, customize components or elements.
Mastering The Understanding With Hands-On Learning
NEW TO "COFFEECUP SITE DESIGNER" FOUNDATION 6 FRAMEWORK?
STUCK ON SOMETHING?

LEARNING & UNDERSTANDING "THE HOW TO"? THE WHY'S & THE WHEREFORE'S?
WITH WAYAN'S STEP BY STEP TUTORIALS
Contact Me For One To One Assistance
https://alphathemes.coffeecup.com/forms … an%281%29/
User 2699991 Photo


Registered User
4,782 posts
Online Now

The one thing that would be nice is a spell checker, it's been suggested a few times already, perhaps one day.
Having said that it's not too much of a job, I open the project file using " preview on" then copy the text I want to check from there and paste into Grammarly making sure I remember to use the correct language setting, eg American English rather than British English if that's what it should be, it checks for spellings and grammar. Then simple copy and paste the corrected text back into the project file, repeating as necessary. A bit of a pain and extra work but it is worth it.

As far as keeping project versions
When I start a new project I give it a meaningful name followed by the date .
When finished working on it for that date save it to it's own folder.
The next time I work on it, (which might not always be the following day)
I open the project and the first thing I do is save it as the project name with the current date.
Every time I open that project again I do the same thing, such that the project file with the latest date is the one which is the latest version. and should a client wish to preview it then I know that latest version is the one to show with all the changes development and evolving that their site is getting.
This way I have used for many years now even pre SD works for me and hundreds of clients are happy also
Mastering The Understanding With Hands-On Learning
NEW TO "COFFEECUP SITE DESIGNER" FOUNDATION 6 FRAMEWORK?
STUCK ON SOMETHING?

LEARNING & UNDERSTANDING "THE HOW TO"? THE WHY'S & THE WHEREFORE'S?
WITH WAYAN'S STEP BY STEP TUTORIALS
Contact Me For One To One Assistance
https://alphathemes.coffeecup.com/forms … an%281%29/

Have something to add? We’d love to hear it!
You must have an account to participate. Please Sign In Here, then join the conversation.