Concrete 5 for the Beginner

A journey to using Concrete 5 and the revelations of an Itinerant Web Designer

Version 1.0 A ril 1!" #00$

Author: Bill Carone

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

Document License

Copyright 2009, Bill Carone at CarolinaGeek.com I have licen e! thi !ocument un!er the CC Attri"ution #.0 licen e. $ou can u e thi a you ee %it. It i an uno%%icial !ocument %or Concrete & an! i inten!e! %or "eginner . 'hi i not %or tho e that are !eveloper . I have trie! to en ure that it i ea y enough %or u er (ith little to no technical e)perience an! !e igne! o they may get to kno( Concrete & in mall tep . I% there are topic not inclu!e! in thi !ocument an! you (oul! like to have them a!!e! to thi !ocumnet, plea e email me at "carone*carolinageek.com. I have u e! the %orum to "a e much the in%ormation in thi !ocument along (ith my e)perience+ , in in talling an! cu tomi-ing the cm .

Concrete 5 License
.or tho e o% you intere te! in ho( Concrete & i licen e!, it i 'he /I' 0icen e Copyright +c, 2001, Concrete C/2, inc. 3ermi ion i here"y grante!, %ree o% charge, to any per on o"taining a copy o% thi o%t(are an! a ociate! !ocumentation %ile +the 42o%t(are4,, to !eal in the 2o%t(are (ithout re triction, inclu!ing (ithout limitation the right to u e, copy, mo!i%y, merge, pu"li h, !i tri"ute, u"5licen e, an!6or ell copie o% the 2o%t(are, an! to permit per on to (hom the 2o%t(are i %urni he! to !o o, u"7ect to the %ollo(ing con!ition : 'he a"ove copyright notice an! thi permi ion notice hall "e inclu!e! in all copie or u" tantial portion o% the 2o%t(are. '89 2:.';A<9 I2 3<:=I>9> 4A2 I24, ;I'8:?' ;A<<A@'$ :. A@$ AI@>, 9B3<922 :< I/30I9>, I@C0?>I@G B?' @:' 0I/I'9> ': '89 ;A<<A@'I92 :. /9<C8A@'ABI0I'$, .I'@922 .:< A 3A<'IC?0A< 3?<3:29 A@> @:@I@.<I@G9/9@'. I@ @: 9=9@' 28A00 '89 A?'8:<2 :< C:3$<IG8' 8:0>9<2 B9 0IAB09 .:< A@$ C0AI/, >A/AG92 :< :'89< 0IABI0I'$, ;89'89< I@ A@ AC'I:@ :. C:@'<AC', ':<' :< :'89<;I29, A<I2I@G .<:/, :?' :. :< I@ C:@@9C'I:@ ;I'8 '89 2:.';A<9 :< '89 ?29 :< :'89< >9A0I@G2 I@ '89 2:.';A<9. tate! here a re%erence.

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

Chapter One
Beginning %ith Concrete 5
'hi i the place %or you. .ir t, thank %or giving Concrete & ome attention. I "elieve tho e at Concrete & have create! the "e t content management y tem on the market to!ay. @o( aying that, there are ome thing you nee! to kno( "e%ore you get !irty. Cu t %ollo( the "elo( link an! I "elieve that your in tallation an! learning o% Concrete & (ill "e relatively painle . I% you !onDt ee a %unction or capa"ility that you think you (ill nee!, earch the %orum an! the marketplace.

Where to Start
2o you !eci!e! to give Concrete & a !rive aroun!. $ou can !o(nloa! the co!e %rom ourcegorge.net here. ?npack the compre e! %ile to a local !irectory. <e%er to .igure 1 %or (hat a typical !irectory tructure look like.

.igure 1 E >irectory 2tructure

:nce thi ha "een !one, open your .'3 client an! uploa! the ource co!e to (here you (ant to have it locate! on your (e" erver. It can al o "e in talle! on your local machine provi!e! the correct o%t(are i locate! on your local machine an!6or your (e" ho t provi!er. 8ere are the in truction %rom the 4rea!5me4 %ile in the uncompre e! package:
Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

"Installation Instructions for Concrete5 1. Make sure your config/ directory is writable by a web server. (Note, t is is t e config/ directory in t e root of t e arc ive!. ". Make sure files/ and its subdirectories are writable by t e #$ac e $rocess (or t e world.! %. Create a new My&'( database and a My&'( user account wit t e following $rivileges on t at database) IN&*+,, &*(*C,, -./#,*, /*(*,*, C+*#,*, /+0., #(,*+ 1. 2isit your Concrete5 site in your web browser. 3ou s ould see a gray installation screen w ere you can s$ecify your site4s na5e, your base -+(, and your database settings. 5. Concrete 5 s ould be installed.6

$ouDll pro"a"ly (ant to change your a!min u er pa (or! +(hich can "e !one in the !a h"oar!,. Al o check out the etting page in the !a h"oar!.4

Server Configuration and Installation

:nce you have the ource co!e, you houl! make ure that you have certain thing availa"le on your erver or local ho t. 'hi li t here i the "a ic thing you nee! to get Concrete & in talle!: Apache (e" erver /y2F0 +ver ion G.1 or higher, 383 +ver ion & or higher, I% there i anything el e reHuire!, the in tallation page (ill tell you (hat you nee!. A an e)ample, your php.ini %ile may not "e et properly. 'hat i (hat happene! (hen I %ir t in talle! it. 'hi happen (hen you are on a hare! erver an! certain thing are nee!e! "y Concrete&. A earch on the %orum (ill normally get you the in%ormation you nee!. .or tho e o% you u ing 4;in!o( 2erver 4, your etup may "e a "it more involve! e pecially i% your u ing an II2 (e" erver. Chunk murray ent thi into the !ocumentation %orum %or ;in!o( in tallation . 8e (rite I8i everyone. I recently (ent through the proce o% in talling Concrete& on ;in!o( 2erver 200# +2tan!ar!, u ing Apache6/y2Hl6383. I !i!nDt u e a ;A/3 pro!uct, each element (a in talle! in!ivi!ually. 'he e are the tep I took highlighting any pecial change that I nee!e! to make. IDm not ure i% thi i in%ormation i nee!e!, "ut here it i any(ay. A!min peep 5 %eel %ree to remove it or e!it itJ 'he "igge t pro"lem (ith thi metho! i that everyoneD erver i !i%%erent. 'hi may not (ork %or everyone, "ut it may help out (ith ome i ue you come acro . In tallation on ;in!o( 2erver 200# (ith Apache

