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RapidWeaver 7 or Dreamweaver for WYSIWYG Web Design for friend?

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32828870

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Original poster
Jun 23, 2016
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New York and Berlin
I'm designing a site for a friend who will need to update it yet isn't knowledgable in coding. I'm designing and setting up the site after which she can use a simple WYSIWYG application. I already have the domain and hosting set and will be using various apps for creating the graphics and site (Hype 3, Dreamweaver, Art Text 3, etc).

She will be traveling and updating the site on a regular basis. RapidWeaver 7 seemed the best fit but I've read mixed reviews. Some suggesting Blocs, Pinegrow, etc. Dreamweaver allows for both coding and simple editing but I'm afraid she may find it daunting to use.

Since the foundation will be done, all she needs is a solid app to update the site via FTP but has support for advanced features (HTML5 animation, form values, actions, etc). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
RW will have a smaller learning curve then Dreamweaver, and if she's not technically adapt or wanting to learn the app too much, then RW will be easier.

If you already set up the site with Dreamweaver, how will RW update it, since it has its own structure and file layout, wouldn't it cause more problems using a completely different application?
 
Why not theme a CMS? A well-structured site with an online WYSIWYG editor would be far superior, in my opinion, then an old-fashioned visual web editor. Modern CMSs like Craft provide live previews and impressive flexibility so people can focus on content and not get hung up on technical details they may not care about.
 
Great advice everyone and excellent points. I hadn't thought of how RapidWeaver would handle updating a piecemeal site using Dreamweaver. I'm designing the graphics in Illustrator and using Hype 3/HTML5 for animations, and the ability to code alongside WYSIWYG in DW is helpful.

I thought RW 7 FTP publishing would allow her to make changes (using Namecheap for hosting although I set her up with a 2-bay Synology server running DSM 6.x with all the bells and whistles, since she's traveling the world for a year it made more sense to host it with a service than have to rely on a steady network connection Stateside). Namecheap has an editor, think they use Wordpress. I don't know why, but Wordpress makes me think of blogs and simply sites. Maybe it's changed.

You've definitely narrowed down the options and given me more confidence and a lot to think about. Thanks again!
 
Both have free trials. Show them to her and see which one she is comfortable with.
Also, take the cost into account (DW is by subscription).
I wouldn't recommend a CMS if she has to travel, and for security reasons.
 
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londoner33 said:
Both have free trials. Show them to her and see which one she is comfortable with.
Also, take the cost into account (DW is by subscription).
I wouldn't recommend a CMS if she has to travel, and for security reasons.
Click to expand...

Great points. I found RapidWeaver easy to use which would be good for her however it's not cheap if you need a decent site beyond a simple blog. The plug-in's and extra's add up. For a $99 app, I was surprised that it could run into the $400-500 range. I own Dreamweaver so golden there.

I gave her one of my Synology servers thinking she could keep it Stateside for hosting, then realized if something were to happen she'd be dependent on someone to fix it. She's taking it with her as an external stroage unit as it's small with 2x 2TB WD Red drives. She'll be in four cities, each for three months, so she could set it up there as they'll have ridiculously fast fiber optic connectivity (they're working remotely). However, I got a domain and hosting package with Namecheap using my Founderscard benefits. Domain, hosting, email, etc for $9.99 seemed too good to be true. I researched Namecheap as I hadn't heard of it. The reviews were mixed yet so are GoDaddy and Network Solutions. The benefit for Namecheap was the deciding factor, plus it was easy to share the account so we both can manage it.

One last question. I've used Principle and other animation app's but have been playing around with Hype 3. Everyone has differing experiences and opinions. I'm curious as to anyone's opinions and/or recommendations with an HTML5 app. Hype 3.5.2 seems to have made a lot of improvements and it's extremely easy to use that it makes me wonder if it's too good to be true.

Thanks again for your help everyone! :)
 
Is rapidweaver or dreamweaver suitable only for static sites?
If you want to build not complicated but simple dynamic sites,
is it impossible to be done with rapidweaver or dreamweaver?
I know that dw has such basic capabilities, but I do not know how rw is going on this topic.
 
I ran into a store that used WordPress for a pretty amazing site for their business. I was impressed. I also didn't know that WordPress could do that for a commercial company. However I haven't done a lot with WordPress lately.
 
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+1 for a Wordpress site.

If her hosting service supports it, Wordpress is an excellent option as all "edits" and updates can be done using its management console using a standard web browser.
 
Dreamweaver and Rapidweaver are not related programs, each is a much different approach to building a website.
 
Does Dreamweaver has something like the 'themes' of Rapidweaver,
for fast and elegant design?
 
dreamweaver don't have 'themes' like rapidweaver or other web design programs , its a program from Adobe ....
 
Does rapidweaver had any ready-to-go functions for adding dynamic capabilities with php/mysql, or this should be done exclusively by writing code?
 
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