Web Content Management
Systems
Lecture Contents
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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
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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
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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