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

3lea e note that ecurity o% the in tallation houl! "e con i!ere! "e%ore you complete any in tall. 'he in!ivi!ual pro!uct have great !ocumentation, make ure you check it out. A umption IDm going to a ume i% you are tackling a ;in!o( 2erver in tall you have a !ecent kno(le!ge o% the operating y tem. 2ome e)perience in con%iguring Apache, 383 an! /y2Hl (oul! "e "ene%icial "ut not man!atory. A lot o% great tutorial e)i t on the (e" %or in talling the e pro!uct . I% you get tuck, check out Google. Alternative ? ing a ;A/3 tack like BA/33 i an alternative %or "eginner or !evelopment environment . 'here i a great ho(5to in the 8elp ection to in tall Concrete& on a ;A/3 tack: http:66(((.concrete&.org6in!e).phpKcI>LM&&2 I% thi all eem like too much, you can have Concrete& ho te!. Check out thi link %or more in%ormation: http:66(((.getconcrete&.com6 2tep 1. In tall Apache 5 /ake ure to con ult the !ocumentation %or in%o on ecurity an! per%ormance. I change! root %or ea ier acce , "ut not a critical tep. 9n ure II2 i not running, other(i e in tall (ill %ail. 1a. Con%irm that in http!.con% all your erver peci%ic in%ormation, !ocument location etc are correct. 1". /ake ure mo!Nre(rite i ena"le! in you http!.con% O@ote: A there are a (i!e range o% option availa"le in Apache con% %ile, you (ill nee! to con%irm the e %or your in!ivi!ual ituation. i.e i% you (ill "e u ing =irtual 8o t , you (ill nee! to etup the vho t %ile an! make ure permi ion are correct. 'he Apache !ocumentation ha great in%ormation on all the option availa"le to you. 2. In tall 383 5 there are ome great tutorial aroun! the (e" %or getting 383 (orking un!er (in!o( . I% in !ou"t con ult the e)cellent !ocumentation at php.net 2a. A a minimum you nee! to ena"le the %ollo(ing e)ten ion in php.ini: 5 phpNg!2.!ll, 5 phpNm" tring.!ll 5 phpNmy Hl.!ll Again, you may nee! to ena"le more !epen!ing on your ituation. 'hi are 7u t (hat I %oun! to "e minimal reHuirement . 2". In php.ini, enter your email !etail un!er the Pmail %unctionQ ection. 'hi (ill !epen! on your ho t.
Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

&

2c. At thi point you (ill nee! to make ure Apache can acce your 383 in tallation an! all mo!ule an! e)ten ion are loa!e!. By u ing a phpin%o %ile you can con%irm thi . #. In tall /y2F0 5 etup !epen!ing on your ituation. Again too much !etail %or here, con ult the !ocumentation at my Hl.org %or more in%ormation. #a. I en!e! up turning o%% D2trict /o!eD to allo( the in!e)ing 7o" to complete. 'hi can "e !one at the in tall or a%ter. #". $ou can choo e to !on(loa!6in tall the /y2F0 G?I tool %or a!mini tering your !ata"a e. 'hi can "e !one %rom the comman! line i% you (i h. G. At thi point re"oot to make ure all ervice are %unctioning. Check %or any error . G. >o(nloa! an! ?n-ip Concrete& in tall to your ht!oc !irectory. &. $ou (ill nee! to create a !ata"a e, a u er an! make ure to note !o(n the pa (or!. $ou (ill nee! to give the u er the %ollo(ing right to the !ata"a e: I@29<', 2909C', ?3>A'9, I@>9B, >909'9, C<9A'9, ><:3, A0'9< M. :pen a (e" "ro( er an! enter the a!!re o% your in tallation. $ou houl! ee a creen a king %or your ne( (e" ite !etail . /ake ure to check all reHuirement have "een %ul%ille!. R. :nce in tallation i complete you are rea!y to tart "uil!ingJ O@ote: >epen!ing on your environment, you may e)perience ome error . I% you !o make ure to note it an! check the %orum a their i a (ealth o% in%ormation there. :A (ell that i it %or no(. I hope it help ome o% you out. .eel %ree to comment on thi , I have pro"a"ly me e! omething up along the (ay. Again thi i nDt a magic "ulletJ 'he tep may !i%%er %or you.S 2earch the %orum %or other tip on ;in!o( in tallation . I I% you are in talling Concrete & on a ;in!o( erver an! e)perience trou"le po t have !e cri"e! the pro"lem an! olution . earch the %orum . /any

After your installation is complete

:nce your in tall i complete you (ill "e vi iting your ne( ite an! (on!ering (hat to !o ne)t.

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

'he very .I<2' thing you nee! to !o i to ign into the 4>a h"oar!4. 'o !o that you (ill croll to the "ottom o% the page an! elect the link there that ay I2ign in to e!it thi iteS. $ou (ill "e logge! in an! (ill have a creen that look ort o% like thi +.igure 2,. It (ill al o have the !e%ault 3lain $ogurt 'emplate in talle!. 'hat in%ormation i in the %igure "elo(.

igure ! " #op Dash$oard %enu

'hi i (here your a!venture (ith Concrete & "egin. Cu t like the I9!it 3ageS ay , you click that "utton an! e!it your page . I (ill get to tho e le%t han! "utton "elo(. $our thir! "utton %rom the right i important. Click it an! you (ill come to the main I>a h"oar!S +.igure #, a re%erre! to in the %ollo(ing graphic,

igure & " #he %ain Dash$oard

Get %amiliar (ith thi area. 2ome area (ill "e u e! "y the ite a!mini trator "ut mo t o% the time, you (ill "e u ing the 4':34 >a h"oar! menu +.igure 2,. 'hi allo( you to create ne( page an! to e!it e)i ting !ata 4I@50I@94. 'hat i the one thing that really make Concrete & tan! out %rom other cm D . It i implemente! o (on!er%ully. 'hi i al o the time (here you houl! "ecome %amiliar (ith Concrete & terminology + ee the Glo ary at the en! o% thi !ocument,. It i a little !i%%erent an! ome people (ill oun! ome(hat e)a perate! (hen you are a king a Hue tion that ha "een a ke! over an! over again. 'hi i :A, !onDt get rile! up. Al o, a a i!e note, not everyone ha 9ngli h a their %ir t language, o keep that in the %ront o% your min! (hen rea!ing ome o% the %orum . :n the 48elp4 portion o% the o%%icial ite, you (ill %in! 8o(5 'ooD , .AFD an! a orte! other !ocument +inclu!ing 2creen Ca t +the C& team love tho e,,.

