Web Content Management Systems

Lecture Contents

• Web Content Management Systems

• Non-technical users manage content

• Workflow management system

• Different levels of access depending on role

• Joomla

• Tiddlywiki

Web Content Management Systems

• A WCMS allows non-technical users to make changes to an existing website with little or no training.

• Primarily a Web-site maintenance tool for non-technical administrators.

• Typically requires an experienced coder to set up and add features

Web Content Management Systems

• A WCMS facilitates:

• Content creation

• Content control

• Editing

• Maintenance functions

• Designed for users with little or no knowledge of programming languages or markup languages

• Tools to create and manage content with relative ease of use.

• Most systems use a database to store content, metadata, and/or artifacts that might be needed by the system.

• A presentation layer displays the content to regular Web-site visitors based on a set of templates.

• Administration is typically done through browser-based interfaces

Key features

• Automated templates• Easily editable content• Scalable feature sets• Web standards upgrades• Workflow management• Delegation• Document management• Content virtualization

Key features

Automated templates

• Create standard output templates (usually HTML and XML) that can be automatically applied to new and existing content

• Allows the appearance of all content to be changed from one central place.

Key features

Easily editable content

• Once content is separated from the visual presentation of a site, it usually becomes much easier and quicker to edit and manipulate.

• Most WCMS software includes WYSIWYG editing tools allowing non-technical individuals to create and edit content.

Key features

Scalable feature sets• Most WCMS software includes plug-ins or

modules that can be easily installed to extend an existing site's functionality.

Web standards upgrades• Active WCMS software usually receives regular

updates that include new feature sets and keep the system up to current web standards.

Key features

Workflow management

• Workflow is the process of creating cycles of sequential and parallel tasks that must be accomplished in the CMS. E.g:

– A content creator submits a story

– The copy editor cleans it up

– The editor-in-chief approves it.

– Only then is it published.

Key features

Delegation

• Allows various user groups to have limited privileges over specific content on the website.

• Spreads out the responsibility of content management.

Key features

Document management

• Provides a means of managing the life cycle of a document:– initial creation– revisions– publication– archive– document destruction.

Key features

Content virtualization

• Allows each user to work within a virtual copy of the entire Web site

• Enables changes to be viewed and/or executed in-context prior to submission.

The Evolution of Web Pages

STATIC:

• Easy for web designer to create initial web pages

• Can't easily change a page - requires technical expertise

• Difficult to add new functions

The Evolution of Web Pages

CSS

• Separates content from presentation

• Style of entire website controlled by CSS.

• Web page is smaller and loads faster

The Evolution of Web Pages

CMS

• Goes further than CSS - it separates the content from the page.

• "Page" is a series of empty boxes that are filled from a database

• Initially time-consuming to write: scripts, database, templates.

• Many extensions and plug-ins

Joomla WCMS

Joomla WCMS

• Open Source - i.e. free

• But you'll have to pay somebody to personalise it, install it, back up the database every week and sort out hiccups

• About 20 Mb

• Main technologies: PHP, MySQL

• Also uses JavaScript & Flash

Joomla WCMS

Users:

• Front end access only:– Author: can create content. – Editor: Can create and edit content– Publisher: Can publish content

• Front and Back end access:– Manager: Can change menus & site structure– Administrator: Can install/uninstall modules

Joomla WCMS

Features:

• On-line editing

• Restricted access levels

• Workflow management

• Polls

• Contact Forms

• Site statistic display

• Detailed statistics for admin

• Search function

• PDF for readers

• RSS

Joomla WCMS

Over 2000 extensions:

• Forums• Shopping carts• Email newsletters• Calendars• Photo Galleries• Directories

• Recipe managers

• Help-desk management

• Fishing tournament tracking

• Hotel room bookings

Joomla WCMS

Operation:• Menu led not page led• (Entering an article does not display it)• Menu item controls:

– Articles– Modules (menus, polls, statistics etc)– Layout on page

• Same article on different menu can appear differently

TiddlyWiki

TiddlyWiki

• Download the file "empty.html" from the module website by right clicking.

• Use this version – it has special features

• http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~mjr/set08109/resource/tiddly/empty.html

TiddlyWiki

• Single html file

• Has all the characteristics of a wiki – Content– Functionality (including editing, saving,

tagging and searching) – Style sheet.

• It's a single file, it's very portable

• Can email, put on server or USB stick.

TiddlyWiki

Can use as:

• A personal notebook

• A GTD ("Getting Things Done") productivity tool

• A collaboration tool

• For building websites

• For rapid prototyping

TiddlyWiki

Features:

• Can view TiddlyWiki files on all major desktop browsers

• Can save changes to local TiddlyWiki files

• Navigation, tagging and searching

• Full text formatting

• Embedded images

• Macros for interactivity and Gradients

TiddlyWiki

Help and Support

Lecture Contents

• Web Content Management Systems

• Non-technical users manage content

• Workflow management system

• Different levels of access depending on role

• Joomla

• Tiddlywiki