Dynamik Website Builder is really a device that’s been constructed for people with the Genesis Framework. The merchandise is defined from the developers like a do-it-yourself Genesis kid style which provides anyone the chance to personalize your internet site devoid of directly enhancing just about any value.
The marked market are generally individuals who would like to create their particular customized created themes or templates using the Genesis Framework, exactly who either don’t develop the essential html coding ability, or maybe complete have individuals ability but need a swifter, more effective means of generating their particular models.
If the idea of harnessing the electricity with the Genesis Framework to construct your own personal kid themes or templates or maybe personalize an existing style, just about all devoid of enhancing just about any value that appeals to you, then a Dynamik Website Builder coming from Cobalt Apps could possibly be exactly what you are interested in.
Features of the Dynamik Web Builder for Genesis
Here is a quick rundown of the main features of Dynamik, before we go into some of the highlights in more detail:
- Over 800 no-coding design options
- Front end live preview CSS editor and builder
- No-coding necessary custom CSS generator
- Optional responsive layout for multi-device compatibility
- 49 one-click homepage configurations
- Export settings and create snapshots for future reference and backup purposes
- Import and export skins for sharing designs and using quick-start templates
- Export your custom design as a Genesis child theme for use on other WordPress sites
- Create conditions to show certain elements, such as sidebars or menus, on certain pages
- This really is a feature-packed tool that allows you to customise almost every element of our WordPress site without needing to possess any coding knowledge.
No-code Design Options
The main purpose of the Dynamik Website Builder is to allow you to create your own custom designs without viewing or editing any code. This done by accessing the Dynamik Design Options section of the tool which allows you to select fonts, colours, widths, and a whole lot more, simply by using dropdown menus, colours pickers, and other visual aids.
We will get to the available design options in more depth shortly, but they essentially allow you to make changes to the appearance of your theme that would otherwise require development skills. This also allows those with coding abilities to make their changes a lot faster, simply by using the design controls.
Homepage Configurations
Dynamik comes with 49 homepage configurations that can be selected simply by choosing them from the dropdown menu.
Dynamik Homepage Options
Instead of just the default WordPress settings of either showing a static page or a list of the most recent blog posts on your site’s homepage, this option allows you to apply a more advanced widgetized layout to the homepage.
In addition to the widgetized homepage layouts, you can also customise the header and footer widget areas for even more flexibility.
Dynamik Skins
When you purchase the builder you also get access to a number of Dynamik skins. Skins are described by the developers as a starting point, rather than the final destination for your creations. Out of the box, the Dynamik theme doesn’t really feature much formatting and decoration, which means without a skin you will be essentially starting from a blank canvas.
Dynamik Skins
While starting with a blank canvas is ideal for some, it’s not the best scenario for others, and thankfully the builder package includes access to a selection of skins, which like a regular theme, apply a design and layout to your WordPress site.
However, it’s worth pointing out these are not child themes, and are instead a saved set of design options for Dynamik which are imported into your site and can then be easily customised via the builder. The skins can include custom images as well as hard-coded CSS, PHP and JS files
So while Dynamik gives you access to a wide selection of design options for creating your own designs without editing any code, the skins can be used as a head start to arrive at the ideal design for your website.
The skins can be downloaded from your account on the Cobalt Apps website and then imported through the Dynamik Settings page Import / Export section. You can also export your designs as skins at any point for use on other sites using this tool.
Using Dynamik Genesis Website Builder
This is certainly a tool that has lots of impressive features that will appeal to WordPress users who want to alter a wide range of elements of their website. So let’s take a look and see how user friendly Dynamik is and whether it really is a good option for non-coders who want to customise the appearance of their WordPress site.
Installing Dynamik
As this is a builder for the Genesis Framework, you must install that theme framework first, in the same way you would a regular theme, and then upload Dynamik. As Dynamik is essentially a WordPress theme, it should be uploaded as a new theme into your WordPress site and then activated.
Add New Theme
Once the necessary files have been uploaded and Dynamik is active on your site, a new set of items are added to the Genesis sub-menu on the admin sidebar.