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

Chapter #'o
&earning to edit your content.
Introduction Disclaimer on site design( #his section is for ne' people to Concrete 5) It is intended to descri$e introductory 'e$ site design and editing) #he descriptions are $ased on my o'n e*perience dealing 'ith people 'hen approaching a first time 'e$ design meeting) It is +Basic,) #he comments here do not in any form relate to ho' the Concrete 5 developers approach design) #hese are my o'n o$servations) In thi chapter you (ill learn the "a ic o% e!iting your content. $our (e" ite i loa!e! the %ir t time (ith e)ample !ata an! thi i very ea ily change!. I% you point your "ro( er to your ite +either localho t or your !omain name,, it (ill come up like any normal appearing Concrete "a e! (e" ite. 0ook aroun! it. 2ee i% the "a ic menu y tem i right %or you. 0ook to ee ho( the color an! te)t look. 'hi , my %rien! , i I2ite >e igningS at it "a e level. I% you have ever "een in "u ine an! ha! the oppurtunity to it in (ith the %ir t meeting o% a (e" ite !e ign team, you (ill recogni-e ome o% the thing I am a"out to ay. 8ere are ome Hue tion that are a ke! %or every (e" ite that i !e igne! +'he e are only a %e(. 'here are many many Hue tion a ke! an! an (ere! "e%ore mo t ite are even !emon trate!,: ;hat i your color chema going to "eK >o you have a company or organi-ation logo that (ill "e u e!K ;ill there "e a ne( "ran!ing o% your company6organi-ation !oneK ;ill the (e" ite !e ign !etermine your ne( "ran!ingK ;ill you (ant typical ;e" 2.0 %ormattingK ;ill you (ant a galleryK ;ill you (ant a %orumK 8o( many contri"uter (ill "e a!!ing or mo!i%ying in%ormation on thi (e" iteK 8o( many people (ill "e allo(e! in the a!mini trative portion o% thi iteK

'he li t can go on an! on. Colors and Logo-s :ne o% the (or t thing you can !o i have lot an! lot o% color on your (e" ite. 'hi !etract more than it help . 9ven %or a %unky %orum or (iki, that ha no %ormal rea on to "e on5line e)cept %or a (ay to communicate (ith like min!e! people. A lot o% color (ill "e !etracting. >eci!e on no more than # color %or your page .

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

.or your logo, unle it on a intro!uctory page, make ure it i clear an! ea y to rea!, "ut mall enough not to "e a !etractor. /ake it pop "y all mean , "ut the logo i not the thing you (ant people to have "laring in their %ace. <e%erence the Concrete& logo. Clean, harp, not a lot o% color "ut it I3:32S. >etermine (hat your "ackgroun!D (ill "e. ;ill it "e a picture o% ome ort or 7u t colorK 0imit your contra t o% color "ut remem"er to en ure that it i appealing to the eye. I kno( (hat your thinking, IBut I am a %unky, hip graphic arti t that i hot (ith all the cool tren! S. 2till, it i recommen!e! that you %ollo( ome type o% !e ign gui!eline . $ou can make it appealing too all your vi itor . Images >o not cro(! your page (ith image . @ormally on a pro%e ionally !e igne! ite you only have # may"e G image per page. An! that i tretching it. :% cour e i% thi i a per onal ite, have all the image you (ant. IBut I (ant 7ammy tu%%JS $ou (ant (i- "ang rolloverD an! .la h movie an! movie %rom $ou 'u"e or =emio. $ou can have all that. But remem"er, i% you 7u t thro( tho e thing on your page, it may "e con%u ing %or your vi itor . Concrete& ha the tool pre5"uilt to han!le mo t o% the e nee! . +<emem"er tho e terminologie I re%erence! earlierK 8ope%ully you took a look., 8o( (ill thi "e han!le!K $ou (ill u e IBlock S to make thi happen. An! you 7u t nee! to upply the image . I (ill go into thi in !etail %urther in the Gui!e. .diting Content 2o ho( (ill you e!it your contentK 2tart "y logging onto the page o% your ite that you (ant to "egin (ith. <emem"er .igure 2. 'ho e "utton on the le%t I re%erence!. Click on the I9!it 3ageS "utton. $ou (ill ee omething like (hat i in .igure G.

igure / " A page in Concrete 5 that is in +.DI#, mode

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

'he re! "o)e aroun! the item on the page are area that you can e!it. ;hen you role over tho e "lock o% te)t or a graphic, they (ill turn gray. ;hen you ee that, that (ill in!icate an I9!ita"le AreaS an! i% you have the permi ion to e!it that content, you (ill "e a"le too. Go ahea!, click one. ;hen you click your le%t mou e "utton, a mall pop5up (in!o( (ill appear +2ee .igure &,.

