WebsiteBaker

WebsiteBaker
	; Screenshot of the administration area
Basic data
developer	The WebsiteBaker team
Publishing year	2009
Current version	2.12.2 ; ( June 2019 )
operating system	platform independent
programming language	PHP
category	Web content management system
License	GPLv2 ( free software )
German speaking	Yes
	websitebaker.org

WebsiteBaker (own spelling) is a free web content management system (WCMS) based on the server-side scripting language PHP and the MySQL database . It is primarily intended for the creation of small and medium-sized websites. WebsiteBaker is supposed to be "easy to use". It has an automatic installation program and a catchy, graphical user interface , which is intended to enable even new computer users and less experienced users to publish content or information on the Internet. In the German-speaking region, the software is one of the 10 web content management systems with the highest market share.

history

The CMS WebsiteBaker was published in 2004 by Ryan Djurovich. The first version 2.2.0 was released on December 14, 2004. Pages in several levels, sections and multilingualism as well as first extensions were introduced.

On September 4, 2005, Djurovich announced in the WebsiteBaker forum: A non-profit organization called "Open Source Bakery" (which was not founded) will be responsible for the CMS, teams will take care of its further development from now on, and Sourceforge said goodbye and provides its own version management ( Subversion ).

The upcoming version 2.6.0, which was released on November 28, 2005, was the first to be further developed by the community.

On November 16, 2008, Ryan Djurovich announced that, after an open discussion with the community, WebsiteBaker would be split into two projects: The PlatformRAD Open Source Edition (OSE, now called EdgeCMS) will continue to be developed and supported by the founder, WebsiteBaker Community, however, stays with the name. This was done to avoid problems with future CMS versions, and there was also disagreement about some planned innovations.

WebsiteBaker's leadership role has now been taken over by Matthias Gallas. He resigned on August 19, 2009 after version 2.8.0 was released.

One day later the founding of the WebsiteBaker Org eV was announced. The association's board members are Dietmar Wöllbrink, Manuela von den Betten and Harald Spring.

After there were disagreements in the community about the further development direction of WebsiteBaker, the core of 2.8.1, 2.8.2, as well as parts of the version 2.9.0.dev, which only existed in SVN, started a fork called "Lepton-CMS" used.

WebsiteBaker 2.8

The stable version 2.8 was released on August 15, 2009. Besides a number of bug fixes, new features have been implemented, including droplets . The version uses jQuery and Codepress for syntax highlighting. The administration area can be adjusted using skins .

Version 2.8.2 was released on July 25, 2011. It was here that work began on the old code base and replaced with new technologies.

Version 2.8.3 was released on February 11, 2012. Important changes that affect the security of the CMS have been made. Since the release of version 2.8.4 could not be implemented, version 2.8.3 SP3 was released in August 2014. This was necessary because of the publication and use of the newer PHP versions. Version 2.8.3 SP4 was published on May 24, 2015; The main focus was on converting the system to UTF8 and MySQLi. Version 2.8.3 SP5 followed on December 20, 2015, and version 2.8.3 SP6 in March 2016.

WebsiteBaker 2.8.3 SP7, the last of the 2.8.3 series, was released on August 6, 2016. The main components were the completion of the code conversion to PHP 7.x, the preparation of the core and the modules for the use of TWIG, a separate PHP error logging and the use of a translate class, which facilitates the translation of the language variables in the core and the add-ons . The package also included a completely revised back-end theme and a responsive front-end template.

WebsiteBaker 2.10

WebsiteBaker 2.10.0 is the successor to the 2.8.3 series and was released on March 4, 2017. The minimum requirement is PHP 5.6, the latest version of PHP is recommended. Like PHP, WB 2.10.0 relies on the consistent use of UTF-8 and contains everything that has been released since WebsiteBaker version 2.8.3 began in 2009 (service packs, patches, fixes, etc.). A system-specific error logging has been implemented, which simplifies and improves repair options and support. The public Redmine system, which was last only accessible to the development team, was reactivated.

