I can only add to what Doty and Scottin asked by repeating what I said multiple times earlier in this thread. SITE SEARCH.
I’ve spent a lot of time with Walter Davis in the past trying to get my search field to look and work just the way I like it. (Bless you, Walter, for that kind help too!) To do that, I had to add code in Freeway via the HTML Markup dialog and via Walter’s Protaculous2 action (“DOM Loaded Observer” button). Without that action and without HTML Markup in Freeway, I wouldn’t have a search function today. And obviously if I ever build a fully responsive site, I want to not only retain search but make it look modern, something akin to the way Apple implements their search field atop apple.com. (Take a look there right now if you don’t know what I mean. It’s an awesome way to implement search, in my opinion.)
I guess a lot of people don’t add search because it’s either too hard or they feel their site doesn’t need it, but my website users have come to rely on it. In the past I used Atomz, and after Atomz died I switched to Google Custom Search. A bit of a pain to setup, but with Freeway, I accomplished it.
And so, just like everybody else here on FreewayTalk, when I evaluate a “Freeway replacement” I must evaluate it in terms of what I need to accomplish on the web. In other words, the kind of content I have now (site search or otherwise) is the same content I would want to build in a Sparkle website.
But in Sparkle since there are no plugins (I fully understand the reasoning) and since there is no HTML Markup dialog (again, I understand the explanation given), then I am rather stricken with fear to embark on a web design journey with Sparkle. Other people may buy Sparkle to toy with it; but the question is, will Sparkle become their main web design app?
I do not seek to speak disparagingly of Sparkle – not at all. Anyone who read my previous post can clearly see the praise I gave it and the same praise I continue to give it. It’s just that the bottom line is that I need a web design tool that works for me now, not a promise of a better future tomorrow. And so I continue to ponder Sparkle as I ponder my existing sites, realizing some changes and sacrifices must be made, but also realizing that some things cannot be sacrificed. That’s pretty much what Doty was saying and it seems like Scottin is saying the same.
James Wages
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