I love Zimplit‘s simple idea, and relatively easy to setup (depending on server’s configurations). But of course it comes with a head-scratcher. Here are what I learned:
1. Localhost Timeout Error
As many sane developer would do, you want to test almost everything on a Local server if you’re using Xampp Lite. I have been experiencing timeout error. Maybe it’s due to the firewall at work, but I am going to investigate more using a full verison of the Xampp server
2. “public_html” vs “www” Folders
This may sounds crazy, but I think it might have something to do with the configurations of the server. I tried uploading to my own server, everything works fine. But I couldn’t get it working on my client’s server, it couldn’t CHMOD properly. Crazy enough, I deleted everything and re-uploaded everything to the public_html folder, CHMOD the proper files, then it worked… I know both folders are basically the same thing, but why it happened the way it did, CRAZY! I tell you. So I’m going to try to reproduce this “bug” if it is even a bug or just me…
3. jQuery + zimplit = Site Explosion!
Unfortunately, today I found out zimplit will blow up your some parts of your layout if you have some sorts of scripting going on in the background, such as slideshow, hidden divs. As soon as you insert an editable area, it automatically inserts its own div and classes inside ALL OF YOUR DIVs! Drove me insane for over an hour why my simple page stopped working with a simple slideshow. I mean it’s not the end of the world, you just have to rework your CSS to fit it in. But it would be nice IF SOMEONE TOLD ME BEFOREHAND!!
Overall, zimplit is still an awesome idea, but it’s quite intrusive. It works well if you have a very simple website or planned ahead to use it at the beginning. If you decide to implement afterward, it is much more difficult because you’ll probably have to rework lots of CSS. But I think I will try my hands on it again next time when I build a site from scratch. Just my 2 cents.