[Pro] Freeway Alternative - Blocs

Freeway
1

After spotting the post by Norm, creator of Blocs, today in the Fin thread, I thought it prudent to create this new thread dedicated to that app.

I must admit that I am currently scrutinizing Sparkle, but I have not ruled out Blocs entirely. In fact, I am almost through the following tutorial, which I find quite enlightening and helpful to understand what Blocs can really do:

Norm,

If you are seeing this and you don’t mind answering a question, I would like to ask the same question of you as I did of Duncan (Sparkle).

How does Blocs handle multilingual sites that have a mixture of English and 2-byte text like Japanese?

Web fonts are commonly used for English, but for Japanese, it’s more complex because unless you are using KATAKANA or HIRAGANA alone (each about 50 characters), you simply aren’t going to find a KANJI (chinese character) web font because it would have to hold thousands of characters and be a huge download. So what I do in Freeway is create font styles for Japanese that ensure the basic text is a gothic font (similar to helvetica) and is a font common to Windows or the Mac (MS PGothic for older Windows and Meiryo font for newer Windows, along with the Mac versions like Hiragino).

I also have a link on every page in my site to allow the user seamless switching between English and Japanese. You can see that on one of my sites here:

Click the ENGLISH button at right of the menubar and then you can click JAPANESE to get back. And as you dig down into the site you still have the same buttons. And unlike other sites that merely take you to the top page when you click the language button, my site offers you the language swap of the very page you are on at the time.

So obviously, I would want do achieve the same on any new websites I build with a Freeway alternative like Blocs. How is it done?

Thank you,

James Wages

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

2

@JDW that’s a rather unique situation. Blocs lets you add additional resources to pages CSS, JS etc. So just add what you need in an additional style sheet regarding switching fonts and bolt it on to the page. The options in Blocs will let you style and structure your page, they won’t give you an easy way to create interactions outside the basics (posting forms, changing pages, scrolling to areas). But you can bolt on any JS you want and add the hooks via IDs in app or via the HTML widget for more advanced use cases…

Previewing this working would require the use of preview in the browser.

Regarding multi language versions of a page, blocs won’t do any extra work for you here. You would need to create both variations of copy and either switch pages or switch out the page copy using js.

I’ll be honest, I’m not familiar on the most convenient way to handle multi language page copy in modern web design.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

3

Norm,

Many thanks for your kind reply.

Last night I was reading the following Macworld review of Blocs 2:

Toward the end, the article mentions the caveat that PDFs cannot be added within Blocs, and that the workaround is to upload the PDFs separately, then manually type in the links to the PDFs within Blocs. I assume this is something that will be addressed in a future version?

The article also mentions the lack of a built-in FTP uploader (which is something Freeway has). Being rather adept at using the FTP client Transmit I don’t see the lack of a built-in FTP client in Blocs a show-stopper, but I must admit that for some users having built-in FTP uploading would be a significant plus.

Norm, I have another question. On Macintouch we are having a similar discussion for Freeway users about what alternatives exist. Someone there mentioned that they use a Mac app called “Mobirise” that appears to be quite similar to Blocs:

https://mobirise.com

I don’t mean to put you on the spot here, but if you have any thoughts to share about how Blocs stands apart from Mobirise, I am sure others reading this would benefit from that information.

Norm,

I see that Cazoobi was founded by yourself in 2010. RapidWeaver hit the scene in 2004 and Stacks (which in my humble opinion is required to make RW usable) has been available since 2009). But you decided to move forward anyway with building Blocs. Obviously, you then felt there was something lacking in RapidWeaver+Stacks that warranted a better app. What, in your opinion, are the noticeable differences that Blocs brings to the table versus RapidWeaver+Stacks? (I ask this because there are RapidWeaver enthusiasts among us who may wish to know.)

Lastly, I would like to ask a question about the techniques used by Blocs to create Responsive sites. If you have reviewed our “Scrutinizing Sparkle thread” you will see that Caleb Grove (our resident Freeway expert on Responsive Design) points out that Sparkle does not use %-widths and therefore the page merely scales at each defined breakpoint without adjusting/reflowing text, etc. The developer of Sparkle defended such by saying that in most cases, obtaining good results across breakpoints when using %-widths is difficult, which is why Sparkle does what it does with Responsive layouts.

