Website builders should make life easier, but they usually just end up being a headache. After struggling with them for too long, I thought, “Why not build my own?” And that’s how Webwheel came to life.
Why I Hate Website Builders
Here’s why I couldn’t stand the usual website builders:
- Too Complex – Too many options and confusing settings. It’s supposed to be simple, but it feels like you’re setting up a spaceship.
- Closed Source – I’m a developer, I want to be able to tweak things. Closed-source builders just don’t let me customize how I need.
- Expensive – Paying for something simple? That doesn’t make sense.
So, What is Webwheel?
Webwheel is my answer to these problems. It's an open-source, offline desktop app, built on Greps.js. Webwheel has everything you need to build websites:
- Drag-and-Drop Builder – You can easily place elements wherever you want.
- Style Editing – Customize fonts, colors, and layouts without any hassle.
- Page Editing – Add and modify pages effortlessly.
- Open Source
- Offline
Getting Creative with Components
Instead of sticking with the default builder, I wanted more fun and creative options. So, I wrote a scraping script using Node.js and Puppeteer to grab components from mobirise.com templates. Here's how it works:
- Grab the Link – Input the URL of a template you like.
- Download Assets – It pulls in the CSS, JavaScript, and images that you need.
- Section-by-Section – The script breaks the page into sections (navbar, footer, etc.).
- Generate Preview – It creates a preview of each section.
- Save as HTML – The content is saved in a plugin-friendly format.
- Compress & Import – It compresses everything into a template.wheel file, ready for Webwheel.
This way, I can quickly grab templates, customize them, and get back to building websites in no time.
How Webwheel Works
Webwheel is simple to use:
- Start with a Template – Upload a template or start a new project from scratch.
- Create Your Project – Name your project, and Webwheel will set up a folder for you.
- Edit Your Project – Drag, drop, and edit your content. Want to change text or add a section? It's easy.
- Export Your Site – Once you’re happy with your website, export it and upload it to your server.
No complicated menus, no online dependencies—just an easy, straightforward way to create websites.
Get Started
Webwheel is currently under construction, but you can check out the project and code here:
- GitHub Repository
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