PHP Coding Templates into a CMS

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.

 

Wow, COOL!

@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...

 

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.

 

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.

 

Hello,

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

 

There is some documentation about it in the demo site under the Development->Creating a custom template.

The areas to concentrate into is inside the includes/template folder. The stylesheet.css and html_* files are the ones that control the template. The images for the template are under the includes/template/design folder.

The best thing to do is to install the I-Metrics CMS with the traditional template that doesn't use complex CSS with HTML SEO repositioning. Its the 3col one. Once you install it try to change few basic things like the site logo, main banner so become familiar with the tpl files. The code for both the site logo and main banner are inside the header.tpl. The actual images are inside the includes/template/design/ folder.

The main important file that drives the html segments is the html_body_header.tpl. It invokes the header and left column and then initiates the flow for the main part of the page.

The main part of the page is then loaded by the main scripts. These are in the root of the domain So the index.php for example invokes the html_body_header and then starts rendering the mid section. All the index.php does is to pull the description of a page from the database and display it. The page is formatted with HTML from the back end/admin.

Once the main script displays the mid section it invokes the html_end. With the traditional 3 column template it loads the right navigation column and footer both are also in the includes/template/ folder.

Use the includes/template/design/ folder to put layout images and then the includes/template/stylesheet.css to include your images with the CSS. Use the main images folder only for content resources (for images you include with the pages from the back end as part of the content.)

If you try few things and you stuck somewhere post a question with the specifics of the problem.

 

I'm preparing new code with the upcoming releases to include automatic updates, dynamic generation of language resources and transparent multilingual support with zero coding requirements and some of these new components will be fully integrated with the next release. I did receive some feedback thus far and looks promising. The amount of work I am facing though is immense and progress is somewhat slow.

There is also a new plugin for the I-Metrics CMS that deals with nutrition intake and will be posted in the open repositories as a separate package because of its size. In its first version it operates entirely from the back end of the CMS, but it should be straight forward integrating it with the web-front. The plugin processes the USDA database and generates intake reports for customers in various formats, has an advanced search to scan the database for food sources by nutrient value or combination of them, or by items by food groups, allows the user to create and store recipes can be expanded in many ways to cross-reference other relevant factors with the database. There is a food editor, nutrients editor to create new or update entries.

I do not have an accurate estimate of the next version but I expect it to be ready by September or October this year.

 

I tried to register at your web site and it doesn't like my email address. The contact section doesn't like it either. What up?

 

What site you tried to register into? The demos site doesn't have a registration page, as it is only a demonstration of the CMS. The sourceforge.net is an open source repository which I do not control by any means, but includes at this time a forum to ask questions and report side effects for the CMS.

 

I-Metrics CMS release 1.12

I did another release of the I-Metrics CMS. It has various new features so at the top of the regular CMS functionality,

1. Multiple Languages support
Using a fully automated and dynamic method to control multiple language the I-Metrics CMS generates the necessary files and database tables of new languages with a click of a button. Incorporation of the multilingual system is virtually transparent to a developer. The administrator can edit content by selecting the proper language and he can define what components of the CMS should be language aware from the back-end. Plugins can be language aware or use the default system pre-installed language.


2. Direct Content Management
This is another important feature introduced with version 1.12 where the site administrator has the ability to edit content directly on the web-front via a lightbox. With a click of a button the system generates a totally secure session for the administrator on the website. Text pages and various types of collection may then be edited.


3. Advanced Banner Management
Also with this version a banners manager is available. Banners can be grouped to be presented as a sequence in a specific page or can be individually setup to be displayed on every page. Banner groups have special properties where the administrator can specify the location on the web-front and dimension limits. Each banner records clicks and impressions and may contain any type of resource format including videos, flash, regular images or other active scripts. The administrator can directly enter html code in a banner edit box or specify a URL for the image to be displayed.


4. Newsletter system
A flexible newsletter management is now included as a plugin. Newsletter can be created with the aid of a template manager and then send to subscribers. The I-Metrics CMS can record whether the subscriber read the newsletter. The system includes newsletter subscription/removal and combines the list of subscribers with the master list of website customers.


5. Download Manager
A new download mechanism for files is now available. The website administrator can specify downloads for specific text pages or collections of pages. Multiple downloads may be specified for the same page. Each download can have a separate title or description or can be grouped under the same set of downloads with a common title/description.


6. Right and Left Column plugin
Text pages and Collections of pages can now include dedicated content on the sides of the website. The administrator can specify with the use of boxes, associated content for each page viewed.
Other new plugins are also included with this version including code tags, alternative content display. The new version of CMS further utilizes the jQuery framework having a popup help for various pages.
The framework now includes support for extensionless URLs and page requests can be decoded with virtually any extension. The SEO-G component integrated has now various new configuration options to instantly generate URLs from the back-end and the site owner can specify various modes of operation.


To assist developers, the CMS includes a database monitoring system that reports timings for database transactions and enhanced server information for the web server, database and PHP language.


A templates manager is integrated with the main system components. Templates can be created for emails, content or plugins and loaded instantly when needed.


A forms controller is also included with this version for plugins to utilize. The forms controller includes 3 different levels and various html input tags to select from.


A complete helpdesk system is also included with the CMS and was improved with this version to include an address book and separate mail server connections for each account. Helpdesk departments may point to different mail servers.

The stock template was replaced with a very simple one to use and edit.

 

hi you maybe able to help me!!! can i put my own api in my website