Dynamik Menu Items
The tool is divided into three main sections:
- Dynamik Settings: set site wide options
- Dynamik Design: customise the design using the no-code controls
- Dynamik Custom: enter custom code (CSS, JS, functions, conditionals, hook boxes)
- Dynamik Settings
Through the settings you can enter your license key to enable updates and support for the builder. From this section you can also set site wide settings including:
- Set custom thumbnail image sizes
- Enable responsive design
- Enable post formats
- Determine which Design Options to display (structure, design, or kitchen sink)
Once you’ve worked through these options, you can then move on to the main attraction of Dynamik: the design options.
Dynamik Design Options
Dynamik includes over 800 no-code design options which allow you to customise the appearance of your site in many ways, ranging from simple font changes, through to creating custom widgetized homepage layouts, and much more.
The design options are organized using a tabbed interface which breaks down the main elements of a theme into manageable groups, such as body, header, content, sidebar, comments, and more.
Dynamik Design Options Interface
Inside each tabbed area, you then get access to the individual elements such as the fonts, colours, link styles, padding and margins, list styles, and anything else you can think of related to the appearance of your website and its content. The options you can choose are displayed using dropdown menus, colour pickers, or text fields for entering simple values, saving you the need to ever enter any code.
If at any point you do want to add some additional custom CSS that isn’t covered by the available visual options, you can simply click on the custom button to open a custom CSS window for that element, and then enter your own code. If you don’t know any or enough CSS, then the Custom CSS Builder makes it very easy to generate the CSS you need.
Dynamik Design Options Custom CSS
The Custom CSS Builder feature allows you to select CSS style elements from a visual interface and then insert the code into a text field which can then be copied and pasted elsewhere should the need arise. This could include the custom CSS box on the individual elements from the design option above.
Custom CSS Builder
The Custom CSS Builder is a very handy feature to have access to as you are no longer limited by the visual design selectors on offer (even though they aren’t very limiting in the first place), and can now generate your own CSS for further fine tuning the appearance of your website.
While these design option screens can be very long thanks to all the options on offer, one nice feature is that the save changes button floats, allowing you to save your current changes without having to scroll back to the top of the page. Clicking the save button doesn’t refresh the page either, so you can carry on where you left off after committing your changes.
You can also use the undo button to revert to your last save, or reset all the design options you’ve changed by hitting the design option reset button.
Dynamik Custom Options
Dynamik contains a feature-rich custom CSS builder that allows you to generate CSS. That CSS can then either be applied to the individual elements on your site, such as text formatting, or added to a site wide custom CSS panel.
However, Dynamik has a further, more impressive custom CSS editor feature that allows you to actually edit CSS on the front end of your site, and get a live preview of any changes you make.
Front End CSS
This is a really powerful tool and depending on how you use it, allows you to click on an element on the front end, or select one from the available elements using a dropdown menu, and then add your own CSS to customise it. Again you don’t need to know any CSS as it can all be generated through a visual builder, which then adds it to the relevant element on the page.
Any changes you make are displayed in real time and if happy with them, you can save them from the front end, making them visible to your visitors.
This is a really valuable feature that takes an already impressive tool to the next level in terms of functionality and usefulness.
Alternatives to Dynamik
While there are plenty of page builder tools for WordPress, Dynamik is a slightly different option compared to the majority of them. Many of the current page builder plugins such as the Zoom Builder, offer a drag and drop interface for creating your layouts, which can then be filled with a range of pre-built page elements.
However, while Dynamik doesn’t take this approach, the other options don’t give half as many customisation options as is available with this tool. When it comes to tools with a similar target audience and approach to theme customisation, that also have been built with the Genesis Framework in mind, the Genesis Design Palette Pro plugin offers some similar customisation options in terms of fonts and colours.
However, it stops well short of the design options on offer from Dynamik. But if you want to customise an existing Genesis child theme, rather than build your own, then the Genesis Design Palette Pro could be a suitable option, despite not having as many customisation options.
Pricing
The Dynamik Website Builder child theme for the Genesis Framework is available on three pricing plans, with the cheapest costing the same as a regular Genesis child theme from StudioPress. The three pricing options are:
- Single site: $59
- Up to 3 sites: $99
- Unlimited sites: $199
Each option includes one year of support and updates, which can be renewed for a further year for 50% of the original price paid. You can still go on using the builder unsupported once the year is over if you choose not to renew your purchase.
Just in case it’s not clear, you will need to have the Genesis Framework installed on your website which is available from $59.95 as this is a tool that allows you to build your own child themes for that framework.
Conclusion
If you want to build your own child themes for the Genesis Framework then Dynamik is a tool that opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
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