igure 5 " .dit Content %enu

;hen the menu pop up, elect the I9!itS option. An in talle! program %or e!iting content kno(n a 'iny/ce (ill open on your page. It i a I;hat $ou 2ee I ;hat $ou Get +;$2I;$G,S e!itor %or changing in%ormation. It i %ree o !onDt (orry a"out having to pay %or it. 'he content o% that gray area (ill "e !i playe!. $ou can e!it the !ata or a!! !ata 7u t like your (ere in your %avorite !ocument e!itor. Go ahea!, e!it tu%%. ;hen you are !one, look at the top menu o% the >a h"oar! an! tell it to 9)it 9!it /o!e. A (in!o( (ill appear (ith ome option . Concrete & ha a ver ioning y tem "uilt in. $ou can revert to any num"er o% e!it . 2o 7u t look aroun! thi (in!o( an! get %amiliar (ith it, you (ill ee it every time you e!it a page area. $ou can previe( your change , !i car! your change or ave it. 'hi i (here your ave option "utton are an! then elect 3u"li h /y 9!it +2ee .igure M,.

igure 0 " Saving your data

I% the content your e!iting or replacing happen to "e a IBlockS, the menu (ill "e !i%%erent an! your option (ill "e !i%%erent. 3lay aroun! (ith your page to tart learning the y tem. A you can ee in .igure &, everal option are there %or the u er to et certain item or !o certain thing %or each page. Learning a$out permissions I% you are in a group o% content contri"uter , you may only (ant certain contri"uter to e!it certain page . 'hi i (here the permi ion option on your menu come into play. ;ith the help o% your a!mini trator or enior e!itor, create u er group %rom your !a h"oar!. 'hen (hen you have your ite
Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

10

et up the (ay you (ant it, you can a ign certain people to certain group . :nly a han!%ul o% people (ill have complete acce to all content. 'hi i a normal thing an! i% you are (on!ering, here i a typical "reak!o(n o% e)ample group li t an! u er : 1. A!mini trative ? er 2. Group Content ? er #. Content ? er An a!mini trative u er i typically one o% the erver a!mini trator . 'hough in ome ca e , thi may "e plit into a %e( u"5area in (hich all technical thing + pecial (e" page !evelopment or erver maintenance, are !one an! then tho e a!mini trator that han!le the !ay to !ay a!mini trative thing . 'hi coul! inclu!e management o% group , etting permi ion %or u er , or moving !ata aroun! the (e" ite. Group are e)actly that, group o% people that have acce to elect area o% content or a!mini trative capa"ilitie . @ormally, (ith a ite that only ha "et(een & to a"out 100 page , you (oul! only have may"e # or G group . I% you have multiple u"5!omain , thi i e)ponentially "igger. $ou may have topical area o% 100 topic or more. 2o you coul! potentially have up(ar! to 20T group 7u t to e!it content. Content u er then (oul! "e tho e contri"uter that are a igne! to certain group . 'he have certain permi ion that allo( them only to !o certain thing . $ou can a ign people o that they cannot !elete a page, they coul! "e a"le to create ne( page "ut not pu"li h. 2o 7u t like a ne( paper, your author may have to (ait %or the e!itor (ho then have to (ait on the pu"li her to approve the content "e%ore it i availa"le to the general pu"lic. A you "ecome more e)po e! to Concrete & an! the (ay it han!le !ata an! the %le)i"ility it give a ite o(ner, you (ill (ant to a!!6e!it more an! more. Customi1ing 2ages .igure & !i play a menu item that i calle! I/oveS. 'hi allo( a contri"uter to move !ata aroun! the page in a I>rag an! >ropS (ay. 'hi give con i!era"le %le)i"ility to contri"uter . 2o you may ay to your el%, II !onDt (ant my contri"uter to me (ith area uch a i!e menuD an! picture .S 'hat i ea ily re tricte! u ing the I3ermi ion S option o% your menu. 'here you can elect permi ion %or each e!ita"le area on your page. 9ven a!!ing elect group . ;hen you are in e!it mo!e an! you have the rea on to change a picture, .igure R !i play your current option .

igure 3 " Changing an image

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

11

8ere you can replace your image "y electing the re et option. $ou elect re et an! then elect Choo e Image. It (ill take you to the .ile /anager area an! you then elect (hich image you (oul! like to change. $ou elect (hich image you (ant an! then elect up!ate. $our page (ill have the up!ate! image. $ou can al o a!! a url to the image or create an image rollover here. .ollo( the option %rom the menuD it give an! (hen you are !one elect the up!ate "utton. Selecting a Custom #emplate In the menu (hile in e!it mo!e, you have an option o% ICu tom 'emplateS. I% there i a!!itional thing that are peci%ic to a page or et o% page on an area o% a ite, you can elect a ICu tom 'emplateS to accompli h thi . 'here are no cu tom template on a clean in tall %or Concrete & "ut i% %unctionality i nee!e!, contact your a!mini trator or (e" !e igner6!eveloper to create the e. $ou may even like to get the >eveloper6>e igner Gui!e %rom Concrete & an! !e ign one your el%. It (ill take ome time to learn ho( to !o thi "ut the e%%ort i (ell (orth it. Adding information to edita$le pages A .igure G ho( the area outline! in re! are e!ita"le area , there i an option to a!! ne( !ata to a page. /ove your mou e to the (or! IA!! to 8ea!er6/ain62i!e"arS, it (ill al o highlight in gray. ;hen you elect thi , a menu pop up a king you (hat type o% in%ormation you (oul! like to a!! to thi area. 'he menu i a li t o% IBlock S that are in talle! in your >a h"oar!. 'he e are very %le)i"le an! give the contri"uter many type o% !ata to in ert. .igure 1 ho( you a partial li t o% item .

igure 4 " #ype of $loc5s to insert to pages

@ormally, the Content Block or one o% the image "lock are u e! "y contri"uter . In our e)ample I (ill elect the Content Block. 2elect the Content "lock an! 'iny/ce (ill launch 7u t like (hen I e!ite! content a"ove. 8ere, you (ill a!! your te)t an! your in5line graphic to a!! to your page. ;hen your %ini he! a!!ing the content, click the ave "utton. A vi!eo ho(ing you ho( to !o thi i locate! here. 'he vi!eo tutorial an! te)t "elo( it al o !e cri"e ho( you coul! a!! ?<0D to other page in i!e Concrete an! to e)ternal (e" ite an! !e cri"e other !e%ault "lock in talle! (ith Concrete. It al o ho( you ho( you can a!! a!!itional "lock type to your page. Another great link %or learning a"out a!!ing content on your ite +ie, urvey , auto5nav, i locate! here. 'he %orum are great place to learn more !etail on e!iting Concrete &.

