The RWD Interface
Installing RWD Resources
There's basically three distinct parts to Rapid Web Designer. The first thing you'll see is a set of icons on your First Class Desktop that look like the picture below:
The icons represent First Class conferences, which are like folders that contain folders, files, or other elements. The First Class administrator can set permissions on the conference to either allow or disallow other users from viewing it or manipulating it. The icon that is labeled yourname_Site is the container for all of your web site stuff.
The first thing to do is set up the computer you are working on with the RWD settings information. Open the conference entitled RWD Builders and double-click both of the files that are inside the conference.
Click the "update" button when the dialog box comes up indicating the number of resources you installed. If you don't install these items properly, you'll get an error message when you start to design your web pages.
You only have to perform this procedure once - for each computer you intend on using when you design web pages in RWD. If you've installed the files on your laptop, you don't have to repeat the procedure unless you have a computer at home that you'd like to use.
The Site Window
Once you've installed the RWD resources, you should double-click the other conference that is labeled with your last name - first initial. It is the "container" where you will keep all of the resources that you use to design your first web page and any other web pages that will make up your web site.
The best way to view the window is to split it vertically. Click on the window to make it active, then choose View > Split > Split Vertical. See the graphic below for an example:
The window should split, and look like the one in the picture below. The left side of the window is made up of folders, some of which are created by the system administrator, and others that you can include. The right side of the window is made up of your web pages. The top of the window looks like any other in First Class. An example of the site window is listed below:
Before we get into practicing with the design elements, it's a good idea for you to create two folders on the left side of your site window. Click on the left side of the site window to activate it, then create a folder by choosing File > New > New Folder. Name the folder "MyImages". Repeat the process and name the other folder "MyDocs". These will come in handy later in the training.
Next, you'll have to create your first web page. Do so by choosing File > New Document Special > Rapid Web Designer. A example graphic on how to create a new web page is listed below:
The Page Builder Form
Open your new web page by double-clicking it, and you'll see the RWD Page Builder Form. It's the area where you will do all the design work for creating web pages. At this point you need to type HomePage into the Page Name field. There must be a page named HomePage in your site conference. The Home Page will be the entry point to your web site, or it could be the only thing you design. The Page Builder form is divided into an upper and lower section. The upper section changes when you click on the tabs at the top of the window. The lower section is called the Page Body, and it always looks the same. See the graphic listed below of the Page Builder Form.
| 
