CMS question

DaveGears86

Member
To start, what I know about CMS can be written on the back of a postage stamp.

I've looked up articles and researched information about CMS but can anybody shed some light on if there is a free system one could use or pass on to clients? or is it only available on the hosting account where the site is hosted?

I understand that they are used to make it easier for the client to edit their websites content but I just don't understand the logistics/workings of how to get one and link it to the website so that editing is possible.

If I'm completely wrong then feel free to set me straight.

Thanks, appreciate it.
 
You can get some CMS that come with hosting. You can get 'one click' installs of Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla etc with Fantastico on CPanel hosting.

Otherwise you can download the files for your CMS of choice and install it yourself by FTPing your files to the server, creating a database and going through the install process. That is a simplified description as some CMS are harder to install than others.

As for including it in a website for a client, you tend to build websites round a CMS platform/framework so that the update functionality is core to the project. Personally I advocate ModX CMS as one of the most flexible out there.

Hope at least some of that helps :icon_smile:
 
No it isn't :icon_wink:

Actually I always seem to big-up wordpress as I have a couple of sites that run it which seem to work perfectly and are easy to update, but in the 'website design' world is it actually something you would recommend to people or are there much better and even easier options available?
 
Actually I always seem to big-up wordpress as I have a couple of sites that run it which seem to work perfectly and are easy to update, but in the 'website design' world is it actually something you would recommend to people or are there much better and even easier options available?

My main beef with Wordpress, from a developers point of view, is the templating system. It is counter-intuitive to my way of thinking. I want to have total flexibility with a design and then add the functionality I need. My (I must admit limited to a couple of sites) experience with Wordpress was an awful lot of hacking and workarounds to achieve the layout I wanted... Now that can't be right... can it?

Wordpress is ideal if you are happy to use a pre-made template to get a website up nice and quick. I.e. because budgets are limited. But, for a designer who know how to code CSS and HTML it can be incredibly frustrating.

ModX lets you start from scratch every time so I can do what I want... And that makes me happy :icon_biggrin:

I also think that generic looking Wordpress template sites are making the web an incredibly dreary place to be right now. I can spot a Wordpress website 99 times out of 100.
 
I like Wordpress but as a CMS it's not really even ideal. When people use the visual editor in there to add say, prices to a website, if they press the return key or a backspace in the wrong place, that can add tons of unnecessary code or break a layout, similar to drag and drop Dreamweaver.

I use it for my site but that's because I at least have a grasp on how websites work. However, I've just used it for a clients site, and, when they're editing their pricing, it's all going to pot because they don't really understand it enough.

I think with most CMS' even a basic understanding of the platform is probably required.

Also, in regards to Wordpress design, I've never tried the template from scratch thing yet, mostly hacking other templates to bit like Corrosive noted and building them from there. I'm going to look into the scratch built Wordpress sites when I get some spare time.
 
I like Wordpress but as a CMS it's not really even ideal. When people use the visual editor in there to add say, prices to a website, if they press the return key or a backspace in the wrong place, that can add tons of unnecessary code or break a layout, similar to drag and drop Dreamweaver.

Unfortunately there is little getting away with not using a content editor such as TinyMCE in any CMS. ModX uses them and I do, occasionally, get some clients with stupid amounts of code in their content but, hey, you can only do so much.

I'd say that is down to a decent handover as much as anything. Don't be afraid to 'toggle' the editor and show them some of the background code going in, explain about headers, paragraphs etc. and show the code they create. That way most clients will check for tidiness when they have finished creating or editing their site. Some, as you say, will never get it though.
 
Thanks for your responses.

It seems as though some CMS systems are not as easy to navigate as people like to make out.

Funny enough, I've not had any clients request CMS yet which means I have not delved in and explored a plan of action in order to succesfully set one up.
 
A User Friendly CMS is VITAL

Hi DaveGears86

I returned to the Website Design Industry recently. I gave up a perfectly good job to do what I like the most.

After trying out quite a few CMS's, I finished on CMSMS (Content Management System Made Simple).

It is my first choice when providing a CMS for a client who DOES NOT want to go through a steep technical learning curve.

