The next version of Headway is just around the corner. If you currently hold a developer’s license for the killerest, awesomest WordPress Theme Designer anywhere, then head over and download your copy now.
Here are SOME of the Improvements and Changes You can Expect:
Quick Start Wizard
Starting from a fresh install, the quick start wizard will show immediately after loading the visual editor. Otherwise, you can run the wizard through the Tools menu in the visual editor.
The wizard will guide you step-by-step through choosing your layout:
- Uploading your header image
- Color scheme (get this: it even detects colors from your header image to create a color scheme!)
- Selecting fonts.
At the end of the wizard, you click a button to build your site and it’ll all be done in a snap!
Column System For Leafs
Instead of dragging all of your leafs around, you can now put them into columns. You can move and resize the entire columns with ease. The previous layout system is still present. You can specify whether or not you want columns for the particular page in the visual editor.
Styles Manager
Before Headway 1.7, Headway came with 1 layout and you had to work from there. Headway 1.7 comes with 4 pre-loaded styles in the new Styles Manager, which allows you to save and load styles. You can also import and export styles just like before, but in a much more organized way!
Leaf Templates
Instead of linking pages and being locked into the layout of the page you are linking to, you can now save your leafs (and columns) into Leaf Templates. Leaf Templates can be loaded onto any page. Once a template is loaded, you can modify it just like any regular page.
Automatic Upgrades
Even though we think all of the other features in 1.7 are incredibly cool, we REALLY think this one is cool . No longer do you have to go to the Headway site, download the latest version, upload it, and activate it. Oh, and if you ever did any custom.css or used the custom folder in Headway, you won’t have to worry about transferring that to the new installation either. The automatic upgrader does it all with only a few clicks!
HUGE Speed Improvements and Optimizations
In 1.7, we rethought how Headway was coded. We’ve made major improvements to the visual editor to drastically reduce the amount of conflicts from third-party plugins and also make loading the visual editor MUCH faster. Also, we completely rewrote the content leaf to be more efficient and more stable than before.
Feature Removal: Photo Gallery Leaf
This was a difficult consensus to reach amongst the team here, but we decided it would be best to remove the Photo Gallery leaf from the Headway core. We felt that the leaf was too complex to be in core. Also, the photo gallery was the only leaf that used the advanced leafs panel, making that a waste of space in the admin panel. If you’re screaming at us now, don’t worry! If you use the Photo Gallery leaf on your website (or wish to use it anyway), you will be able to download the leaf from the Headway Marketplace for free.?
What if You Don’t Have a Developer’s License?
You can upgrade your current license to a developer’s license. In addition to beta access, a developer’s license allows you to use Headway on as many sites you own as you like (you don’t have to really be a developer).
What if You Don’t Have the Current Version of Headway?
Grab the current developer license for yourself, then you can access the beta for 1.7.
Remember: It’s a BETA
Beta means it’s not… quite… ready for prime time. You shouldn’t use Headway 1.7 beta on a business-critical site. Most web hosts allow you to create new WordPress blogs inside of folders on your main site, though, and you can test out Headway safely that way.
Don’t delay… grab your copy of the Headway 1.7 beta today.
Nice advice but You can upgrade your current license to a developer’s license. In addition to beta access, a developer’s license allows you to use Headway on as many sites you own as you like you don’t have to really be a developer.
Yeah, that's exactly what I said. Maybe read the post next time before
commenting?
All this sounds very exciting, and I read about it via @DannyBrown as well, but Visual Editor itself doesn't work for me. I contacted support and set them up with a login for my blog and haven't heard anything back. I'm unlikely to pay more money and upgrade when I don't even know if I can use it in the first place. After all the hype I've heard about Headway, I'm not very impressed so far.
Sorry you're having an issue, I know how frustrating that can be! Let me be
clear that my blog comments are not a Headway help channel.
The visual editor works for everyone with standard web browsers and web
hosting configurations. Be sure to check the forums and the FAQs and search
for your problem so you can find the solution to it. There's very little out
there we haven't run into or seen before. If your problem is a common one,
you will find it addressed. Please don't submit help tickets for common
problems which already have a solution: you are unlikely to hear back in
that situation.
We've done our best to make sure Headway works with all the popular web
hosts out there. It simply isn't possible to make software work 100% of the
time in every conceivable environment, that's the nature of things. If your
browser is up-to-date and your web hosting configuration is standard, and
you're still having problems, feel free to request a refund at the Headway
site and we'll gladly give you one.
If your problem is an uncommon or unknown one, please bear in mind that the
staff at Headway are often busy helping customers and they'll address your
concerns as quickly as they can!
As a reasonably intelligent person I'm aware your blog is not a Headway help channel. I was providing my reaction and opinion to your enthusiastic recommendation to “download your copy now.”
Sorry to hear Shonali, but as Michael mentions, the forums are a great resource, and the main support team are usually very good at getting back to you with a resolution.
I hope so, Danny. They got back to me reasonably promptly when I first emailed them (which I did after checking the forum); following that I haven't heard anything.
Hey shonali, have you posted in the forum? Let me know — I'm a moderator, I'll get a status report for you.
Hi, MommyGeek – no, I haven't posted in the forum. I did try to find threads that addressed my problem and found one that said to uninstall plugins & then activate them one by one. That did not solve the problem but left some weird code on my blog. John Haydon was a doll and fixed that for me; I'm not technically inclined at all and didn't want to mess around with code and make it worse, so he was very kind to do that. In the meantime I sent an email to support via the email address that was given to me in VE if there was a problem loading it. They wrote back offering a few options and also said if I gave them a login they would take a look. I gave them a login and haven't heard back – so that's where it's at right now.
If you still think it would be worthwhile to post in the Forum, I'll certainly do so. Thanks very much.
We have 4 moderators on the forums, myself and even Clay. That is a total of 6 people. If you want support, the forums is the best place to go. Instead of emailing, you have 6 minds working on your issue there.
I'm LOVING the update. I installed on my test site (heck, it even encouraged me to try screencasting!!), and I can attest this is the biggest evolution of WordPress themes around. The Quick Start Wizard especially is a huge addition and will help ANYONE get started.
I've just started messing with the Columns and Top/Footer Leaf areas too, and the amount of crazy-ass designs you'll get without any coding looks immense.
Great stuff!
Having used Headway since the very beginning I am totally excited about this new release. The styles manager, speed improvements and the deconflicting with other plugins, etc are huge improvements that will make this the best version of Headway yet!
When will this update be ready for prime time? As a new headway user I would totally love the setup wizard you speak of. I am not a huge tech guy but was swayed to Headway because of its great customization abilities.
How about an upgrade for those of us who purchased in the last week or so?
I was sold on Genesis until I saw Headway
Genesis is an excellent framework, but I'm very glad you love Headway!
have you tried thesis