Information Management
DIG 3563 – Lecture 6
Content Management Systems:
Wordpress
J. Michael Moshell
University of Central Florida
Original image* by Moshell et al .
Imagery is fromWikimedia except where marked with *.
1
Objectives of this course
concerning CMS:
• Be familiar with what CMS are good for
• Have brief experience with three CMS
- Wordpress
- Drupal
- Joomla or another system of your choice
• Have extensive experience using ONE CMS to build
an information management system/website
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What is a
Content Management System?
• A 'toolkit' for constructing interactive websites
• Written in a scripting language (PHP, Java, Perl…)
• Based on a database (mySQL, most often)
• Consisting of a core set of code
and LOTS of optional modules
- some are free
- some are purchased
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What CMS will we study?
** Three of them, in this course
• Wordpress – moving up from a Blog platform
• Joomla – popular general purpose CMS
• Drupal – The industrial-strength Big Boy
What are you going to be doing about CMS?
•Installing, demonstrating and evaluating.
•usage statistics http://trends.builtwith.com/cms
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How should we CHOOSE a CMS
for our project?
LOGICAL WAY:
(1) Identify the FEATURES we will need for our project
(2) Download PLUGINS (Modules) for various CMS
and see which one sucks the least, for your needs
(3) Choose THAT CMS for your project
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How WILL we CHOOSE a CMS
for our project?
LAZY but MOST COMMON WAY:
(1) I already know how to use XXX (usually Wordpress)
(2) So we will de-scope our project as needed
to make it work with XXX
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How WILL we CHOOSE a CMS
for our project?
LAZY but MOST COMMON WAY:
(1) I already know how to use XXX (usually Wordpress)
(2) So we will de-scope our project as needed
to make it work with XXX
(How does that sound, in the real world? Mediocre!)
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Top 10,000 sites (hits) as of 9/4/13
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(But look at 100k and Entire Web)
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(But look at 100k and Entire Web)
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Top 100k sites
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Top Million Sites
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Wordpress:
• Advantages:
- only one version-stream; usually up-compatible
(but you still must check modules
for compatibility with your version)
- simplest system to use
Disadvantages: 1) Some security hazards in plugins.
2) Everybody
knows how to use it … so … no ADVANTAGE
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Wordpress:
• NOTE: wordpress.com is NOT wordpress.org
•Wordpress.com is a HOSTING SERVICE which
lets you set up and run your own blog
* Wordpress.org is a SOURCE CODE SERVICE
which lets you download, customize, and host your
own CMS. (They're cousins....)
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Wordpress:Installation
• Download Version 3.6
• Unpack it
• Move the wordpress folder into
our docroot folder (MAMP: htdocs; WAMP:www)
* browse to localhost/wordpress
or localhost:8888/wordpress
This will cause index.php to be executed.
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Wordpress:Installation
http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress
Before we start the wordpress setup, we need
to create a database and a mySQL login ID
and password.
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Note ... this did NOT work for me. I redid it using
database name 'wordpress' and it worked.
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Write it
down!
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Wordpress:Installation
We have a try at the automatic pathway.
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wordpress
jmmwordpress (created with phpMyAdmin – previous pages)
ditto
localhost
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My first attempt failed: DATABASE ERROR
I tried several things. Ultimately I deleted the
database,
created a new one named 'wordpress' and
went through the steps again.
This time it worked.
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Write it
down!
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The Default Shell (styling) and starter page.
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Wordpress:
Originally a Blogging
System. Fundamental
element = "a post" –
dated, signed, with
limited format
control.
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Wordpress:
Evolved into a
Content Management
System.
In a CMS, the fundamental
element is a page ... e. g.
the startup page.
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Editing the startup page:
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It's a WYSIWIG editor
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But you can also edit the HTML
directly, for finer control
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But you can also edit the HTML
directly, for finer control
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To see the page you edited, click here
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But it still looks like everyone else's
starter page. I want my own style!
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But it still looks like everyone else's
starter page. I want my own style!
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Select 'admin'
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Select 'Appearance'
then 'Themes'
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Install themes (get them from Internet)
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I searched for themes using keywords
Peanut
Farm
Rural .... no luck ... but
'Field'  yielded a nice one.
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I searched for themes using keywords
So I activated this theme.
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Now I don't have my splash page.
And I don't want "Just another Wordpress Site" or the
Wordpress logo.
Some things to fix.
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I try to delete the tagline "Just another Wordpress site"
I find the Settings option, and try changing the tagline.
Click "Save Changes" and get this error message.
I use the Back arrow to make sure the site still
displays... but clearly Wordpress isn't perfect yet.
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I try to delete the tagline "Just another Wordpress site"
I find the Settings option, and try changing the tagline.
Click "Save Changes" and get this error message.
I use the Back arrow to make sure the site still
displays... but clearly Wordpress isn't perfect yet.
Much of what you learn in this course will consist
of "how to struggle with a CMS".
