The ExtraContent stack


This video will help you understand how to use the ExtraContent stack. In summary, the ExtraContent stack involves the following:

  1. Download and install the ExtraContent stack using the buttons below or a link provided by your theme developer. Install the new stack in the normal way.
  2. Open the Stacks Library panel.
  3. Search for "ExtraContent" in the Stacks Library search field.
  4. Drag the ExtraContent stack onto your page.
  5. Change the ExtraContent value in the stack settings.
  6. Add more stacks inside the ExtraContent stack (like text, columns or images) and preview.
  7. Depending on your theme, your ExtraContent may now automatically appear, or there might be an options to turn the ExtraContent areas on or off.
  8. To add more content to more areas, simply repeat steps 2 through 7.

Below is a screenshot, showing the ExtraContent stack in RapidWeaver 8 and Stacks 4. You can see how we opened the Stacks Library and searched for 'ExtraContent' in the search box. Then dragged and dropped a copy of the ExtraContent stack into the webpage. With the stack selected, the setting to change the target ExtraContent container is shown in the Stacks side panel, on the right of the screen.

The ExtraContent stack in RapidWeaver 8 and Stacks 4.

In this example the ExtraContent container we are targeting is ExtraContent 1. Any content we place within our ExtraContent stack will be placed inside ExtraContent 1. If you wanted to change the number of the ExtraContent container to target, then you simply change the number in the ExtraContent Settings.

If you have additional questions about using the ExtraContent stack, you can either contact your theme developer or ask on the RapidWeaver forums.

ExtraContent stack downloads

The newest version of ExtraContent (recommended for all users) was released in March 2020. It can be downloaded here:

New Version 2.0.0 (78 KB)

The legacy version of ExtraContent was released in 2011 and can be downloaded here if you still need it for older versions of Stacks or RapidWeaver:

Old Version 1.0.3 (258 KB)

The newest version is compatible with Stacks 3.6 and later, and has the following improvements:

  • Adds support for a couple of preference list strings that Stacks and RapidWeaver like to see in stack elements, like the missingURL string.
  • The stack is no longer listed in your library as "developer unknown".
  • Smaller file size.
  • The number box is formed as a true number input, with increment and decrement controls.
  • This latest version is of an 'inline' stack type, meaning that surplus padding, border, margin, background and HTML settings are removed from display in edit mode.
  • New icons, of the size and file format required by newer versions of RapidWeaver and Stacks.

Both the legacy and latest versions of ExtraContent share the same bundle identifier (info.extracontent.extracontent) and file name. Only one version of the ExtraContent stack can be installed at any one time.

No versions of ExtraContent have ever supported automatic updates. Simply because the codebase for this stack changes so rarely and this stack is provided for download by multiple theme developers.

ExtraContent Plus

As the name suggests; this free stack is an extended version of the normal ExtraContent stack, with the addition of several extremely useful features for power users! ExtraContent Plus helps keep your workspace in RapidWeaver neatly organised, and includes some special markup to improve ExtraContent performance and provide a safety-net in rare instances where users arrive at your website without Javascript support. ExtraContent Plus works with RapidWeaver 5 and later. It is compatible with a majority of third-party addon themes (including all ThemeFlood designs).

Key features at a glance:

  • Toggle between embedding content in a theme FreeStyle banner or an ExtraContent container.
  • Because this is an 'inline' stack type, surplus settings are hidden.
  • Content will be hidden until the page is loaded (stops ugly shifting effects happening).
  • A user landing on your page with no Javascript support will continue to see the content, in the normal page flow.
  • The name / number of the container is always shown clearly in Stacks edit mode.
  • Ability to apply custom class names to your blocks of content.
  • A select menu is provided, to change the content type being embedded within the stack.
  • Colour-tag or comment your containers in Stacks edit mode for greater clarity.
  • Large content types (like images) are scaled responsively in edit mode, to prevent the display of scroll bars.

ExtraContent Plus is a free download from the Stacks4Stacks website. This stack is recommended if you are doing a lot of work with ExtraContent in your websites and need some extra "power features".
19/05/2023
Web design by Will Woodgate