Questions and answers

Installing #

Windows says "Windows protected your PC". The installer is not code-signed, so Windows does not know the publisher. Choose More info, then Run anyway.

The Mac will not open the app. The app is not signed with an Apple developer certificate. Right-click (or Control-click) the app, choose Open, then confirm.

The Linux AppImage does not start. Make it runnable first: right-click it, open Properties → Permissions and allow running it as a program (or run chmod +x on the file). On some systems an AppImage also needs a small system library called FUSE; your distribution's package manager can install it.

Does it work on Windows 7? No. The app needs Windows 10 or newer.

Does it need an internet connection? Not to edit, preview, save and export. See what needs an internet connection.

Working with projects #

Where is my project? A project is the .bsb file you saved with Ctrl+S. The app also keeps your open tabs, so work comes back after a restart, and it keeps earlier versions: History in the top bar.

I made a mistake a long time ago. Can I go back? Use History (File → Version History…) and choose Restore on an older version, or Open as copy to take only a piece out of it.

The pictures are gone when I open the project on another computer. A picture you chose from your computer is stored as a link to that file. Use File → Website Folder → Make the Project Portable… on the computer that has the pictures, then send the new file. Or start your next site with File → New → New Website…: it keeps the project and all its pictures and files in one folder, and you send the whole folder.

Can I turn an exported site back into a project? Keep your .bsb file: it is the real source. The export is a finished website, and the app cannot rebuild a project from it exactly. Import HTML Templates can read many ordinary HTML sites, but the result is not the same as the original project.

Can I use my own Bootstrap theme? Yes. In the Theme tab, use Use a CSS file… under Theme CSS to load a Bootstrap theme, or write your own.

Building pages #

A menu or a script does not work in the editor. That is on purpose: scripts and Bootstrap's menus do not run on the editing page, so they cannot get in the way. Press F5 to Preview; they work there and on the exported site.

I cannot drop a component where I want to. The app only allows places where a component makes sense: a column only goes inside a row, a table cell inside a table row. Drag it into the Overview tree instead, or add a Row first.

How do I make something different on a phone? Select it, and in Properties → Utilities choose a size chip (SM, MD, LG and so on) before changing a setting. The setting then applies from that screen size and up. Use the size buttons above the page to check.

How do I get the same navbar on every page? Select the navbar and use Make this reusable. Edit it once and every copy changes. When you add a blog and tick Use the navbar and footer of your home page, the app links them this way for you.

My own CSS does not change anything. Your CSS in styles.css is loaded last, so it wins over Bootstrap. Check that the selector matches: select the component, open styles.css, and use the selector bar to Create the rule. Also check for a typo in the class name.

Preview, export and publish #

The preview tab shows an old page, or takes a long time to load. Close the old preview tab and press F5 again. The app reuses one tab at a fixed port; if another program uses that port, change it under Site settings → General → Preview port.

The exported site looks different from the editor. Open it from the exported folder in a browser. Check that you uploaded the whole folder, including assets. Remember that the editor shows a fixed width at a time: use the size buttons to see other widths.

Publish says it cannot connect. Check the server name, the port (usually 22 for SFTP and 21 for FTP) and your user name, then press Test the connection. Make sure the Protocol matches what your host offers. SFTP needs a host that allows it.

Publish asks me to trust a fingerprint. This happens the first time you connect with SFTP. If you got the fingerprint from your host, compare it, then trust it. After that the app warns you if it ever changes.

Is my password saved in the project? Never. Server details are kept on your computer and are not written into the project file. The password is not kept at all unless you tick Keep the password on this computer.

Blogs, languages and fonts #

Where do I write a new blog post? Press + Post in the Pages list (it says Blog until the site has a blog).

A Google font does not show on the finished site. When you add a font, keep Download it and host it with the site ticked, so the site carries its own copy. Without it, visitors load the font from Google's servers.

My translation is not in the DeepL suggestions. DeepL does not offer every language. The suggestion buttons only appear for languages that DeepL can translate between. You can always translate by hand in the same window.

About your data #

Does the app send my data anywhere? Only for the things listed under what needs an internet connection: checking and downloading updates, publishing to your own server, translating with DeepL when you ask, adding Google fonts, and reading an API address you give it. Your projects stay on your computer.

Something does not work as described here. Please report it. It helps to say which version you use (Help → About), what you did, and what you expected to happen.