CMS Made Simple

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CMS Made Simple

Logo from CMS Made Simple
Basic data

developer Ted Kulp, CMS Made Simple Dev Team
Publishing year July 1, 2004
Current  version 2.2.7
( March 10, 2018 )
operating system platform independent
programming language PHP
category Web content management system
License GPL ( Free Software )
German speaking Yes
cmsmadesimple.org

CMS Made Simple is a free content management system (CMS) for small to medium-sized websites . It is not to be confused with CMSimple .

It is programmed in the server-side scripting language PHP and uses MySQL as the database , which is integrated via the ADOdb Lite database layer . The current version of the Smarty 3 template engine is used to design the layout . CMS Made Simple was published under the GNU General Public License .

features

Administration interface (from version 1.11)

CMS Made Simple can be adapted for special purposes through various extensions. The most common extensions cover a large part of the use cases such as news, blog, calendar, guest book, picture gallery and others.

properties

  • Template engine Smarty : By using it, layout and content can be edited strictly separately from one another.
  • The output format of the generated website can be specified individually ( HTML , XML , RSS, etc.)
  • Contents (pages) can be sorted hierarchically in unlimited depth if the memory available for PHP is adequately expanded
  • Role-based rights system: the roles Admin, Designer and Editor are predefined and can be supplemented individually with others
  • a URL can be specified individually for each page under which it should be accessible
  • Pretty URLs: CMS Made Simple can generate URLs that are easy to read for humans and machines
  • integrated caching mechanisms to optimize performance
  • Except for the basic configuration, all entered data (the contents of pages and modules as well as the templates and stylesheets) are saved in the database
  • Integrated generation of checksums to secure and control the system integrity
  • can be made multisite-capable with additional modules
  • Administration available in 45 languages
  • Language adaptable via localization files
  • Override: own adaptations of templates as well as language files without core / module code changes possible
  • modular structure: the function libraries of installed modules can be combined with each other via instances (e.g. news / feedback / captcha / RSS / social media module up to complete e-commerce suites)
  • EventManager: provides pseudo- cronjobs for the system core as well as for modules , which can be used to react to various events in the system with freely definable actions (is used by default, for example, to automatically index them for the search module after entering new content)
  • pre-installed CMS Made Simple as a local web server , virtual machine and Docker containers as Bitnami stack available

conditions

CMS Made Simple has been tested on different platforms and versions. The minimum requirements are as follows:

Expansion options

CMS Made Simple offers several options for expansion:

  • Modules : With these, the system can add complex functionalities such as blogs, calendars, product catalogs, shops, etc. Ä. Be expanded. Their files can be found in the / modules directory . Modules can be exported and imported as XML files.
  • Tags: These are smaller predefined PHP scripts with which individual functions such as the output of the date of the last page change etc. Ä. Can be inserted into the content and / or the templates. These scripts are to be stored in the / plugins directory .
  • User-defined tags: These are identical to the tags with the difference that they are created, edited and saved in the database by the user within the administration.

In addition, CMS Made Simple can be expanded with Smarty's own options:

  • Smarty tags: These are identical to the tags with the difference that only one Smarty instance is required to use them. The many Smarty plugins that are freely available on the Internet (e.g. in SmartyWiki) must be stored in the directory / lib / smarty / libs / plugins for their use .
  • PHP scripts can be masked directly (with {php} ... {/ php}) and inserted in the content and / or in templates. However, this is deactivated by default for security reasons and requires a separate activation in the configuration file.
  • Alternatively, starting with Smarty3, PHP commands can be used directly in the Smarty templates.

scope of delivery

In addition to numerous tags, the following modules are already included in the scope of delivery of CMS Made Simple:

  • CMSMailer - provides the PHPMailer function library for other modules
  • CMSPrinting - preparation of the requested page for physical printing
  • FileManager - file management
  • MenuManager - automated creation of website navigations of all kinds (simple breadcrumb navigation via sitemaps to complex menus for displaying multi-level page hierarchies)
  • MicroTiny - Light version of the TinyMCE - WYSIWYG editor
  • ModuleManager - Display of all available modules in the central module depot as well as their installation and updating with a click
  • News - Creation of news / articles with integrated time control
  • Search - index-based search module
  • ThemeManager - import and export of the layout themes in XML format (the generated file contains all the files required for using the theme - template, CSS, JavaScript, images, MenuManager templates including the directory paths).

