Migrating from v2 to v3

Site Designer v3.0 was a significant release with several breaking changes. If you’re opening a v2 project in v3 for the first time, this guide explains what changed and what you need to fix.

Before you begin

Make a backup copy of your v2 .rsd file before opening it in v3. Name the backup clearly (e.g., my-project-v2-backup.rsd).

What converts automatically

When you open a v2 project in v3, Site Designer handles the following automatically:

• All page content (HTML, text, images, links) is preserved.
• All custom CSS classes and properties are preserved.
• All site settings (metadata, framework selection, breakpoints) are migrated.
• All assets embedded in the project (images, fonts) are preserved.
• Symbols defined in v2 are converted to v3 Symbol format.

Breaking change 1: Flexbox layout system

What changed: v3 introduced a fully visual Flexbox layout system. In some contexts where v2 used a column-based layout, v3 replaces it with Flexbox containers.

Impact: Most projects are unaffected. However, if your v2 project used the old column layout builder (not a framework grid — the native Site Designer column tool), those elements may be converted to Flexbox containers with approximate settings. Review all multi-column layouts in Live Preview after migration.

What to do: Test every page in Live Preview. If a column layout looks different from v2, select the parent element and adjust the Flexbox properties in the Style pane to match your original intent.

Breaking change 2: Effects pane reorganized

What changed: v3 moved several settings from the Style pane to a dedicated Effects pane:

• CSS transitions (duration, easing, delay) moved from Style → Box to the Effects pane.
• CSS animations moved to the Effects pane.
• Text shadow and box shadow settings were reorganized with a new visual editor.

Impact: Your effects still work correctly — the CSS is preserved. However, if you need to edit a transition or animation, look for it in the Effects pane rather than the Style pane.

Breaking change 3: New component format

What changed: The component library in v3 uses an updated internal format. V2 components from the library can be inserted into v3 projects, but they may have visual differences due to updated default styles.

Impact: Components you inserted in v2 and are already part of your project are unaffected — the HTML and CSS are baked in. The issue arises only if you try to re-insert a component from the library in v3, expecting it to look like the v2 version.

What to do: If a re-inserted component looks wrong, compare it to your v2 backup and manually adjust styles to match.

Steps to migrate safely

1. Make a backup of the v2 file

   Copy the .rsd file to a safe location before opening it in v3.

2. Open in v3 and convert

   Open the file in Site Designer v3. The app will prompt you that the file will be converted. Confirm and proceed.

3. Test every page in Live Preview

   Open Live Preview and go through each page. Check layouts at desktop, tablet, and mobile widths using the width slider.

4. Check Effects settings

   If any elements had transitions or animations in v2, open the Effects pane in v3 to verify the settings were migrated correctly.

5. Check multi-column layouts

   Specifically check any elements that used v2’s native column layout tool. Adjust Flexbox properties in the Style pane if needed.

6. Save and re-export

   Once everything looks correct, save the project (⌘S / Ctrl+S) and run a full export to verify the output HTML matches your expectations.

Getting help

If your project has complex v2-specific layouts that aren’t converting cleanly, post in the CoffeeCup community forums with a description of the issue and your Site Designer version number.