Coding Templates into a CMS

[enigma1]

For those who look how to code templates into a CMS you may want to check the I-Metrics CMS a content management system that I put together (based on osCommerce) but it's very light on the front end and has extensive administration features. It includes only content management features.

I uploaded the package in sourceforge.net and on my domain, you can see an online demonstration here

http://demos.asymmetrics.com

I used the media template as the stock template of the CMS.

Media website template

It was fairly easy to do the integration and the final web-front is very close to the actual design.

The file package can be downloaded from the release section of the above link or from sourceforge.net
I-Metrics CMS | Get I-Metrics CMS at SourceForge.net

Although there is no template system and the php code is mixed with HTML the number of files to modify and the framework itself is tiny and easy to learn.

[umlautbastards]

@enigma,

I've been pokin' around for a CMS that is inherently simple and flexible while still retaining power equivalent to more complex structures, and yours is lookin' like a solid winner. Have to have a poke up under the hood soon (in the middle of other coding hells) to check, but it looks good, man.
Downloaded it two secs ago...

[enigma1]

Thanks for checking it out. I have tested integrating other templates from here and it is fairly simple. I have setup the counterstrike one and the ebooks. There are couple of links right at the end of the description of the home page on the online demo site.

I am writing the code for plugins hopefully I should get sometime to create a couple of archives for the other 2 templates and post them. The code for these 2 templates is left behind although is compatible with the newer versions of the I-Metrics CMS. So I will have to sync the code and post the files.

In terms of coding/customizing, you can go both ways with this CMS, hack your way in and customize the site or write plugins so parts of the code can be easily re-used for other sites. Most new users follow the first method as it brings fast results and takes little time and effort and until they become familiar with the framework.

I will also offer another option during install to setup a basic template. The CSS I put behind the media one with the current release relocates the page content to the top of the HTML for SEO but its kinda difficult for new users to modify.

[enigma1]

I did another release on sourceforge.net for the CMS v1.11. It now includes a bunch of plugins and there are 4 web-templates to choose from during installation. 3 of these templates are from here. The media, counter-strike and e-books templates are included with the installation.

Some of the plugins have template dependencies so during installation of those there is a template selection list to choose from. I also included a dedicated mechanism for jQuery so many user-interface jQuery plugins can be ported easily into the CMS.

One of the things I noticed would slow down template integration was the fact the footer, header and side columns were previously located in different folders, so I moved everything under a common template folder. Hopefully these changes should simplify template integration. There is also a much better content sample to demonstrate the image galleries and grouping of text pages.

[SimonJC]

Hello,

Is there anywhere that could teach you how to implement a template within the CMS?