In addition, the image management from HTMLArea is anchored in the system core .

Themes

The layout for each individual page can be individually adapted using themes; The websites can be designed very flexibly, almost barrier-free and W3C- compliant without great effort . The themes can be exported or imported as XML files using the ThemeManager included in the scope of delivery.

A smaller number of freely available themes can be downloaded from the Themes website. However, any other template, be it pure HTML or the theme of another CMS, can be adapted for CMS Made Simple.

Extensions

In addition to the modules already included in the scope of delivery, the following extensions are often used:

  • TinyMCE - full version of the WYSIWYG editor
  • Gallery - picture gallery
  • Formbuilder - creation and display of forms
  • CGCalendar - appointment management with calendar functions
  • FrontendUsers - Creation and administration of frontend users
  • Cataloger - creation of all kinds of product catalogs
  • Newsletter Made Simple - time-controlled dispatch of newsletters
  • GBook - Guest Book
  • ListIt2 - universally applicable module for user-defined list creation in the broadest sense ... news, calendar, FAQ , links, pictures etc.

The extensions for CMS Made Simple can be found in Forge, the central CMSMS software depot.

In addition, CMSMS has its own programming interface (API) and can therefore be easily expanded.

Community

In the course of the development to date, a community of users and programmers has formed around the world in the area of ​​CMS Made Simple. Almost 10,000 users are currently registered in the forum of the official support website. In addition to the forum, there is also an irregular newsletter and an IRC channel in the Freenode network as sources of information.

Since, with a 70% share, many of the users are based in Europe, it is not surprising that strong regional communities apart from the official support website have formed for both German and French-speaking countries.

The GeekMoot , the international gathering of users of CMS Made Simple, takes place annually. Initially, only the development team met in Copenhagen / Denmark in 2007 and in Philadelphia / USA in 2008 to discuss further developments. Due to the increasing number of users, the following events (2009 in Sheffield / Great Britain, 2010 in Amsterdam / Netherlands, 2012 in Northampton / Great Britain) were opened to the user community and supplemented by specialist lectures on CMS Made Simple.

After the event planned for the end of 2013 / beginning of 2014 in the USA was canceled, the GeekMoot 2015 took place in Ghent / Belgium. This year's event is planned for October 2016 in Leicester / Great Britain.

history

development

The programming of CMS Made Simple was started by the programmer Ted Kulp, who lives near Philadelphia / USA, on July 1st, 2004 after, according to his own statements, he had searched in vain for a suitable CMS for the website of the Music Player Daemon (MPD). Since 2007 Ted Kulp has been supported as chief developer by the Canadian Robert Campbell. After Kulp's withdrawal from the project, he temporarily took over the management of the project. However, since Campbell wanted to concentrate more on programming the system again, a 3-person "Board of Directors" took over the management of the day-to-day business from December 2014, to which the Dutch Anne-Mieke Bovelett, the Canadian Matt Hornsby and the French Kevin Danezis were appointed were.

Starting with version 0.8, the versions receive a South Pacific island name as a version name in addition to their version number. The final version 1.0 was released on September 10, 2006.

Current is the 2.2.x development branch.

Logo 2004
Logo 2006

The aim was and is to provide newcomers and users with an easy and intuitive to use CMS system, which at the same time leaves enough space for the ambitious user to expand the system and more powerful functions. The motto of the project in the first years of development was "So easy, it feels like taking a holiday", backed up with a picture "Sandy beach with a group of palm trees", which should convey this ease of operation.

As a result, the palm tree motif, stylized and held in light orange, quickly became the project's logo.

