Choosing an Open Source CMS: Beginner's Guide Table of Contents

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Preface
Chapter 1: Do I Even Want an Open Source CMS?
Chapter 2: Evaluating Your Options
Chapter 3: Understanding your Requirements
Chapter 4: Building the Site
Chapter 5: Content Editing and Management
Chapter 6: Templates and Plug-ins
Chapter 7: Extending and Customizing
Chapter 8: Blog CMSs
Chapter 9: Web CMSs
Chapter 10: CMS for e-commerce
Chapter 11: Team Collaboration CMSs
Chapter 12: Specialized CMSs
Chapter 13: Hosting your CMS-Powered Site
Chapter 14: Getting Involved in the Community
Chapter 15: Working with a Specialist
Chapter 16: Packt Open Source CMS Awards
Index

Preface

Chapter 1: Do I Even Want an Open Source CMS?
- You need a CMS!
  - CMS alternatives
- Which CMS?
- What about you?
- About this book
  - Approach
- Let's get started!

Chapter 2: Evaluating Your Options
- Genres of Content Management Systems
  - Portals or general-purpose CMSs
    - Core features
    - Possible uses
    - Example sites
    - Top general-purpose CMSs
  - Blog CMSs
    - Core features
    - Possible uses
    - Example sites
    - Top blog CMSs
  - e-Commerce CMSs
    - Core features
    - Possible uses
    - Example sites
    - Top e-Commerce CMSs
  - Wiki CMSs
    - Core features
    - Possible uses
    - Example sites
    - Top Wiki CMSs
  - Forum CMSs
    - Core features
    - Possible uses
    - Example sites
    - Top forum CMSs
  - eLearning CMSs
    - Core Features
    - Possible uses
    - Example sites
    - Top eLearning CMSs
  - Collaboration CMSs
    - Core features
    - Possible uses
    - Top intranet CMSs
  - Photo gallery CMSs
    - Core features
    - Possible uses
    - Example sites
    - Top photo gallery CMSs
- Different types, but strong overlap
- Understanding CMS technologies
  - PHP is most popular for CMSs
  - But why does the technology choice matter?
- Summary

Chapter 3: Understanding your Requirements
- Setting our expectations right
  - Time for action-setting your expectations for "The Yoga Site"
  - Creating intended outcomes
- Measuring your site
  - Time for action-measuring the scale of your site
  - Are you expecting a lot of visitors?
- Working with others
  - Time for action-determining compliance and interoperability needs
- Determining additional feature requirements
  - Time for action-choosing additional features
- Summary

Chapter 4: Building the Site
- Get hands-on experience with a CMS
  - Time for action-taking a test drive
  - Checking out a live demo
- Create navigation structure
  - Time for action-creating navigation structure
  - Do you need a different navigation structure?
- Understanding technical requirements
  - Time for action-understanding technical requirements
- Installing a CMS
  - Before the installation
    - Creating a database
    - Uploading files using FTP
    - Using phpMyAdmin
    - Managing file permissions
  - Time for action-install WordPress
- Summary

Chapter 5: Content Editing and Management
- Adding content to our site
  - Time for action-adding a page
  - What is WYSIWYG? Why is it important?
  - Adding images
  - Time for action-adding images
- Maintaining content
  - Time for action-adding metadata
    - Tagging is keywords on steroids!
  - Allowing people to contribute
- Summary

Chapter 6: Templates and Plug-ins
- Giving a professional look to our site
  - Using templates
  - Time for action-finding a good template
    - Template selection criteria
    - Where to find templates
  - Time for action-setting up a template
    - Different CMSs have different templates
    - Free, paid, or custom
- Enhancing functionality with plug-ins
  - Plug-ins, or modules, or extensions
  - The plug-ins that you need
  - Time for action-finding a photo gallery plug-in
  - Time for action-showing a photo gallery on our site
  - No coding required
  - Uninstalling a plug-in
- Summary

Chapter 7: Extending and Customizing
- Customize a template
  - Fixing the site logo
  - Time for action-replacing the default logo in our template
  - Changing the site color
  - Changing the menu style
  - Time for action-advancing customization via CSS changes
  - Customizations may need code changes
    - What is a programming language? Is it easy?
- Understanding the code architecture
  - Understanding the level of support
    - And there are books!
- Finding professional help
- Summary

