ProcessWire - a CMS that saves you time, and works the way you do

[neo_]

Just thought I'd share two articles about a great CMS/CMF (content management framework) that I've been using for some time now: ProcessWire. It's flexibility and reliability got me from day one, and haven't used WordPress/Drupal/Joomla since then.

4 Reasons to Choose ProcessWire as Your Next CMS

An article by Francesco Schwarz that covers, in detail, the top 4 reasons to switch to ProcessWire. In a nutshell, the reasons relate to its flexible Page/Template/Field system, it's excellent jQuery-inspired API, its modular and easily extensible architechure, and the fact that it stays out of your way, giving you ultimate control over everything. Plus, the community may be small, but it is active and friendly - you can't go wrong when you need help.

How to Install and Setup ProcessWire CMS

A beginner's tutorial by Ben Byford covering everything you need to know about
installing and setting up a ProcessWire site, whilst introducing the basics of the core concepts as shown in the admin panel.

If you've been looking for a new CMS that can pretty much do anything you wish it to and handle pretty much everything you throw at it, ProcessWire may well just be your answer.

 

[Raithlin]

Nice. Does it have plugins, like e-commerce?

 

[neo_]

Nice. Does it have plugins, like e-commerce?

There is a commercial module called PadLoper - it seems quite extensive, though I have not needed to use it (yet). If I'm not mistaken, there are smaller e-commerce related modules, but I'm not sure if they are up to date. You can also easily integrate Schema.io into your ProcessWire site.

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Just a note for everyone regarding Modules (equivalent of plugins, addons, and extensions): Unlike WordPress, the ProcessWire modules directory has fewer modules available for the system - there's a reason for this: much of what you'd expect to find in a module can be found in the core. A good example of this can be found in its custom fields system. ProcessWire's pages are made up only of custom fields, and so a module is not required.

ProcessWire may seem simple at the onset (when looking at the admin panel, for example), but it is vastly flexible and has a lot more built in than you'd expect.

 

[Raithlin]

Ja, I saw that after posting. I ask about the e-commerce because that is what I am looking at replacing. Currently on PrestaShop, looking at Opencart.

 

[neo_]

Ja, I saw that after posting. I ask about the e-commerce because that is what I am looking at replacing. Currently on PrestaShop, looking at Opencart.

Before PadLoper, folks were using another platform (like the two you've mentioned) alongside ProcessWire. Sure, the platforms don't integrate with one another naturally (to the best of my knowledge), but there's no harm in running the them side-by-side. If you're looking for e-commerce with a simple informational site, then the CMS parts of PrestaShop/OpenCart/Magento/etc would suffice. But if the informational part of the site is to be extensive, then you could consider ProcessWire for that. I don't use e-commerce platforms much, but I think that they may have APIs that ProcessWire could tie into - might be worth a look.

 

[Raithlin]

Before PadLoper, folks were using another platform (like the two you've mentioned) alongside ProcessWire. Sure, the platforms don't integrate with one another naturally (to the best of my knowledge), but there's no harm in running the them side-by-side. If you're looking for e-commerce with a simple informational site, then the CMS parts of PrestaShop/OpenCart/Magento/etc would suffice. But if the informational part of the site is to be extensive, then you could consider ProcessWire for that. I don't use e-commerce platforms much, but I think that they may have APIs that ProcessWire could tie into - might be worth a look.

Thx. Problem with PrestaShop is the modules are hellish expensive. Anything beyond the basics costs you upward of $50.

 

[neo_]

Thx. Problem with PrestaShop is the modules are hellish expensive. Anything beyond the basics costs you upward of $50.

Phew, that's hectic. And OpenCart?

If PadLoper is in your price-range, then it'll be worth it.

 

[Raithlin]

$5 and up, I believe.

 

[Raithlin]

Okay, so giving this a try. Any modules you recommend checking out?

 

[neo_]

Okay, so giving this a try. Any modules you recommend checking out?

Modules have very specific purposes, and you won't find many duplicates. For general use, however:

- AllInOneMinify, also known as AIOM (crunches your CSS/JS on the fly; handy if you don't want to use Grunt/Gulp/other build tool)
- ProCache (commercial caching module; makes your site insanely fast)
- FormBuilder (commercial module that build complex forms with ease)
- MenuBuilder / MarkupSimpleNavigation (for building menus in the admin panel)
- Diagnostics (handy to ensure everything is running smoothly, and that your config is correct)
- XML Sitemap

That said, only use modules when you need them - much of what you may want to do with your site can be done with the core in your Templates. The above-mentioned are common modules, used with a lot of sites. They're really the ones that make life easier.

If you want to use the Twig templating engine, install TemplateTwigReplace and TemplateDataProviders.

Lastly, if the system warns you about an out of date module, you more than likely need not worry. Template Data Providers is one example. The module directory page has not been updated by the author to indicate compatibility with newer versions of ProcessWire (after 2.4, we're currently on 2.7), but the module should still work. I used it on a 2.6 site, and all worked perfectly.

 

[Raithlin]

Thanks for those. I'm playing with it on a local device stack. Once I'm ready I'll post it to my site. Haven't had too much time to play though, and I'm doing the same with OpenCart too. Fun times.

 

[neo_]

Thanks for those. I'm playing with it on a local device stack. Once I'm ready I'll post it to my site. Haven't had too much time to play though, and I'm doing the same with OpenCart too. Fun times.

Just a quick tip on how PW works: technically, everything is a Page (including users, but don't let that throw you off - it's what makes everything so flexible).