CMS with no Database

[guest2013-1]

Seeing as there's a lot of talk about CMS lately, I'd like to share:

pagelime.com
and cushycms.com

Both use the same concept of adding different editable sections to your pages, and then publishing them through FTP.

This allows you (the bunch of designers out there) to setup a full CMS product for your client and allow them to edit certain aspects of the site (mostly text) as they please without requiring a database and works remotely via FTP (they have other publishing means as well)

Look mom... no programmers...

 

[Veroland]

Nice, it sounds cool, does it allow you to retrieve language specific messages from code as well?

 

[guest2013-1]

Nice, it sounds cool, does it allow you to retrieve language specific messages from code as well?

Language specific messages from code? Please elaborate?

 

[Veroland]

Language specific messages from code? Please elaborate?

Ok, let say I need to send a sms to client and the sms needs to be in the client's preferred language. I also do not want to be in control of message bundles inside my project as that makes it difficult for business to easily make updates (That and it's a pain in the @ss being in control of the labels when business keeps on changing it). So when we need to add a message to a sms for example we just call CMS with a specific code for the message we want and CMS will return the the message in the correct language.

Hope this helps

 

[wernerswiegers]

I'm sure I wont be the only one to tell you but a CMS without a database wont scale well. But I guess it will work just fine for a personal site.

 

[guest2013-1]

I'm sure I wont be the only one to tell you but a CMS without a database wont scale well. But I guess it will work just fine for a personal site.

It depends, from what I've seen (and worked with) a lot of companies only need a few pages on their site with the ability to edit them at will. This keeps down maintenance cost as they don't need to hire someone to do the updates for them, can be hosted on a simple no-database hosting plan that only accommodates for static web pages and provides the ability for the designer to be the only one involved in the entire process. So that if a design element changes, they make the change, and won't require a developer to implement those changes into the CMS written. It will scale perfectly because the design is separate from any programming that might hinder it growing to a full-scale CMS or even e-commerce system, so starting out with a basic "here we are, this is what we do" site to a more complex site is perfectly do-able and within budget, because for a larger more scalable (or e-commerce) site, you'll pay more.

So when the time comes to scale up, you already have the design, you only need some developer to implement that into the newer system

Ok, let say I need to send a sms to client and the sms needs to be in the client's preferred language. I also do not want to be in control of message bundles inside my project as that makes it difficult for business to easily make updates (That and it's a pain in the @ss being in control of the labels when business keeps on changing it). So when we need to add a message to a sms for example we just call CMS with a specific code for the message we want and CMS will return the the message in the correct language.

Hope this helps

Huh? As with any editor, as ek afrikaans tik or if I type english 或者如果我输入中文, it will display whatever language I type it as in. So if you need the site to be in a specific preferred language, you'll create the page for it, and (with pagelime I think) you can add some PHP code to it for it to decide which page to show... this is a *simple* non-database driven site. Think of it as FrontPage publisher (only way less gay and more functional without putting more code in that it actually takes to display something)

 

[Veroland]

Huh? As with any editor, as ek afrikaans tik or if I type english 或者如果我输入中文, it will display whatever language I type it as in. So if you need the site to be in a specific preferred language, you'll create the page for it, and (with pagelime I think) you can add some PHP code to it for it to decide which page to show... this is a *simple* non-database driven site. Think of it as FrontPage publisher (only way less gay and more functional without putting more code in that it actually takes to display something)

Not quite, we do not wan't to duplicate all the pages to support multiple languages. Remember, I do not work a normal "static" web site but more of a internet application.

 

[guest2013-1]

Not quite, we do not wan't to duplicate all the pages to support multiple languages. Remember, I do not work a normal "static" web site but more of a internet application.

Well then it's pretty much m00t that this solution isn't for you. And your requirements are different to that of someone that wants to have a website for their business, but doesn't want to spend a lot of money on designers/developers to implement something for them...

That's like me showing you a paper airplane design and you asking where the oxygen masks are for the passengers...