I opened the Blocs website (which I see was created with Blocs) in Safari and then scaled the width to minimum. I noticed that your site “bumps” content 3 times as I decrease the width, signifying the use of 3 breakpoints. And when in the final (most narrow) breakpoint, the text continuously scales as I continue to narrow the browser width to minimum. Doe this mean the narrowest breakpoint is using %-widths?

Caleb, I apologize for disturbing you, but if you have anything to ask or share on this point, seeing you are fare more versed in Responsive design than I am, we certainly would benefit from your input

And please know, Norm, that the reason I am asking questions is not to waste your time but to help myself and other Freeway users out there reading this, who are taking a serious look at Blocs versus RapidWeaver and Sparkle (and perhaps even Mobirise).

Best wishes,

James Wages

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

4

Toward the end, the article mentions the caveat that PDFs cannot be added within Blocs, and that the workaround is to upload the PDFs separately, then manually type in the links to the PDFs within Blocs. I assume this is something that will be addressed in a future version?

Yes this is already in the works for 2.2.0 (due Sept).

The article also mentions the lack of a built-in FTP uploader (which is something Freeway has). Being rather adept at using the FTP client Transmit I don’t see the lack of a built-in FTP client in Blocs a show-stopper, but I must admit that for some users having built-in FTP uploading would be a significant plus.

No plans for FTP right now, there are so many other apps that do a great job of this (I also use transmit). Id rather spend the time and resources making other parts of Blocs better and add new (design orientated) features.

Norm, I have another question. On Macintouch we are having a similar discussion for Freeway users about what alternatives exist. Someone there mentioned that they use a Mac app called “Mobirise” that appears to be quite similar to Blocs:

I see that Cazoobi was founded by yourself in 2010. RapidWeaver hit the scene in 2004 and Stacks (which in my humble opinion is required to make RW usable) has been available since 2009). But you decided to move forward anyway with building Blocs. Obviously, you then felt there was something lacking in RapidWeaver+Stacks that warranted a better app. What, in your opinion, are the noticeable differences that Blocs brings to the table versus RapidWeaver+Stacks? (I ask this because there are RapidWeaver enthusiasts among us who may wish to know.)

I don’t spend much time using other Mac apps in this area, so I cant really comment on the pros and cons between my app (Blocs) and others. We are focused on building what we consider to be a next generation web design app, an app that simplifies the build process and delivers power in manageable chunks. We feel, we are on course to do that, as noted by Mac World, ’Blocs 2’s new features add a lot more power, but only a little more complexity’.

We have our heads down, working exceptionally hard on our vision. New customers come every day, the app gets better every week and larger companies continue offer to buy Blocs out. Something special is happening with our app, we think that secret is in our dedication and our vision of simplicity.

So to cap it off, Im not going to list why I feel Blocs is better than the competition. My advice is, go try all the apps and you make your own choice which works best for you.

Lastly, I would like to ask a question about the techniques used by Blocs to create Responsive sites. If you have reviewed our “Scrutinizing Sparkle thread” you will see that Caleb Grove (our resident Freeway expert on Responsive Design) points out that Sparkle does not use %-widths and therefore the page merely scales at each defined breakpoint without adjusting/reflowing text, etc. The developer of Sparkle defended such by saying that in most cases, obtaining good results across breakpoints when using %-widths is difficult, which is why Sparkle does what it does with Responsive layouts.

Blocs uses Bootstrap 3 for its layouts, so the responsiveness is all percentages in BS if my memory serves me correct, so in a nutshell Blocs creates true responsive layouts.

Hope that helps.

Norm

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
https://freewaytalk.softpress.com/person/options

5

Thank you, Norm. Your detailed reply was very helpful and greatly appreciated.

–James

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

6

Norm,

If you have time and don’t mind, I have 2 more questions for you, pertaining to fundamental things we all put on pretty much any website:

  1. NAVIGATION
  2. SITE SEARCH

I found a YouTube video that shows how to create a basic navigation bar with drop-down menus here:

But is it possible to use Blocs 2 to create more complex drop downs that have many links in a multi-column format? For example, have a look at the following site and click on the “ALL” menu to see and example of what I mean (that example has 10 columns of links):

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/technology/

And the second point is about Site Search. I currently use Google Custom Search on my Freeway built site now, which allows me to create a results page that seamlessly integrates into my site design. Obviously, I would want something similar if I use Blocs to create websites. But more than just choosing which search service to use, the look and feel of the search bar/field itself is a point of interest. I would consider Apple’s implementation on Apple.com to be quite modern, easy to use, and pleasing to the eye. Clicking it clears off the entire navigation bar to give the user plenty to space for search. It’s a nifty idea, but how would one implement it in Blocs.