Versions

Legend: Old version Older version; still supported Current version Current preliminary version Future version
branch last version publication Remarks
0.8 Older version; no longer supported: 0.8.2 January 17, 2005
0.9 Older version; no longer supported: 0.9.2 February 25, 2005
0.10 Older version; no longer supported: 0.10.4 November 9, 2005
0.11 Older version; no longer supported: 0.11.2 December 21, 2005
0.12 Older version; no longer supported: 0.12.2 May 10, 2006
0.13 Older version; no longer supported: 0.13 May 18, 2006
1.0 Older version; no longer supported: 1.0.8 June 18, 2007
1.1 Older version; no longer supported: 1.1.4.1 October 7, 2007
1.2 Older version; no longer supported: 1.2.5 May 12, 2008
1.3 Older version; no longer supported: 1.3.1 June 24, 2008
1.4 Older version; no longer supported: 1.4.1 August 9, 2008
1.5 Older version; no longer supported: 1.5.4 April 6, 2009
1.6 Older version; no longer supported: 1.6.10 May 25, 2011
1.7 Older version; no longer supported: 1.7.1 May 1, 2010
1.8 Older version; no longer supported: 1.8.2 August 12, 2010
1.9 Older version; no longer supported: 1.9.4.3 August 27, 2011
1.10 Older version; no longer supported: 1.10.3 January 9, 2012
1.11 Older version; no longer supported: 1.11.13 February 20, 2015
1.12 Older version; no longer supported: 1.12.2 March 28, 2016
2.2 Current version: 2.2.7 March 10, 2018
2.2 Current version: 2.2.8 28th July 2018 Full support for PHP 7.2
2.2 Current version: 2.2.13 4th December 2019 An incremental bug fix and security release.

The last two versions of the current branch are always officially supported, currently 2.2.12 and 2.2.13.

Distributions

Usually, CMS Made Simple is published in the Forge in two versions, a basic and a full version. The difference between these two packages is that the full version contains all available languages, while the basic version is limited to English. In this case, the individual language packs can be downloaded separately. In addition, checksum files are offered for both packages.

Diff packages are also provided within each version branch. These allow an already installed system to be easily updated to the latest version. Here, too, a distinction is made between the basic and full version. If there is a / install directory in these diff packages , not only must the new files be uploaded, but the database must also be updated using the assistant in the directory.

Forks

In the course of development there were also various efforts to optimize certain areas of CMS Made Simple.

First, there is the unofficial Fork CMSMS MLE (MLE = M ulti L anguage E dition) to call, initiated by a Russian of the user with the Board nickname "Katon" and from 2007 by the Italian Dr. Alberto Benati was developed over several years. The aim of this fork was to implement native multi-language support. The fork was tolerated by the development team for a long time, until it was decided in 2010 to officially separate this project, as there were always incompatibilities with existing extensions. However, this was the beginning of its end. Not least because of the developer's lack of time due to professional and family obligations, further development with version 1.8.2 MLE was discontinued.