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

12

Chapter &
Themes
Introduction 'heme are pre5"uilt page that give your ite a cu tom look. 'heme are the layout an! graphic o% your ite. 'here are three theme that are availa"le (ith a !e%ault in tall o% Concrete &. 'hey are 3lain $ogurt, Green 2ala! an! 2patially A!7u te!. 2patially A!7u te! i not availa"le %or imme!iate u e out o% the "o). $ou mu t in tall it un!er the >a h"oar!63age an! 'heme . In talling 2patially A!7u te! (ill give you a imple e)ample o% in talling an a!!5on 'heme. 'here are a lot o% theme that you can get %rom the marketplace. Al o, you can go to your %avorite earch engine an! type in Iconcrete & theme S an! %in! a lot o% theme there. Cu t remem"er that the e are o%ten provi!e! IA I S an! i% there i a pro"lem (ith it, you can email the creator or po t on their %orum to get more an (er . 'hi i the !e%inition o% a theme per Concrete & I'heme are collection o% 'emplate . 'heme each get their o(n u"5!irectory in the 6theme 6 !irectory U.. an! think o% the 'heme a a package o% 'emplate . 'hat i not the complete !e%inition "ut it houl! u%%ice %or no(. Installing a #heme 'here are a %e( tep you have to !o (hen in talling a ne( theme. $ou mu t have .'3 privilege to uploa! the %ile . >o(nloa! the theme you (oul! like it have. ?ncompre the %ile u ing your compre ion o%t(are like ;inVip or VipGeniu an! ave to your local machine (here you (ill %in! it ea ily. 0og in to your erver via .'3 an! uploa! your theme to ite root6theme . 0og in to your >a h"oar! an! go to 3age an! 'heme . I% the theme (ere uploa!e! correctly, you croll !o(n to ee the thum"nail o% the theme+ , you place! in the 'heme !irectory. 'here (ill "e a et o% "utton an! you elect the one that ay in tall. 'he page (ill re%re h an! you (ill "e given an option "e i!e the ne( location o% your theme to IActivateS. 3re thi "utton an! your ite (ill then have that 'heme a it !e%ault. $ou houl! "e a(are that i% there are any cu tomi-e! etting that have "een !one, they may "e lo t (hen activating a ne( theme. Go to the %orum "e%ore you activate ne( theme . Creating a ne' theme Go to the I8elpS ection to learn ho( you can create your o(n theme . An alternative to the %orum , 7u t take a look at a theme you like. <evie( o% the co!e (ill reveal that much o% the co!e !oe not have to "e mo!i%ie!. I have learne! the ea ie t (ay +%or me any(ay, (a to take a look at ho( the
Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

1#

page look +looking at the co!e,. .or "ackgroun! image , you may only have to replace them an! all the a!!itional change (ill "e !one in the C22 %ile %or that theme. 'hi make creating your o(n theme %a t an! ea y. 'he only time con uming thing %or me (hen I create! my %ir t theme, (a getting my "ackgroun! image+ , the right i-e an! opacity. :ther(i e, the econ! longe t thing I ha! to !o (a to mo!i%y the C22 %ile to the color an! %ont attri"ute that I (ante! to u e. It (a that ea y. $ou !e%initely can not create a cu tom theme in >roopal or Coomla thi ea ily. It took me a"out #0 minute the %ir t time. A!mitte!ly, I then pent everal hour getting it 7u t right +it (a image i-e %or multiple "ro( er an! creen re olution that ha! me tumpe!,. 'he C22 %ile (ill take a little time, "ut i% they are !ocumente! (ell, you houl!nDt have an i ue changing them. 'he cool thing a"out creating your o(n theme i that you can cu tomi-e it any(ay you (ant.

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

1G

Glossary of #erminologies
$ou can %in! thi li t in the 8elp 2ection o% Concrete & +<epro!uce! here (ith permi ion, 'he %ollo(ing are %rom the 2ite :(ner ection.

Dash$oard Options
Dash$oard( 'he a!min panel. 'hi i (here you control everything "ehin! the cene . $ou are the puppet ma ter. Sitemap( 'he entire ite at a glance. 'hi i arrange! in a ;in!o( 9)plorer5like hierarchy E parent page appear a %ol!er , (ith chil!ren page li te! in i!e them. Click any page to open the itemap option . ile %anager( Any %ile or image youWve uploa!e! to the ite (ill appear here. $ou can earch %or %ile "a e! on the %ilename or the !ate you uploa!e! it. $ou can al o uploa! %ile here. orm 6esults( Any %orm you put on your ite u ing the I.ormS "lock type (ill output here. $ou can click on the %orm name an! ee the re ult "elo( the li t. $ou can al o output the e re ult to an 9)cel !oc. 7sers( All o% the u er regi tere! on your ite are li te! here %or your peru al an! management. $ou can vie( an! e!it their u er !etail , !eactivate u er o they are no longer a"le to log in, or a!! ne( u er . Groups( 0i t o% all u er group you have create!. Group are u e%ul in ituation (here you (ant to limit permi ion %or an entire group o% u er E %or e)ample, i% you (ante! everyone in your human re ource !epartment to "e a"le to e!it your Career page, "ut you !onWt (ant them mucking aroun! any(here el e, you coul! a!! them to a I8uman <e ource S group an! give that entire group a!eHuate permi ion to e!it that page. 2age #ypes( 0i t the page type +template ,, page attri"ute +%iel! you can et in the 3age 3ropertie pane,, an! ingle page +one5o%5a5kin! page type you (onDt reu e el e(here on the ite, you have in talle! on your ite. #hemes( 'he e are the I%lavor S availa"le %or u e on each page o% your ite. 8ere you can activate, in pect, or remove the theme. Add unctionality( A li t o% in talle! "lock type an! package , a (ell a "lock type an! package currently availa"le %or in tallation. Site 'ide Settings( Give you acce to option that (ill a%%ect the entire ite. 8ere you can a!7u t ite permi ion , e!iting pre%erence , !e"ug level, an! maintenance mo!e. 8o$s( A li t o% automate! 7o" in talle! on your ite. 6eturn to We$site( 'hi e)it the !a h"oar! an! take you "ack to your homepage. $ou remain logge! in, o youWll till ee the Concrete& menu an! can till make e!it . Sign Out 9 Logout( $ouWre all !one. 'hi (ill ign you out o% Concrete& an! take you "ack to your
Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

1&

homepage.