 

[Raithlin]

I've looked at CushyCMS before - it certainly does have its place. If I wanted to allow the client to be able to do updates to what is effectively a static site, this would indeed be the way to go. In fact, I may consider doing just that.

However, there's something to be said for using a professional rather than DIY when it comes to SEO, etc.

I don't like that PageLime isn't free (3 sites, I know), and that it doesn't seem to be anything other than a hosted option... (edit: I see it's only the CMS part that's hosted. It could work...)

 

[guest2013-1]

I've looked at CushyCMS before - it certainly does have its place. If I wanted to allow the client to be able to do updates to what is effectively a static site, this would indeed be the way to go. In fact, I may consider doing just that.

However, there's something to be said for using a professional rather than DIY when it comes to SEO, etc.

I don't like that PageLime isn't free (3 sites, I know), and that it doesn't seem to be anything other than a hosted option... (edit: I see it's only the CMS part that's hosted. It could work...)

Yea, both PageLime and CushyCMS are hosted CMS solutions. The simplicity of adding that to any static site design for your client to be able to edit their own content is what I was getting at. No need for elaborate database setups or paying more than you should for a small site being hosted somewhere on a shared server. Having said that, nothing stops you from pushing SEO into the site's editable regions to get the client to add keywords or meta tag descriptions, and with PageLime (not so sure about Cushy), you'll be able to work with the URL-Rewrite to accomplish what you need to do and still keep the SEO going.

Also, it's pretty straight-forward in terms of generating a sitemap (I have a simple one that generates my clients' sitemaps automatically each time, with a rule in the robots.txt indicating where it is etc)

Depending on how you approach it and what OTHER SEO techniques you'd want to do, you could still use this CMS to your advantage... designer can just push up whatever and within 10 min have an editable site...

 

[Raithlin]

Yeah, I get where you're going with this. I'm currently deep into SilverStripe tutorials at the moment, and I'm really liking what I see. I'm looking at it from the point of view of one particular project though - the next might well end up in one of the above...

 

[guest2013-1]

Ye, was just a suggestion to those wondering which CMS to go with or guys moaning about pricing of websites, at least with something like this it would be straight forward startup and someone who wouldn't normally need a Web 2.0 website with all the bells and whistles can slap on a simple design (or get one designed) and just use that as the CMS. I like how that you can have revisions saved (and revert to) with those works, so it really is up to the client about how they format their content. It's also a no brainer for you as it saves quite a few headaches when it comes to backups etc.

Plus like I said, they can run it on a simple static shared server, so don't have to pay extra for a database. When they want to upgrade, they can (as and when money allows)

 

[cybersect [clone of Skeptik]]

Can you show use some of the sites you've created, Acidrazor?
Other than acidrazor.com. If you don't mind.

Ye, was just a suggestion to those wondering which CMS to go with or guys moaning about pricing of websites, at least with something like this it would be straight forward startup and someone who wouldn't normally need a Web 2.0 website with all the bells and whistles can slap on a simple design (or get one designed) and just use that as the CMS. I like how that you can have revisions saved (and revert to) with those works, so it really is up to the client about how they format their content. It's also a no brainer for you as it saves quite a few headaches when it comes to backups etc.

Plus like I said, they can run it on a simple static shared server, so don't have to pay extra for a database. When they want to upgrade, they can (as and when money allows)

 

[guest2013-1]

Can you show use some of the sites you've created, Acidrazor?
Other than acidrazor.com. If you don't mind.

With or without the CMS I suggested? Or just in general?

 

[cybersect [clone of Skeptik]]

Both. I'd like to formulate a greater impression of your work.

 

[guest2013-1]

Both. I'd like to formulate a greater impression of your work.

I actually had a list of domains written just now with a short description of my work on each, how much I was involved (most of which are usually fully involved down to the server admin level) but then I thought "Why?"

And then I thought "I wouldn't even want to work with cybersect even if it paid me to"

I don't have to prove myself to you. Nor do I need or want to, because (believe it or not) I don't need you (or anyone's) approval for what I do, who I am or if you like me or not. Because I just don't care.

So to sum it all up, GFY cybersect.