Description
RapidWeaver is a website creation tool for Mac. Much like the website builders provided with many hosting plans, RapidWeaver uses a template-based approach to design and customize your own website. Unlike most of those, RapidWeaver can be downloaded directly to your computer, allowing you complete freedom from a specific hosting provider. RapidWeaver is a template-based website creation too for Mac, developed by Realmac Software.RapidWeaver makes it ridiculously easy to create stunning websites on your Mac. Whether you're building your very first website or your fiftieth, RapidWeaver provides you with the know-how to quickly publish websites to be proud of.
Name: RapidWeaver 7
Version: 7.1.5
Released: October 17th, 2016
Mac Platform: Intel
OS version: 10.11 or later
Processor type(s) & speed: 64-bit processor
Includes: KG
Web Site: http://realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/
Block connections to:
www.paddleapi.com
updates.devmate.com
Activation
1. Copy the app to your Application folder.
2. Launch the included KG (Courtesy of CORE).
3. Click “Open” and select the app, then click “Save”
4. Enjoy!!
Overview
Create template-based websites rapidly.
RapidWeaver is a next-generation Web design application to help you easily create professional-looking Web sites in minutes. No knowledge of complex code is required, RapidWeaver will take care of all that for you. RapidWeaver produces valid XHTML- and CSS-based websites.
One of the perks about using RapidWeaver is that it has a strong custom theme community. You can download themes and edit them from within RapidWeaver and the result is a pretty slick-looking website that takes very little effort.
RapidWeaver also has a lot of custom plug-ins. Some of them make it easier to edit images directly in RapidWeaver. Others make creating a site map a matter of a few clicks. The supportive community that surrounds RapidWeaver is really what makes this great app superior to other WYSIWYG website creation tools. Be sure to check out YourHead.com for some little tools to help spice up your website in RapidWeaver.
What’s new in version 7.1.5:
・Fixed a crash that would sometimes occur when selecting a theme style
・Deprecated and re-written obsolete CGImage to NSImage conversion method
This website is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Developed by: | Realmac software |
Ranked: | 7th |
Overall rating: | |
Best price: | $99.00 |
Purchase: |
• Hundreds of themes and templates
• Easy to customize
• Good value
• Powerful add-ons
Rapidweaver 8 is a package for the Mac. While there are no massive improvements in this version over previous versions, Rapidweaver remains a good value piece of software that enables anyone to build and update websites without using any code. Options for customization also make the Rapidweaver package suitable for more advanced designers.
The Rapidweaver software is a good alternative to a free blogging site for people who want to create a simple website on the Mac, and it also provides opportunities for advanced customization which should keep more experienced users happy. We’ve looked at the software to see how it functions and where it works best.
Set up is relatively simple and has some improvements over previous versions, being easier and more straightforward. You can try out the software by downloading the trial version of Rapidweaver, and then buy the full version through the Rapidweaver website or the Apple App Store.
Designing a website with Rapidweaver gives you the best of both worlds – use the preset templates or customize them with code. If you want to go down the quick and easy route, pick a theme and a type of page (contact page, blog entry etc) and add your text and images. There are 11 page types included in the package and more than 45 pre-designed themes. Six themes are new for version 8 of Rapidweaver.
The themes are constructed with CSS which is good news for designers as it makes it simple to customize. You can add the code directly into the page, which does make it easier to integrate video or add-ons into your site.
The code generated with the Rapidweaver software meets web standards and works with popular browsers. The navigation menu is generated automatically and, as a bonus, Rapidweaver keeps a watch over the links and updates them as you move between pages. You can drag and drop pages in the sidebar in order to reorder the site and the navigation menu.
You may or may not like this approach, but with Rapidweaver if you want extras on your website you have to add them from third-party suppliers. The plus side is the amount of apps available from comments to banner advertising, from forms to stores - the bad news is you have to pay for most of them.
You can add blogs and photo galleries by choosing the blog or gallery page type and inputting your text and data. Some users found the galleries difficult to manage, and the blog functionality is no better or worse than what free blog sites provide.
One improvement Rapidweaver offers over previous versions is the addition of an FTP bookmark manager. The idea is you don’t need to search around for previously published media files and PDFs, you save them into the manager so you can open them easily when you need them again.
This same technology that helps you find your previously published files more easily also helps the search engines find and index your site, increasing its success in the search results. The XML sitemap makes it easier for Google and other search engines to keep track of your site.
If you want to set up an online store for your Rapidweaver site you’ll have to purchase one of the add-on packages that are available from third-party suppliers. It’s not quite the same as having the functionality already embedded in the site but at least you can easily access the technology should you need to expand your website with payment and credit card functionality.
Publish your newly created site using your own host or through an Apple MobileMe account. You shouldn’t encounter too many difficulties uploading your site as the software includes support for FTP and SFTP uploads. Rapidweaver has links with Little Oak hosting if you don’t have any idea who to host with.
Making updates to your site is also easy because Rapidweaver exports and uploads the changes you make, and only the files that are actually different.
You can easily embed Google Analytics or add GoSquare LiveStats (ad-free usage of the basic package) to your site in order to track visits and web stats. Test spe. This process is simple and you’ll have a good base from which to monitor visitors to your site over time.
Rapidweaver is not the most user friendly web design program, simply because you have to switch between edit and preview views any time you want to check how your content looks on the internet. This is a little clumsy, but you’ll get used to it.
The layout and the interface are clear and clean, and the method of creating a website is straightforward.
There are a few ways to get help from Rapidweaver if you need support. Email the software developers, or visit the sections online that give you a selection of FAQs, a user manual, and video tutorials. Alternatively, you can start a discussion in the community forums. There is no telephone support option.
Create a wide range of websites with the Rapidweaver software. Rapidweaver 8 makes it easy to switch between code and drag and drop templates to make a customized site. This website design package falls somewhere in between the complex and expensive Dreamweaver and basic blogging and website creation packages.
Looking for website design software reviews?
See our side-by-side comparisons and in-depth reviews
Overall |
Web design |
Search Engine Optimisation |
Publishing |
Ease of use |