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

Table of Contents

• 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

• Index