Concrete5 %enu Options

.dit 2age( <eloa! the current page (ith ne( menu option an! e!ita"le "lock outline! in re!. $ou can mou e over the e "lock an! click them to acce their e!it menu . .*it .dit %ode( 2ave your change a a ne( ver ion. $ou can choo e to a!! ver ion comment to make note o% (hat change! in thi ver ion. .rom here, you can choo e to pu"li h your e!it an! make your change pu"lic, or you can previe( your e!it an! have the option to pu"li h them at a later time. 2roperties( All o% the !etail o% your page. 2age :ame( 'hi i the name o% the page a it (ill "e !i playe! in the auto5navigation "lock an! the top o% the "ro( er (in!o(. 2age Alias( 'hi i the vanity ?<0 %or the page youWre a!!ing. It i automatically generate! "a e! on the page name, "ut you can change it i% you like. Date( 'he !ate the page (a a!!e!. 'hi !e%ault to the original !ate an! time the page (a a!!e!, "ut i% you (ant to change the !ate your el% +to a%%ect (here it %all in chronologically5 orte! auto navigation "lock , %or in tance,, you can change it here. 2age Description ;optional<( A "rie% !e cription o% the page you are a!!ing. 'hi i al o u e! a the hort !e cription earch engine (ill !i play a your page ummary. Custom ields( KKKKK %eta ields( #heme9Design( Choo e the look an! %eel o% your page. 'hi i (here you elect %rom page type an! !e ign that have "een in talle! on your ite. Choose a 2age #ype( A page type i a "a ic I keletonS o% a page, (ith a et arrangement o% "lock . Choo e a pre5ma!e page type %or your page here. 8o( to a!! ne( one KK Choose a Design( 'he !e ign o% your page i the particular %lavor %or (hatever page type you have electe!. Choo e one o% the !e ign availa"le %or your ite here. 8o( to a!! ne( one KKK =ersions( 'hi i a li t o% all o% the pa t an! pre ent ver ion o% the page youWre vie(ing. Add 2age( A!! a u"5page !irectly un!er the page you are currently vie(ing. #ype of 2age( 2elect the page type you are a!!ing. 'he e are manage! in the >a h"oar!. Standard Information( 2age :ame( 'hi i the name o% the page a it (ill "e !i playe! in the auto5navigation "lock an! the top o% the "ro( er (in!o(. 2age Alias( 'hi i the vanity ?<0 %or the page youWre a!!ing. It i automatically generate! "a e! on the page name, "ut you can change it i% you like. Date( 'he !ate the page (a a!!e!. 'hi !e%ault to the current !ate an! time, "ut i% you (ant to change the !ate your el% +to a%%ect (here it %all in chronologically5 orte! auto navigation "lock , %or in tance,, you can change it here. 1M

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

2age Description ;optional<( A "rie% !e cription o% the page you are a!!ing. 'hi i al o u e! a the hort !e cription earch engine (ill !i play a your page ummary. >elp( 8i, youWre hereJ Clicking 8elp any(here on the ite (ill take you to the e %rien!ly help !oc . I% youWre till tumpe! or 7u t craving ome per onal attention, en! u an email at upport*concretecm .com. Logout( 'hi (ill log you out o% Concrete& an! take you "ack to your home page. #he follo'ing is from the +Site Builders, section of the +>elp, area of Concrete 5 Concrete&D !ocumentation an! comment re%er to a num"er o% internal convention that, (hen learne!, houl! make concrete& more acce i"le to !eveloper an! en! u er alike. At a ummary level: 9very 2age ha e!ita"le Areas, !e%ine! "y it 2age #ype. Areas contain in tance o% Bloc5s +!e%ine! "y Bloc5 #ypes, (hich may "e anything %rom e!ita"le 8'/0 to a highly cu tomi-e! urvey. 9ach 2age ha it o(n 2ermissions an! a #heme a ociate! (ith it. #hemes contain #emplate %ile that !etermine pre entation %or a given 2age #ype.

Common #erms
2ages
A page in concrete& i 7u t like a page on any (e" ite: it typically %ill the %ull "ro( er, an! "e %oun! at a uniHue ?<0. 3age in concrete& can have pretty ?<0 or tan!ar! C/25y ?<0 . .or e)ample, the %ollo(ing ?<0 map to the ame article on concretecm .com: http:66(((.concretecm .com6 ervice 6(i!get5!evelopment6%ir t5look5open ocial6 http:66(((.concretecm .com6in!e).phpKcI>L1G0 9very page ha a uniHue cI> +4c4 tan! %or Collection 5 ee "elo(:, an! a "unch o% meta!ata a"out it in the 3age ta"le. 'here are ome e)ception to thi 3ageLCollection rule, ome tan!ar! page like login an! regi ter are calle! 42ingle 3age 4 an! e)i t in their o(n !irectory in a concrete& in tall. 'hey are till kinne! through the C/2, ee the "ottom o% thi page %or more e)planation o% the e)ception .

Areas
Area in concrete& are part o% a particular page that can "e e!ite! u ing the content management y tem. ;ithout any area , a page (oul! "e completely tatic. Area can have permi ion applie! to them, making it o that only certain kin! o% "lock may "e a!!e! to them, or they can only "e vie(e! "y certain people.

Bloc5s
Block are "it o% content a!!e! to particular area on page . A "lock i an in tance o% a certain type o% content, a !i playe! on a page. ;hen in e!it mo!e, "lock may "e hovere! over (ith a mou e, clicke! on, an! e!ite! (ithin the page it el%. All "lock have certain "it o% !ata in common, like the I> o% the
Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

1R

u er (ho a!!e! them, or the !ate the "lock (a create! an! mo!i%ie!.

