Other points of consideration and where all hands on deck are needed are:
a) removal of bloat unneeded code i.e the tracker, feedback and beta testing code and,
b) looking at ways of serving the templates from our own server instead of pulling in from Elementor’s server.
I think this depends on how the template system works behind the scenes (I don’t know the answer to this).
A more viable path may be to set up our own template server that works the same way as the existing one as a first step, then look into connecting this up to GitHub later on.
Serving the templates from GitHub is the easier options but it means manually maintaining a templates.json which lists the templates in the editor modal.
Serving from a server as Elementor do requires setting up an API server to automatically pull the relevant information from a given endpoint while another endpoint serves up the content templates.
Do you have a lead developer or a core dev team? Speaking from our experience with Classic Commerce, it’s nice to get some feedback from the wider community, but in the end you need a small group of people who can make decisions.
Not yet @BlueSkyPhoenix.
Although Classic Commerce seems preferred in the GitHub issue linked to above I think it’s best to have a community consensus before making an arbitrary decision
Funnily enough back in the days when Elementor was only a new fledgling page builder we had a similar discussion in the FB group and the name “Classic Builder” was suggested with someone commenting that it sounded like a Classic Car Builder
This is very much at the front of my mind and it’s something I hope much more able and capable devs will take up and jump in. I have been following the Classic Commerce development and testing a long the way and this project could do with pointers from your team @ozfiddler
On that note: Anyone interested in being a part of this journey please put your and say “I hereby volunteer myself to participate to the best of my ability” please
I’d say the most important thing is to get a project leader - someone who will co-ordinate everything and drive the whole project forward. It’s fine to open this up to the community for ideas, but at some point it gets bogged down or starts going in circles and there has to be a person, or a small group, that can make a decision and move on.
Since it’s a CP research project it may be possible to set up a Slack channel for discussions between the project lead and the main contributors. That’s where we did most of our planning for Classic Commerce.
Agreed %
I’m more of a developer/code wrangler than a leader so I’m much happier mucking in and do what needs to be done code wise and move the project along.
However, if push comes to shove I can take that lead but prefer it be someone who has the a knack for being the leader
May be an action for classic-elementor can be added in this space to allow for the developers to allow for new url to be provided. It is a much cleaner direction I think.
Maybe we can start a discussion of this as an issue for consideration @zulfgani@james
I’ve just completed a couple of sites using elementor with one of our own themes, first time using it. The free version is fairly limited, almost to the extent of why bother, but the pro version adds lots of useful features.
BTW it runs on CP if you change the WP version required from 5 to 4.9.
Which version are you forking the free or pro or merging into one? To run and develop a plugin like this requires time and effort, therefore money, hence the pro version.
How do you intend to finance this project longer term.
For example Woo might be free but most of the “good” extensions are pay only.
My view would be that a paid extensions set up would not work for an elementor clone.
I am not trying to be negative but I would not want to be rebuilding a client’s site because a plugin died though lack of cash.
Elementor dropping support for WP 4.9 either means they are no longer testing with WP 4.9, or they are just intentionally blocking users from staying on WP 4.9. Either way this means I wouldn’t count on Elementor continuing to work with ClassicPress, so an alternative is needed.
The fork is of the free version. Elementor Pro is not released under a free license which means we can’t just fork the pro version. Still, this is a fair point and an open question, and I realize this is a large undertaking.
Others have also noted that this project needs more focused development in order to get it out the door and support it going forward. Unfortunately I can’t volunteer more of my development time to this right now, since there are a lot of outstanding tasks on ClassicPress itself and Classic Commerce - I suspect others are in the same situation. @zulfgani if you are willing to take on the leadership role here then I think you are the best person to do that.
If we can get as many issue/concerns out and on the table early on we’ll be in a better position to put a plan together to bring the project to fruition.
This is what held me back for a long while since the required version was circulated as coming soon. You also raised very valid points worthy of careful consideration @Mark
The reason I’m onboard this fork is because ClassicPress user need a good and robust page builder no matter how loathed they may be by some. Elementor provides the best starting point for a ClassicPress version.
Taking this as a vote of confidence @james and I step up not because I think I’m the best to do so (far from it but I’ll muck in) but because we need this project to come to life as a community. I believe we can do it so let’s got for it
@zulfgani - I’ll add my vote of confidence for you too. The main quality for a leader is the willingness to put in the time and energy to keep it on track, and you certainly seem to have that. I don’t think “people-skills” are that important with this friendly, polite group.
and say “I hereby volunteer myself to participate to the best of my ability” please 
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