CMSCMSContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems

What is a CMS?What is a CMS?

Creation and management system for websitesCreation and management system for websites

Wikipedia.org definition:Wikipedia.org definition:

A content management system (CMS) is a computer program that allows publishing, editing and modifying content on a web site as well as maintenance from a central interface. Such systems of content management provide procedures to manage workflow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual steps or an automated cascade.

Most Popular CMS Most Popular CMS ChoicesChoices

WordPressWordPress (most popular, (most popular, simple)simple)

JoomlaJoomla (simple and powerful)(simple and powerful)

ModX ModX (similar to Joomla)(similar to Joomla)

TextPattern TextPattern (great for blogging)(great for blogging)

RefineryCMSRefineryCMS

DrupalDrupal (most control for (most control for developers)developers)

Concrete 5Concrete 5

DotNetNuke (ASP)DotNetNuke (ASP)

Umbraco (ASP)Umbraco (ASP)

TinyCMS TinyCMS (difficult to setup)(difficult to setup)

Drupal HistoryDrupal History

Dries Buytaert – President, Founder, and Project Lead of DrupalDries Buytaert – President, Founder, and Project Lead of Drupal

While at the University of Belgium – Antwerp, Buytaert saw a need for a simple way While at the University of Belgium – Antwerp, Buytaert saw a need for a simple way to share and discuss things online.to share and discuss things online.

He began working on a simple news website with a built-in discussion board for He began working on a simple news website with a built-in discussion board for friends to leave notes for each other.friends to leave notes for each other.

Dries and his friends began to fill up the news site, which didn’t have a name until he Dries and his friends began to fill up the news site, which didn’t have a name until he graduated and the friends decided to put the site live for them to keep in touch.graduated and the friends decided to put the site live for them to keep in touch.

Dries wanted dorp.org (which means Village in Dutch), but made a typo and bought Dries wanted dorp.org (which means Village in Dutch), but made a typo and bought drop.org.drop.org.

The drop.org community began to change into IT folks, programmers, etc… talking The drop.org community began to change into IT folks, programmers, etc… talking about technology.about technology.

In January 2001, Dries released the source code behind drop.org as “Drupal”, which In January 2001, Dries released the source code behind drop.org as “Drupal”, which is the English pronunciation of the Dutch word for drop (druppel).is the English pronunciation of the Dutch word for drop (druppel).

Modular DesignModular Design

When you need a particular set of functionality on When you need a particular set of functionality on your Drupal site, you download and install the your Drupal site, you download and install the modules needed.modules needed.

This modularity essentially gives a completely This modularity essentially gives a completely custom set of tools to a designer creating their site.custom set of tools to a designer creating their site.

Modular designs are faster to create, faster to Modular designs are faster to create, faster to update and upgrade, and simpler to publish update and upgrade, and simpler to publish because when the designer wants functionality, because when the designer wants functionality, there’s no need to create something new. There there’s no need to create something new. There are plenty of modules out there the designer can are plenty of modules out there the designer can simply download, install, and customize to fit their simply download, install, and customize to fit their needs without the need to re-create something needs without the need to re-create something unique.unique.

Installation of a CMSInstallation of a CMS

All CMS install slightly different, but there are a lot All CMS install slightly different, but there are a lot of commonalities.of commonalities.

Download, unzip, rename the folder to something Download, unzip, rename the folder to something simple, and upload to your web serversimple, and upload to your web server

Open your browser to http://domain/folder, follow Open your browser to http://domain/folder, follow the instructions.the instructions.

You’ll need to use phpMyAdmin to create a You’ll need to use phpMyAdmin to create a database for the CMS to use. I suggest a database database for the CMS to use. I suggest a database by the name of the CMS (ie: drupal) with a user by the name of the CMS (ie: drupal) with a user account and password that is secure. Don’t use account and password that is secure. Don’t use “root”.“root”.

Updating your CMSUpdating your CMS

Once you have installed your CMS, visit the Once you have installed your CMS, visit the Administrator section and, in the case of Administrator section and, in the case of Drupal, visit the Status Page. From there, run Drupal, visit the Status Page. From there, run CRON, which will check on updates needed for CRON, which will check on updates needed for the site.the site.

Anytime you install a new module or theme, Anytime you install a new module or theme, you must run CRON.you must run CRON.

Other CMS are different in their update Other CMS are different in their update methodology, but a quick search on Google will methodology, but a quick search on Google will show you how to update them.show you how to update them.

Customizing you CMSCustomizing you CMS

order.html gathers data and sends it to order.html gathers data and sends it to order.php for verificationorder.php for verification

Nothing is written to the database…data is just Nothing is written to the database…data is just reprinted on the screenreprinted on the screen

http://192.168.254.124/~instructor/CIS115-http://192.168.254.124/~instructor/CIS115-Spring2011/Lecture5/orders/Spring2011/Lecture5/orders/

orderdb.html & orderdb.html & orderdb.phporderdb.php

orderdb.html gathers data and sends it to orderdb.html gathers data and sends it to orderdb.php for verificationorderdb.php for verification

orderdb.php inputs that data into a database for orderdb.php inputs that data into a database for storage using fields corresponding to the form storage using fields corresponding to the form variablesvariables

http://192.168.254.124/~instructor/CIS115-http://192.168.254.124/~instructor/CIS115-Spring2011/Lecture5/orders/Spring2011/Lecture5/orders/

orderdboutput.html & orderdboutput.html & orderdboutput.phporderdboutput.php

orderdboutput.html provides a login form for a orderdboutput.html provides a login form for a user to log in and view the contents of the user to log in and view the contents of the database tabledatabase table

orderdboutput.php grabs the entered orderdboutput.php grabs the entered username/password, checks it against the username/password, checks it against the databse, then displays the table records in an databse, then displays the table records in an organized HTML tableorganized HTML table

http://192.168.254.124/~instructor/CIS115-http://192.168.254.124/~instructor/CIS115-Spring2011/Lecture5/orders/Spring2011/Lecture5/orders/