Bloc5 #ypes
A "lock i the in tance o% content or %unctionality a%ter itD "een a!!e! to a page. 'he type o% "lock !etermine ho( tho e "lock !i%%er. 'ype o% "lock inclu!e: 2ome 8'/0 content An in5page image gallery A navigation li t A li t o% popular page on a ite A urvey or poll

All o% the e are type o% "lock . ;hen a "lock type i in talle!, an a!mini trator i a"le to a!! that type to an area on a page. ;hen a!!ing a urvey to a page, %or e)ample, the urvey i a "lock type, an! the actual urvey a!!e! to the page, (ith it cu tomi-e! Hue tion , an (er an! re ult page i the actual "lock it el%. Block are ty ically el%5containe!, an! "li %ully ignorant o% other item on a particular page. 9very type o% "lock ha it o(n pre entation layer, a %orm that get calle! (hen itD "eing a!!e!, an! a %orm thatD calle! (hen itD e!ite!. 'he e %orm are typically !i playe! in in5page popup !i patche! "y ConcreteD inter%ace layer. >eveloper intere te! in (riting their o(n "lock type houl! check out the PP.:!eveloper :!eveloping "lock X"lock ection o% the !eveloper manual.QQ

2age #ypes
0ike "lock type , concrete& al o ha the concept o% 4page type .4 A page type i a template an! convention allo(ing !i%%erent type o% page to "e a!!e! in !i%%erent area o% a (e" ite. 3age 'ype are typically name! an! con i!ere! aroun! %unctional reHuirement , rather than layout reHuirement . .or e)ample, here i a li t o% page type that might "e %oun! in a corporate (e" ite: 8ome 5 A page type corre pon!ing to the main home page o% the ite 0an!ing 5 A page type corre pon!ing to one o% the main ection o% the ite >etail 5 A !etail article page type 3re <elea e @e( Article 3ro!uct

3age 'ype are typically ma!e only %or reu a"le page +home i the one nota"le e)ception to thi rule., 2ingle, one5o%% page are !e cri"e! in 4 ingle page 4 "elo(.

#hemes
'heme are the outer graphical kin o% a concrete& (e" ite. 2eparate %rom page type an! ingle page , theme allo( the ame type o% page to appear !i%%erently in !i%%erent area o% a (e" ite. .or e)ample, an article (ithin the port ection o% a ne( paperD (e" ite coul! have a completely !i%%erent theme than an article page in the %inance ection. .or more in%ormation a"out theme , ee PPtheme introX 11

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

Intro!uction: ?n!er tan!ing 3age , 3age 'ype an! 'heme QQ. LLLL 3ermi ion LLLL >i cu (e have no(.

(hat

2age ? 7ser Attri$utes

;hile all page an! u er have !ata thatD a ociate! (ith them, Concrete allo( ite a!mini trator to create their o(n "it o% !ata an! a ociate the e (ith page an! u er account . 'he e are kno(n throughout Concrete a 4attri"ute .4 9)ample o% page attri"ute might "e: 49)clu!e .rom @avK4 +check "o), 4/eta Aey(or! 4 +te)t %iel!, 4A!!itional >e cription4 +te)t "o), 9)ample o% u er attri"ute : 4Gen!er4 +ra!io "utton (6/ale an! .emale availa"le, 42tate63rovince4 + elect menu,

7sers
? er are account u e! to e!it a concrete&5ena"le! ite. At it core, a u er recor! in concrete& con i t olely o% an I>, a uniHue u ername, an! an email a!!re . 9)ten!e! u er attri"ute can "e a!!e! in the !a h"oar!.

Groups
Group are imply a (ay o% com"ining u er into a particularly emantic...(ell...66group J66 Group are u e! primarily in concrete& permi ion : a given group o% u er can "e allo(e! rea!, e!it, !elete, an! a!mini trative acce to page , area an! even in!ivi!ual "lock .

Developer #erminology
Intere ting in !eveloping %or concrete&K $ou pro"a"ly ought to un!er tan! the %ollo(ing concept , in a!!ition to tho e a"ove:

Collections
In ver ion o% Concrete "e%ore concrete&, Collection mappe! entirely to 3age + ee a"ove., Collection (ere o5name! "ecau e they (ere 4collection 4 o% "lock . 8o(ever, in concrete&, a collection can e)i t (ithout a recor! in the 3age ta"le, an! there"y group "lock together (ithout having any pre entational a pect to it, or appearing in the itemap. .urthermore, the e collection can "e calle! programatically, (hich can "e help%ul %or programmer (ho (ant to u e the po(er an! %le)i"ility o% "uilt5in "lock programmatically, (ithout having to (orry a"out (here a page live , it permi ion , etc...

Single 2ages
2ingle page are 3age recor! that !onDt have a page type. In tea!, theyDre one5o%% page that map 19

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

!irectly to a %ile in the %ile y tem. 'he e are nice "ecau e they can "e a!!e! !irectly to the %ile y tem, an!, once in talle! in the !a h"oar!, e)i t at http:66(((.your ite.com6pagename6. Generally itD a nicer practice to u e ingle page (here you kno( a particular page (ill only "e nee!e! once. 9)ample o% ingle page automatically create! "y the y tem inclu!e: 0ogin <egi ter =ariou !a h"oar! page . 2ingle page u e ConcreteD /o!el5=ie(5Controller, (hich make them u e%ul (hen u ing concrete& a an application plat%orm.