WebsiteBaker 2.11

In addition to an integrated form generator, a redesigned output filter and extended error handling, the main focus in the WebsiteBaker 2.11 versions was mainly the conversion of the core to the requirements of the new PHP versions from PHP 7 onwards the character sets UTF-8 and UTF8mb4. With the introduction of the Translate class, which now takes on the management of all language variables, it was necessary to adapt all language files and their structure in the system. This change, which will take several WebsiteBaker versions and ideally include all add-ons, already brought a noticeable improvement in the speed in the administration area of the CMS in version 2.11.0.

WebsiteBaker 2.12

WebsiteBaker 2.12 continued the successful series of the CMS. The main focus was on the upgradeability (one-step upgrade) of every previous version from WebsiteBaker 2.8.3 as well as the ability to run the latest versions of PHP and MySQL . Step by step, the core was and is being prepared for the switch from PHPLib to TWIG. TWIG was firmly integrated with WebsiteBaker 2.10.0 and has since been used mainly in new and modernized add-ons, but using it in the backend requires a different form of data preparation. In order not to bloat the code any further, OOP is used more and more. Further innovations are the conversion of the integrated captcha solutions away from the old IFrame to modern variants, the preparation of the default theme for use on mobile devices with various CSS and code adjustments and various changes, especially to expand the authorizations for an administrator group.

The release date for the current version WebsiteBaker 2.12.2 was June 28, 2019.

System requirements

WebsiteBaker requires web hosting with support for the PHP programming language and the MySQL database model . PHP should have session support activated, but safe mode must be deactivated. Alternatively, the provider has assigned appropriate user rights. The Internet service provider can usually make these settings if you don't have your own web server .

target group

The actual target group consists of:

Freelancers and agencies in the field of web design who want to provide their customers with an easy-to-use system that they can easily be introduced to
Private individuals who want to create their own homepage
Associations and groups, whereby several people from all over the world can easily create and edit the page content
Small and medium-sized companies
Organizations and schools

Large companies or websites that are intended for thousands of registered users are not directly part of the target group. There are no restrictions on the number of pages or the number of users. However, the frequent use of selection lists could make administration confusing. This is remedied by special modules, for example for user administration .

features

WebsiteBaker has many functions to create a dynamic website , always trying to keep the "ease of use". This can only be achieved by not “overloading” it with functions.

Functions

Easy to use user interface
Support for operating multiple Internet sites
Possibility to create a completely accessible front end
Multilingual support
File and media management
Page output based on design templates (templates), customizable per page
Interface for extensions
Creation of user groups
Group-based authorization system (each individual page can be specified)
Control of WebsiteBaker and complete creation and editing of the pages via the administration area ( back-end )
Use of captchas in the front-end (the part of the website that is visible and usable for guests) to avoid spam
Facilities for login, registration and password recovery of users
Setting time zones, display names, language settings, time and date format for each user
Adaptation of the extensions for each individual page possible
WYSIWYG - HTML editors for the admin area

Extensions (modules)

WebsiteBaker's growing user community creates and maintains a number of modules, some of which are already included with WebsiteBaker as standard. These extensions are available free of charge and are only made available on the official "Addon" website after they have been successfully checked.

The extensions include:

Integration of well-known web galleries , internet forums and WYSIWYG - HTML editors for the admin area
Guest book and download area

Modules can be uploaded via the administration area in the form of a .zip file; the installation takes place automatically. The modules are activated when a new page is created, where the module can then be selected under the entry "Type:". Most extensions can also be easily uninstalled.

The creation of modules is relatively easy with the PHP scripting language . However, you should have some experience in dealing with programming languages.

Design templates

There are numerous design templates (also called templates ) that can be set individually for each page created. The templates are created using the languages HTML , CSS and PHP . The strict separation of content and design is guaranteed, and the appearance can be adapted almost completely freely. All you need to do is create a CSS and a PHP file.

As of version 2.8, the entire administration area of WebsiteBaker can be adapted and expanded without changing the actual PHP files.

Droplets

Droplets were introduced with version 2.8 and can be placed anywhere - whether in the WYSIWYG editor, in a design template or an extension. They are PHP code that is defined in the administration area and used within double, square brackets.

Community

The community is constantly growing. In August 2011, more than 7,100 registered in the support forum. There are also around 40 team members, divided into four team groups and nine teams. The spectrum ranges from translators to IT specialists in development.

There are also various support forums and websites.