Saturday, November 14, 2009

PhpCMS

PhpCMS is an open source content management system, templating system, and an application framework that is licensed under the GPL General Public License and is free to download from the internet. It serves as the core to building a website and supports projects of any size, including complex, high traffic sites by allowing for the integration of web services and external applications. In order the operate phpCMS, one needs to have a web server, PHP version 4.0.6 or PHP 5, and at least 2.5 MB of disk space. One thing that makes phpCMS different from other content management systems is that you do not need a database. All data is saved in a local file system, improving the response time of the web server. Users of this software are encouraged to develop plug ins or add on modules, while the developers concentrate their work on the core system. PhpCMS simplifies a lot of web design and maintenance tasks while remaining highly flexible for optimal customization. There are many advantages to using this product, as well as a few drawbacks.

One feature that sets phpCMS apart from other content management systems is that is uses clean, simple static URL's. There is no indication that the page was dynamically created any there is always a clean address line for each site. In addition, PhpCMS has speed due to it's caching module. Another great feature is its ability to do a full text search. This makes it possible to use tags, metatags, and easily access the information that is important on the site. It is also possible to edit and manage your website from any location that has the internet, using the online editor. In addition, phpCMS includes many of it's own modules. One of these modules, WebGrab, allows a programmer to include external content into their website, even if it was written in another language. WebGrab can be used to incorporate any number of applications, including a forum or guestbook.

The downside of phpCMS is that it is not a “drag and drop” tool kit. Due to the flexibility of it's framework, the user may have a larger learning curve. PhpCMS is more commonly used by experienced web designers. However, because it is so versatile, it gives the designer the freedom they need to support their creativity.

PhpCMS intends to simplify complex tasks for a website and manage digital media and electronic texts. It's developers do not believe in integrating everything into the system, but rather perfecting the core and allowing for greater flexibility. For this reason, many web designers use phpCMS to build their own personal websites. It is notably a great resource for content management.