'he !e%ault in tallation o% Concrete in etup in the %ollo(ing manner. +'he root !irectory in the e e)ample corre pon! to the root o% your Concrete& (e" ite. 'he e e)ample al o a ume you are running one (e" ite, an! not haring the Concrete& core among t everal ite .,

Client Application Contents

'he e are !irectorie !irectly (ithin your (e" root. 9$loc5s 'hi !irectory contain "lock type u e! throughout your Concrete& ite. 'hi (ill typically "e empty on an initial in tallation 5 core "lock type are in talle! in i!e the concrete !irectory. 9concrete 'hi i the Concrete Application !irectory. Concrete& o(n the e %ile 5 they houl! typically "e o%% limit in mo t pro7ect . .or more in%ormation a"out (hatD in i!e thi !irectory, kip !o(n to Concrete& Internal Content 9config 'hi !irectory contain I ite.php,S the con%iguration %ile a!!e! "y the Concrete& in tallation program. 'hi tore your !ata"a e connection etting an! ome erver5 peci%ic in%ormation. A!!itionally, thi !irectory contain I iteNthemeNpath .php,S (hich allo( a !eveloper to manually peci%y certain theme %or certain area o% a ite. Click here %or more in%ormation a"out iteNthemeNpath .php 9controllers 'he controller !irectory contain controller %or any ingle page , vie( or !a h"oar! mo!ule u e! "y your (e" ite. Click here %or more in%ormation a"out controller an! Concrete&D /=C ynta). 9elements 'he element !irectory i a place %or you to keep nippet o% 383 co!e reu e! throughout your ite.
Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

20

9)ample o% thi might inclu!e a hea!er menu or a reu e! i!e"ar. 9lement are pre entational in natureY i% you have pecial %unction or li"rarie you (ant to reu e %or your (e" ite, the e houl! go in S6li"rarie S or S6helper .S 9files 'he %ile !irectory hol! all %ile a!!e! "y your u erD through the C/2. A!!itionally, the %ile !irectory may hol! cache in%ormation or log . 9helpers 'he helper !irectory tore reu a"le %unction "a e! on the type o% a i tance they provi!e. $ou can inclu!e your o(n helper in your helper 6 !irectory, a (ell a u e helper that come (ith Concrete&. A complete li t o% Concrete& helper i availa"le here. 9li$raries 'he !i%%erence "et(een helper an! li"rarie i largely a emantic one. 8elper are typically maller in cope, an! a i t in one peci%ic purpo e, (hile li"rarie erve an un!erlying purpo e. .or e)ample, Concrete& hip (ith a I%ee!S helper. 'hi %ee! helper e)po e a couple o% metho! %or the par ing o% <22 an! A':/ %ee! Y it i the pu"lic acce or to thi %unctionality. 8o(ever, the %ee! helper it el% i really 7u t a imple gate(ay to the very nice 2imple3ie li"rary, (hich it el% i containe! in Iconcrete&6li"rarie 6#r!party6 implepie.php.S 9mail 'he mail !irectory contain mail template that your ite u e , in con7unction (ith the /ail 8elper. 9models Item in the mo!el !irectory corre pon! to !ata"a e5"acke! item in your cu tom Concrete& application. .or e)ample, i% you a!!e! a Ipropertie S ta"le to your !ata"a e, youD! nee! a 383 cla %or Huerying thi in%ormation. In Concrete&, youD! a!! Iproperty.phpS to your mo!el !irectory. /o!el are mo tly optional, "ut i% your mo!el e)ten! the /o!el cla +loa!e! "y the Concrete& core,, youDll "e a"le to u e A>:>B Active <ecor! ynta) to Huery it. 9single@pages 2ingle page 5 one5o%% page like 6login, 6regi ter, etcU 5 live in here. 'hey inherit the active theme, an! can have their vie( template overri!!en "y template in a given theme !irectory. 2ingle page are mo t u e%ul (hen paire! (ith ConcreteD /=C ynta). 9themes >irectorie corre pon!ing to your iteD theme live here. Concrete& hip (ith a !e%ault theme, "ut you can a!! your o(n theme to thi !irectory an! activate it in the !a h"oar!.

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

21

9tools 'ool i a catch5all !irectory %or other 383 cript that you might nee! to integrate (ith Concrete&. 'he e cript are (rappe! in Concrete&, an! have acce to the !ata"a e an! everything el e, "ut arenDt (rappe! in Concrete& permi ion , have no /=C upport, etcU Concrete& Internal Content 'he e are the item in i!e the S6concreteS !irectory, typically o%% limit to all "ut the mo t (i-ene! or %ooli h !eveloper . 9config ConcreteD internal con%iguration !irectory, an! it contain the main in tallation !ata"a e %ile, a (ell a ome con tant that rarely change. 9css 'hi contain pre entational tyle heet u e! "y the content management y tem, inclu!ing it menu , !ialog "o)e , the !a h"oar! an! rich te)t e!itor. 9dispatcher)php 'he main runtime o% the program, !i patcher.php i re pon i"le %or par ing every reHue t to Concrete&. 9flash 'hi contain %la h a et u e! "y the C/2, inclu!ing a %la h uploa!er, image thum"nailer, etcU 9helpers 'hi !irectory contain Concrete&D core helper . Application helper 9images 'hi !irectory contain image u e! "y Concrete&D inter%ace component . 9As 'hi !irectory contain Cava2cript u e! "y Concrete&D core component . Concrete& make e)ten ive u e o% the CHuery li"rary, a (ell a a num"er o% cu tom Cava2cript component . 9li$raries 'he core li"rarie !irectory contain li"rarie u e! Concrete&. 'he e inclu!e ome relating to Concrete&D /=C ynta), a (ell a ome thir! party li"rarie u e! "y variou component o% the y tem. houl! go into their (e"root.

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

22

9models /o t o% Concrete&D internal C/2 component keep their !ata acce !irectory. 9pac5ages 'he package !irectory contain !irectorie corre pon!ing to variou Ipackage S availa"le to the y tem. 'he e are o name! "ecau e they can "e !eploye! to all Concrete& (e" ite on a given erver +i% tho e (e" ite all hare the ame core li"rarie ., In!ivi!ual ite can al o make u e o% package a (ell, "y copying them into the package !irectory an! in talling them. 3ackage can inclu!e ingle page , "lock , element , !a h"oar! mo!ule , controller , mail template an! theme . At thi time, the only package availa"le i the core package, (hich i re pon i"le %or etting up the !e%ault Concrete& theme, it login6regi tration proce , the !a h"oar!, an! the "lock type (hich hip (ith the y tem. 9startup Item (ithin the tartup !irectory are u"routine inclu!e! !uring a page loa! "y !i patcher.php 9tools 'he item (ithin the tool !irectory are inter%ace component u e! "y the content management y tem. 'he e inclu!e popup (in!o( , etcU cla e (ithin the mo!el

Beginners Guide to Concrete 5

2#