There is a notable increase in complexity of the web development environment today as compared to times past. Developers face greater customization challenges that require them to study, develop and implement coding systems that deliver their clients expectations. This can be challenging at times and especially where no without a reference coding platform exits within the industry. This article looks at the development of complex web projects using open source Content Management Systems (CMS).
The Importance of CMS
The creation of web projects as witnessed today consists of many repetitive tasks whose pathways resemble those of other projects done in the past. Just like in law where judicial precedence serves to shed light on open cases pending ruling, CMS systems provide templates upon which other web projects can be developed quickly and with a lot of ease.
The developer will however need to handle the open source scripts carefully so that he can map exactly what he needs and discard what is not required. This usually requires some bit of practice and patience. However, the beauty with open source CMS is that once you learn the basics, you will find the rest of the ensuing processes relatively easy to understand and manipulate.
Open source web development provides you with an existing functionality that does not require a major PHP source code customization. Even if you are an inexperienced programmer, you will find CMS platforms easy to follow through enabling you to build your website without much of a hassle. The editing and updating of content is much easier in content management systems.
Customization of Open Source CMS
The level of customization that CMS allows is diverse enough to cater for the web development needs of various clients. For instance you can install shopping carts, newsletter subscription forms, online discussion boards and portfolio websites right on your site. WordPress and Drupal are among the platforms with such an incredible customizability. The only part that you need to master with this platform is their documentation. The moment you understand it, you will be able to create practically any application that you need.
Wordpress comes with a plug-in system that is one of-its-kind and helps you in enhancing the functionality of WordPress sites. There are lots of free plug-ins available today that you can easily combine into a super plug-in or use them to build your own by adding customized bits.
How to Master the Use of Open Source CMS
As a developer looking forward to using CMS to enhance your web development capacity, you need to carefully choose the type of platforms that you want to start on. It is recommended that you start with more than one CMS platform preferably two or three. The reason behind this is that some projects are best built using certain CMS web development solutions. Going through the documentation of each of these solutions will prepare you adequately when it comes to web projects that require the use of these platforms. In addition to studying the CMS solutions, you also need to carefully go through your typical web project needs so as to be in a position to know the functionalities that you require.
For instance, there are CMS solutions such as Fork CMS that support multi-language web developments. Whenever you require developing sites that support multi-languages, all you need to do is to append the various sub-domains to be used in supporting those languages. Another thing to note about the multi-language functionality is that it differs from one CMS solution to another. The way it is developed in Drupal is not the same as to that of WordPress.
The time to be invested in studying CMS solutions
The more time you invest in studying a specific CMS solution, the more you will understand it and the intricacies of the documentation included. Many developers are usually torn apart with respect to the time allocations that each CMS platform needs to be allocated. The best way to go round this is to identify the specific CMS solution where most of your web projects are based. This however does not mean that you totally disregard the other CMS platforms. Knowing a bit of everything and mastering in one major CMS platform will give you an added advantage over other developers.
One thing you should note is that learning CMS solution is not a waste of time. Whenever you find yourself hitting a dead wall on one particular platform, do not be discouraged because the time you have invested is not in vain. You will have learnt a few things that will come in handy during future development projects.
Alternative Open Source CMS Script Management Solutions
Content management is a wide expanse that includes various scripts of code. Usually, content management refers to static website content. Online retailers and small businesses may find themselves digging on the backend so as to fix some inner pages during content management.
In light of the inherent difficulty that some mainstream CMS platforms offer, alternative open source solutions have been developed which work almost the same as content management systems. Some of these solutions include Pligg CMS and phpBB MySQL. Pligg CMS is a platform that enables developers to launch social news community where users input their details to open accounts and submit content to the website.
Alternative open source cms solutions fill a niche in the software market where users are constantly searching for incredible solutions to match their needs.
The Networking Approach to Open Source Web Development
The best approach to CMS script management is to try out new scripts and resources as this will diversify your knowledge. Being a fearless developer will move you from your comfort zone making it possible for you to adopt easily to different CMS web development environments. One of the ways you can keep pace with open source CMS developments is through the open source community. This comprises a team of open source enthusiasts and developers that share freely new developments in terms of codes and scripts that enhance the web development environment. Participate actively in the posting and asking of questions on support boards because this will expand your knowledge base.
Although custom web development is required for projects of a typical nature, open sources can be used for most websites that are simple and straightforward in nature, and sometimes even for complex projects due to large plugins/extensions libraries that are available out there on the web. That’s the reason WordPress Development, Drupal Development, Joomla Development and Magento Development are in huge demand these days.