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Wordpress:
Control panel
=“Dashboard”
new plugins
add new plugins here 
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Wordpress:Features
• User classification: ("roles")
•Administrator
• Editor,
• Author,
• Contributor,
• Subscriber
You can add taxonomic tools, via plug-in,
that create additional roles
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Wordpress:Features
• Content classification:
• Pages
• Blog Posts
• Tags and Categories – how to classify your content
• Plugins – Dynamic tools for managing content
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Wordpress:Features
• Fundamental concept: Is a page or a post
• Published, or not?
• On the front page, or not?
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Wordpress:Features
• Menu design: Widgets (like small plugins)
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Wordpress:Plugins
Two defaults: anti-spam, starter kit
•
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Wordpress:Features
• Behavioral design: Plug-ins (Modules)
• This is the BEATING HEART of a CMS
• Explore the Job Ticket Quest (Moshell)
What's a 'job ticket'? Service organizations (like
online support) receive thousands of requests
for help. Have they all been taken care of?
* a "To-do list manager"
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Searching for a Plugin: Job Ticket
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Searching for a Plugin: Job Ticket
• "Job Ticket" got a lot of vague hits; none promising.
• I need synonyms. Wikipedia yields nothing.
•* Support ticket – bingo. Lots of 'em.
•I look at "Support Ticket V2" with five stars.
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Searching for a Plugin: Job Ticket
• Notice warning about compatibility with 3.5
• Seems good up to 3.4.2 so probably will work
• I give it a try.
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Searching for a Plugin: Job Ticket
• Instructions:
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Searching for a Plugin: Job Ticket
• Instructions: You don't have to do the work;
Wordpress does it for you.
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Searching for a Plugin: Support Ticket
• Try it; immediately observe NO change on
front screen.
Turns out it's ONLY available to the atmin!
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Searching for a Plugin: Support Ticket
• Deactivate Support Tickets c2
• Second try:
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Searching for a Plugin: Support Ticket
• Seems to install OK. I try to activate it.
•Hmmm. Did it activate before crashing?
Seems it did. Go looking for it.
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Setting up WPSC Support Ticket
• Again, nothing on the front panel.
• I visit the Dashboard Support Tickets item.
•Aha! An opportunity to designate a page.
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Setting up WPSC Support Ticket
• Again, nothing on the front panel.
• I again visit the Dashboard Support Tickets item.
•... out of ideas and time. But I know what to ask
about, in the forums.
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Wordpress:Features
• Search Options
• Content keyword
• Categories
• Tags
• The “Search Everything” Plug-In
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Wordpress:Features
• Comment System (part of Blog Culture)
• I think that everything is commentable in WP (?)
• Gravitars and Avatars
• Part of WP culture ... a cross-platform avatar
system, complete with G PG R NC17 X ratings
http://codex.wordpress.org/How_to_Use_Gravat
ars_in_WordPress
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What do we do NOW?
In the next two weeks:
Your team must install THREE CMS: WHERE?
- easiest: your own laptop (3 people, 1 CMS each)
-You need to install WAMP or MAMP
(local Apache server, on your laptop)
- Second easiest (usually) your own hosting site
- Many of them offer Wordpress or Joomla or Drupal
"starter kits"
-Hardest (but I will help, if necessary) – Sulley
(More details on next page.)
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Installing a CMS on Sulley
Why is it a hassle?
1) You have only one DB per user, so you must
put all the tables into your existing DB, not a new one
2) The source code for a CMS is bulky, so it is
a pain to upload via FTP.
(Solution: I will have the starter kits on Sulley
already; you can transfer directly to your area.)
3) Local development via MAMP or WAMP does not
depend on Internet access, slow turnaround, etc.
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Installing a CMS on Sulley
But – am I REQUIRED to install on Sulley?
•No – not for this “wet feet” exercise
(your group might not choose this CMS)
•But if you have no localhost capability, it might
be your only option.
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DUE IN TWO WEEKS:
Your team must install THREE CMS:
* wordpress (latest stable version is 3.5)
* drupal
(use drupal 6; it’s stable)
* ONE other CMS (joomla or your-choice)
Best way is if one person takes responsibility for each.
[[Note: a wise person will do one they’ve not seen before]]
You must Modify the Theme (away from the default)
You must Install one or more modules (for practice)
You will demonstrate what you did, to your own
group (and possibly to the class)
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DUE THURSDAY 3 October:
Your team must install THREE CMS:
* wordpress
* drupal
* something else (Joomla or your-choice)
Best way is if one person takes responsibility for each.
[[Note: a wise person will do one they’ve not seen before]]
How do I check?: I walk around with ATTENDANCE SHEET
and check that you have a CMS on your laptop.
(No laptop? Special case; discuss.)
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I repeat:
DUE ON 3 OCTOBER:
CMS Peek-See
Payoff:
20 course points IF you show me a working CMS
with a theme other than the default.
ALSO that week, you will have
your first encounter with the DIG4104c
students and their Semester Projects
(At your out-of-class meeting time.)
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