Chapter 8: Blog CMSs
- The first question-do I need a self-hosted or service-based CMS?
  - Top blogging CMSs
  - Let us cover the top choices
- Taking WordPress for a test drive
  - Time for action-managing content with WordPress
- Extending WordPress
  - Time for action-customizing the design
  - Customizing the theme
  - WordPress widgets
  - Add unlimited power with plug-ins
  - Comments or spam
  - Additional resources
- Evaluating Movable Type
  - Time for action-managing content with Movable Type
  - Customizing Movable Type
  - Additional resources
- Expressing opinions with ExpressionEngine
  - Time for action-managing content with ExpressionEngine
  - Customizing ExpressionEngine
  - Additional resources
- Searching for more alternatives
- Additional help is also available
- Summary

Chapter 9: Web CMSs
- Do you want a CMS or a portal?
  - Time for action-managing content with CMS Made Simple
  - Time for action-exploring customization options
- Diving into Drupal
  - Time for action-putting Drupal to the test
  - Drupal code quality
- Is Joomla! the best choice?
  - Joomla! gives you more
- SilverStripe—easy and extensive
  - Notable features
  - Is it for you?
- ezPublish—enterprise CMS
  - Is it for you?
- Umbraco—rising high
  - Notable features
  - Is it for you?
- DotNetNuke—the first you may notice
  - Notable features
  - Is it for you?
- Plone—for Python lovers
  - Notable features
  - Is it for you?
- dotCMS—enterprise and Java
  - Notable features
  - Is it for you?
- Where to find more?
- Summary

Chapter 10: CMS for e-commerce
- Content or commerce?
  - So what are your options?
- Magento—open source e-commerce evolved
  - Time for action-adding products with Magento
  - Notable Magento features
    - Single page checkout
    - Product attributes
    - Full control over design
    - Magento as a CMS
  - Other features
  - Is it for you?
- VirtueMart—bringing e-commerce to Joomla!
  - Time for action-adding products and selling them
  - Is it for you?
  - What about Drupal and WordPress?
- Freeway—e-commerce for products, events, services, and subscriptions
  - Time for action-selling weekly yoga class registrations
  - Other notable features
- Other notable e-commerce CMSs
  - osCommerce and variants
  - PrestaShop—a breath of fresh air
  - DashCommerce—for .Net
  - Looking for even more?
- Summary

Chapter 11: Team Collaboration CMSs
- Why a collaboration CMS?
  - Can we use any CMS on the intranet?
- Alfresco—an enterprise CMS
  - Time for action-planning the Yoga Site with Alfresco
  - Alfresco Explorer
  - Time for action-creating workflows and revisions with Alfresco
  - Document detail page
  - Alfresco can do much more
- Finding alternatives to Alfresco
  - Mix and match
- Summary

Chapter 12: Specialized CMSs
- Wiki CMSs: The power of collective contribution
  - Time for action-creating events listing for the Yoga Site
  - What makes Wikis special?
  - Other Wiki software
  - Additional resources
- Discussion forums: helping each other
  - Time for action-discussions on yoga products
  - What makes forums special?
  - Other forum software
  - Additional resources
- Photo galleries: Sharing memories
  - Time for action-posting team photos online
  - What makes galleries special?
  - Other photo gallery software
  - Additional resources
- Online learning: facilitating learning
  - Time for action-creating a yoga course
  - What makes e-learning special?
  - Other e-learning software
  - Additional resources
- Other specialized CMSs
- Summary

Chapter 13: Hosting your CMS-Powered Site
- Do I need hosting?
- Keep this in mind—hosting evaluation parameters
- Hosting on your own machine
- Finding a good host
- Common tasks and problems in hosting
  - Making sense of the welcome email
  - Time for action-create a database with cPanel
  - Using FTP to upload files
  - Changing permissions for files or folders
  - Editing files with an online file manager
  - Time for action-editing a file using cPanel File Manager
  - Apache configuration with .htaccess
  - You may find this useful—some hints and tips
- Summary

Chapter 14: Getting Involved in the Community
- Where to go for support
- Searching for an answer
- Keep this in mind—asking good questions
  - Recommended message structure
- How can you contribute?
- Summary

Chapter 15: Working with a Specialist
- Basics of Software Project Management
  - Software development Stages
  - Recommended readings
- Finding the right expert
  - Finding experts online
  - Look for CMS experts
- Outsourcing requires different thinking
  - Further reading
- Tracking progress and controlling
  - Online project management tools
- Handling risks and conflicts
  - Risk management
  - Conflict resolution
- Succeed with your project—recommendations
- Summary

Chapter 16: Packt Open Source CMS Awards
- Why an award?
- Award methodology
- 2008 award winners
  - Drupal
  - Joomla!
  - DotNetNuke
  - SilverStripe
  - CMS Made Simple
  - Plone
  - dotCMS
  - ImpressCMS
  - MiaCMS
- Other finalists
- Most valued professionals
- Summary