I do ALL the technical stuff such as template, style sheet, module, and functionality management. Then I take the client through the 'Editors' admin panel.

Clients Learning Curve - 1 to 2 hours
Page Limits - NONE
Growth Limits - NONE

It's Simple, Looks Great and delivers what it says on the tin...!

PM me for a further chat...

Simon
 
It really depends what you make of a CMS. As a designer / developer I really like the WordPress platform and find it incredibly flexible and powerful. As long as used in the right way, WordPress can be adapted into a great CMS solution - I've never had any issues explaining to clients how to use it. Of course there will be some develops who don't like it, but most of the developers I know love using it and would recommend it. Its got a good reputation because clients general love using it - of course it wouldn't be able to be so big and successful if it was total rubbish. Its a case of learning and understanding how it works, then its realy easy to use and very rewarding. Obviously if you dont quite know what you are doing with it then of course the end result is going to be far from perfect. There are other CMS solutions out there which might be better for say a small 5 page brochure website but I would still strongly consider using WordPress.
 
Hey

There is many cms in the market and all cms has its weakness and strength but I want to Share this 8 CMS. You can choose as per your requirement.
- WordPress
- Joomla!
- Drupal
- ExpressionEngine
- TextPattern
- Contao (formerly TYPOlight)
- SilverStripe
- concrete5
 
Most people I know who have a CMS site don't use it properly anyway ie. don't update it regularly. I find especially when they have been sold the package via a certain website franchise and are paying monthly (+ an up-front fee) more than they might have been charged to have an individual site built (and updated!) for them.

I agree with Corrosive - most Wordpress sites are simple to spot.

I had real problems with a Drupal site when we had to get it moved to the client's own hosting - maybe the disgruntled web company (who had built it and hosted it at huge expense) didn't 'package' it properly but it was a real nightmare.

I'm looking at Joomla at the moment - but again seems template driven...
 
I've been getting into using ExpressionEngine recently. It has the potential to be the best CMS in the sense that you can choose your own data structure and build your site around it rather than having to conform into the constraints of what the CMS lets you do which makes it quite different from other systems out there. The only issue is its a few hundred quid when you factor in the licenses for the platform and plugins etc so it makes it not ideal for smaller / cheaper sites.
 
Expression Engine is brilliant, so is Perch, Wordpress is good if you build upon a theme framework such as Starkers or Slim Starkers, is pretty easy to get to grips with and modify the backend for the client to use.
 
There are various content management systems available; however, selecting the right one depends on the requirements and nature of your website. For instance, if you would like to set up a blogging website, then WordPress is the best CMS and if you are willing to establish an eCommerce website, then you must opt for Magento. WordPress is generally chosen for blogging because it provides with a wide range of plugins for setting up an impressive and efficient blog. Whereas Magento offers with features that are suitable for an online store. Apart from these, there are other content management systems like Drupal and Joomla. Choosing a CMS is a tough job however if you select the right CMS, it will enhance the efficiency and productivity of your website.

The basic aspect that you must consider while selecting an operating system is the update feature. You must be able to update the CMS to the latest version. In this way, in case there are any loopholes in the earlier version, they can be eliminated. Also, make sure that you opt for an open source content management system so that it can be customized as per your requirements.
 
I think the problem with the likes of word press is that unless you want the specific end product as designed by someone else, there's a huge amount if hacking involved! In the past 3 months I've probably spent 60+ hours arguing with WP themes. The most recent of which, is a well regarded and reasonably expensive theme, in which the developer has created 6 individual CSS "update" files as well as numerous .js files containing updated versions of now defunct jquery.
 
A content management system enables you to create a website and manage it. It is important to take the nature of the website and its requirements into consideration before selecting the CMS. Also, ensure that the CMS is open source so that customization will be possible.
 
It would depend what you want from the CMS and also your coding experience really. I would opt with the obvious of Wordpress due to it being the most popular I guess. There is also some great tutorials and reading material available for Wordpress too. But really does depend of the website in terms of what you are going to use it for and does it need to have any specific functions.
 
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