Website Content Management System The Future of Web site development

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

In the Beginning
You used a text editor to construct Web pages in a language called HTML If you knew the HTML mark up language, you controlled the content of your Web site. The Webmaster

ME! Big Webmaster!

Problem! The Web Master is usually not the source of the information (content). He or She is the middle person.

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Current Web Design

The Web a world of information Information is one of the fastest growing businesses

Problem The stakeholders (Person(s) with the information / content) are one step or more away from the Web page Must learn HTML or hire someone with that knowledge Content written to individual HTML files (static)

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

What is a CMS?
Helps

you create/edit/delete content in a shared repository (database) Organizes content Content shared across the Web site Content can be published or not based on conditions (Approved, Date range, Viewer rights) Much improved control of the format (CSS)
Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Benefits
Creation

of content in a standard format using a Web browser and WYSIWYG editor (Frontpage, Dreamweaver -- byebye) Share the work with several staff members and have options to let the public enter content (Library 2.0) Control of branding elements Archive and reuse content
Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

The Old Webmasters

Used

Candlelight I use LAMPS Linux Operating System Apache Web Server Mysql Database PHP or Perl Programming Language

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Examples of LAMPS
PhpSurveyor

http://www.phpsurveyor.org/ Mai Mailguard http://www.maiamailguard.com/maia/wiki Webalizer http://www.mrunix.net/webalizer/ Horde http://www.horde.org/

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Various CMS products

PhpNuke

(www.phpnuke.org) Plone (www.plone.org) Drupal (www.drupal.org) Mambo (http://source.mambofoundation.org/) Joomla (joomla.org)

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Joomla
The

name Joomla is a phonetic spelling for the Swahili word "Jumla", which means "all together" or "as a whole". Open Source software A fork of Mambo CMS Available for Linux, Unix ?, Windows, OS 10 (2007?)

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

What is it?
php

files A few additional files such as XML, Java php script to create initial database and tables (Mysql) Front and backend access

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Joomla Templates
Much

like Microsoft Word Templates Positions on screen

Top,

banner, header, left, right

Cascading

Style Sheet (CSS) for entire

site Control over look and feel

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Example of template

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Joomla Extensions
Self-contained

archived file (zip) that a non-programmer can install by simply using the Joomla menu driven install options
Components

(additional functionality to site) Modules (mostly provide interface to components e.g menus, lists, forms) Bots (search capability, content editing, additional css formatting, embedding code) Plug-ins (additional functionality to core)
Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Uniqueness of Joomla Extensions

Wide

variety within the community powerful to quirky

Non-profits Corporate

From

Todays

Weather (module) Podcast Suite (component, module and bot) SOBI2 Business Directory (component, module and bot) Ludo_highlight_search (module and bot)
Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Implementation
Need

apache (configured for php and Mysql) Mysql (create user and tweak for performance - my.cnf) php ( php.ini file settings set for security) Download Joomla archived file (Joomla.org) and decompress in Web site root directory Run install from Web Browser
Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Install Screen 1

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Screen 2

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Install 3

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Fatal ERROR Screen

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Final Install Screen

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Stuff
Migrate

from HTML pages Create content sections and categories Team effort - select Super Adminsitrator, Administrator, Editors Training
Areas

of responsibility Procedures Manual and training sessions

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Possibilities
Database

driven Events Calendar RSS Feeds Podcasts Comments/Blogging Google Map Direction to Library Community Resource Database Subscription Services Arcade games for Kids
Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Any Downside?
Need

for Library specific extensions Must have a Team the works Learning Curve Some support problems Extensions are written by anyone in the Joomla Community ANYONE!

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library

Demo
Atlantic City Free Public Library (ww.acfpl.org) Atlantic City Kids (atlanticcitykids.org) South Carolina State Library (http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/)

Robert P. Rynkiewicz, Atlantic City Library