The German developer Jan Czarnowski took a different approach, who independently of the main developers published his own fork under the name PowerCMS , the focus of which was primarily on optimizing system performance. But this further development was also discontinued in 2008 with version 1.1 Hanau Build 3.2.1 .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Meet the Dev Team. CMS Made Simple, accessed June 30, 2014 .
  2. Announcing CMSMS 2.2.7 - Skookumchuck . (accessed on July 18, 2018).
  3. Create a RSS feed without a module. cmsmadesimple.de, accessed on March 29, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Overwrite module templates. cms-1.org, accessed March 23, 2015 .
  5. Tip: Overwrite the strings of the module output. cms-1.org, accessed March 23, 2015 .
  6. CMSMS Quick E-Commerce How-To. (No longer available online.) Robert Campbell, archived from the original on April 13, 2010 ; Retrieved April 30, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / calguy1000.com
  7. FrontPage - SmartyWiki. Smarty, accessed March 19, 2015 .
  8. Content management and web standards: CMSMadeSimple. Webkrauts, accessed March 22, 2015 .
  9. Comparison: content management systems and web standards. Barrier Compass, accessed March 22, 2015 .
  10. themes.cmsmadesimple.org
  11. Video showing a theme / template being changed. (No longer available online.) CMS Made Simple, archived from the original on August 25, 2015 ; accessed on March 22, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cmsmadesimple.org
  12. Integration of an HTML / CSS template into the "CMS Made Simple". Julian Szelies, accessed March 22, 2015 .
  13. CMS Made Simple - Forge. CMS Made Simple, accessed March 9, 2015 .
  14. CMS Made Simple - APIdoc. CMS Made Simple, accessed March 9, 2015 .
  15. forum.cmsmadesimple.org
  16. CMS Made Simple Newsletters. (No longer available online.) CMS Made Simple, archived from the original on March 18, 2015 ; accessed on March 22, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cmsmadesimple.org
  17. IRC - CMS Made Simple. (No longer available online.) CMS Made Simple, archived from the original on March 18, 2015 ; accessed on March 22, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cmsmadesimple.org
  18. ^ Separation of CMSMS MLE Fork from cmsmadesimple.org. CMS Made Simple, accessed March 18, 2015 .
  19. German-speaking CMS / ms support forum. cms-1.org, accessed March 18, 2015 .
  20. CMS Made Simple Forum. cmsmadesimple.fr, accessed March 18, 2015 .
  21. GeekMoot 2015 - 3 days of CMSMS goodness and exchanges. (No longer available online.) CMS Made Simple, archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; accessed on March 23, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.geekmoot.com
  22. Geekmoot 2016 is confirmed. CMS Made Simple, accessed February 3, 2016 .
  23. Interview with Ted Kulp. cms-1.org, accessed February 21, 2015 .
  24. The development of CMS Made Simple. cms-1.org, accessed February 21, 2015 .
  25. Start page. archive.org, archived from the original on July 12, 2006 ; accessed on March 10, 2015 .
  26. Announcing CMS Made Simple 1.2. CMS Made Simple, accessed October 16, 2007 .
  27. CMS Made Simple 1.3. CMS Made Simple, accessed June 8, 2008 .
  28. Announcing CMS Made Simple 1.4 "Jamaica". CMS Made Simple, accessed August 4, 2008 .
  29. CMS Made Simple 1.5 - Puerto Rico. CMS Made Simple, accessed December 2, 2008 .
  30. Announcing CMS Made Simple 1.6. CMS Made Simple, accessed June 23, 2009 .
  31. Free content management system "CMS made simple" in version 1.6. heise.de, accessed on March 17, 2015 .
  32. Announcing CMS Made Simple 1.7: Cape Verde3. CMS Made Simple, accessed March 21, 2010 .
  33. Announcing CMS Made Simple 1.8 - Madagascar. CMS Made Simple, accessed July 4, 2010 .
  34. Announcing CMS Made Simple 1.9 - Bora Bora. CMS Made Simple, accessed November 8, 2010 .
  35. Announcing CMS Made Simple 1.10. CMS Made Simple, accessed October 23, 2011 .
  36. Announcing CMSMS 1.11 - Galapagos. CMS Made Simple, accessed July 29, 2012 .
  37. Announcing CMSMS 1.12.2 - kolonia. CMS Made Simple, accessed April 17, 2016 .
  38. Announcing CMSMS 2.2.7 - Skookumchuck. CMS Made Simple, accessed July 11, 2018 .
  39. Announcing CMSMS 2.2.8 - Flin Flon. CMS Made Simple, accessed October 4, 2018 .
  40. Announcing CMS Made Simple v2.2.13 - Moosomin. CMS Made Simple, accessed January 2, 2020 .
  41. Xme - CMS MultiLingualEdition (MLE). Dr. Alberto Benati, accessed May 11, 2015 .
  42. The advantages of PowerCMS over other content management systems. Jan Czarnowski, archived from the original on December 24, 2008 ; accessed on May 11, 2015 .