One again, my apologies for the many questions, but I only ask because I am seriously considering the capabilities of Blocs 2 and trying to see what needs it can fill. I’m sure your answers in this thread will help other Freeway users who also are considering Blocs 2 for purchase.

Sincerely,

James W.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

7

Hi Norm,
like James I saw the video on YT and I’m also seriously considering to buy Blocs.
But my 5 day trial expired and I still haven’t try out a minimum of Blocs.
Is there a way to expand the trial for let’s say another 5 days?

Sincerely,
Bootsie

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

8

Bootsie,

I agree that the trial should be longer than a week, regardless of how “easy to use” Blocs pitches itself to be. For that reason, out of sheer worry, I’ve not unzipped the Blocs trial on my Mac yet! :slight_smile: I’ve been watching YouTube videos and reading about Blocs before I start the trial so I can make those precious 7 days last! Even then, I am so busy that I doubt I could make a final decision in that time.

–James W.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

9

James,
thank you for backing me up. :wink:
Unfortunately my trial expired before I saw the video.
Well …

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

10

.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

11

Barry,

Can you explain why I am seeing more than one by you (Hoffkids) that contain only a single period “.” ?

Thank you,

James

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

12

simple… I wanted to know when someone added something to new about these programs but I had nothing to add just yet.

:frowning:

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

13

@JDW Blocs has a feature called menu manager, this lets you create menus, you can read more here: Menu Manager – Blocs – User Documents

Menu manager lets you create nested menus within menus, if I’m correct in thinking this is what you want to achieve.

As for search, I’d recommend just using the HTML widget and adding the Google search snippets via that.

@bootsie there is no way to extend the trial on a personal basis. However we do occasionally renew the trial globally when we issue major improvements/features so folks can try them out.

If any of you choose to buy Blocs and then feel it’s not a good match for you within the first 30days, we are more than happy to give you a full refund.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

14

Norm,
I bought the thing and making some progress.
Think it’s gonna fit my needs.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

15

Would you like to share your experiences from time to time with us Bootsie?
I bouht Sparkle already but think Blocs also a good alternative for
building not too complex sites next to Muse.

2016-07-31 13:05 GMT+02:00 Bootsie email@hidden:

Norm,
I bought the thing and making some progress.
Think it’s gonna fit my needs.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
Information for existing FreewayTalk / Groups.io users - Site Feedback - Softpress Talk

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
https://freewaytalk.softpress.com/person/options

16

@bootsie welcome to the family :slight_smile:

Blocs developments is very fast, I’d advise reporting feature requests and bugs in app just so I don’t miss them, rather than in this thread just incase you do.

Thanks for your support :slight_smile:

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

17

@Norm
I think Blocs is a well promising app Norm, I’m still using your trial.
What is a great advantage and help in my eyes are your layout choices in
the header/body/footer.
I followed some tuts and they’re very helpfull.

2016-07-31 17:10 GMT+02:00 Norm email@hidden:

@bootsie welcome to the family :slight_smile:

Blocs developments is very fast, I’d advise reporting feature requests and
bugs in app just so I don’t miss them, rather than in this thread just
incase you do.

Thanks for your support :slight_smile:

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
Information for existing FreewayTalk / Groups.io users - Site Feedback - Softpress Talk

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
https://freewaytalk.softpress.com/person/options

18

@Norm I allready registered for the forum.

@Andries for me Blocs2 is settled between Sparkle and Pinegrow. (more pinegrow)
I think navigation menu needs some improvements, just to name one.

We’ll see what comes next, but so far I think it could be a substitute for FW.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

19

Norm,

Do you have an email address to ask you some questions? The guys from the other co’s did not have much issue giving out theirs especially under these semi-urgent conditions of finding a new co.

Thanks!

Barry

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:

20

@hoffkids I pick up all emails that go to Support[AT]blocsapp[DOT]com.

freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at: