RenovatioCMS
Encyclopedia
RenovatioCMS is a free
and open source
CMS
(Content Management System). It has been released under the GNU General Public License
.
Content management systems are software applications, often web-applications
that allow users to easily publish documents and articles on-line (content management), without requiring a lot of technical knowledge. One of the main properties of web content management systems is the conversion of plain text
to enriched
web pages using skins
or templates
. This allows the author to write a simple article in plain text, while the visitor that reads the article, also receives menus
, background images, headers
and page details.
, but also HTML
, PHP
, SQL
, CSS
and JavaScript
are allowed. This gives the user the same flexibility as when designing a new web-system
from scratch, while at the same time it delivers the conveniences that make using a CMS worthwhile.
and login
system, some management tools, a CodeEditor (RVCodeEditor) and a skin
. The documents shape the actual contents of a website. They are stored in a database
and can be edited using the built-in document management tool (that contains the CodeEditor). When a page is being visited, the document involved is retrieved from the database and evaluated as if it where an ordinary *.php
file.
The generated output is stored in a buffer and combined with other data like the menu structure or the account
properties. The result is transferred to the skin
. The skin then moulds the combined data into an HTML, CSS, JavaScript construct and sends it to the visitor. The included management tools used for language, menu or document management, are documents as well, but they are not considered to be part of the CMS itself. The core system is considered to consists only of the apparatus that evaluates documents and shows web-pages to the user.
(What You See Is What You Get) like editor is included. Instead, RenovatioCMS uses a web-based CodeEditor that lets the user edit HTML
or PHP
directly, comparable to code editing software like Notepad++
or HTMLKit. This is referred to as a WYSIWYM
(What You See Is What You Mean) approach. In forum systems
, often a secure version of the CodeEditor is included that restricts users to using UBB code
. The enriched output of HTML
or UBB code
is available during editing using pop-ups
, while the output of PHP
code is only available after saving.
The omission of WYSIWYG
appears to be a principal matter, as the developers are explicitly trying to pursue a WYSIWYM
approach. The idea is that once a user has mastered a programming language like HTML
or UBB code
, WYSIWYG becomes unnecessary and would result in less efficient code than WYSIWYM
.
that support SQL
and PHP
(LAMP
or WAMP
servers). The client
side (the software that runs within the browser) uses HTML
, CSS
and JavaScript
. Furthermore the included management tools are consistently using techniques like AJAX
(Asynchronous JavaScript And XML), SJAX (Synchronous JavaScript And XML) and JSON
(JavaScript Object Notation).
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
and open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
CMS
Content management system
A content management system is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based...
(Content Management System). It has been released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
.
Content management systems are software applications, often web-applications
Web application
A web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
that allow users to easily publish documents and articles on-line (content management), without requiring a lot of technical knowledge. One of the main properties of web content management systems is the conversion of plain text
Plain text
In computing, plain text is the contents of an ordinary sequential file readable as textual material without much processing, usually opposed to formatted text....
to enriched
Enriched text
Enriched text is a formatted text format for e-mail, defined by the IETF in RFC 1896 and associated with the text/enriched MIME type. It is "intended to facilitate the wider interoperation of simple enriched text across a wide variety of hardware and software platforms". Today, enriched text is...
web pages using skins
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
or templates
Web template
A web template is a tool used to separate content from presentation in web design, and for mass-production of web documents. It is a basic component of a web template system.Web templates can be used to set up any type of website...
. This allows the author to write a simple article in plain text, while the visitor that reads the article, also receives menus
Menu (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. A menu is used in contrast to a command-line interface, where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands .Choices given from a menu may be selected...
, background images, headers
Page header
A page header or simply header in typography is text which is separated from the main body of text and appears at the top of a printed page...
and page details.
Target group
RenovatioCMS is specifically designed for users who possess some programming skills or possess the eagerness to attain these skills, but who also value user-friendliness (doctoral students, programmers). The input (document) of a new RenovatioCMS page may consist of plain textPlain text
In computing, plain text is the contents of an ordinary sequential file readable as textual material without much processing, usually opposed to formatted text....
, but also HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
, PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
, SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
, CSS
CSS
-Computing:*Cascading Style Sheets, a language used to describe the style of document presentations in web development*Central Structure Store in the PHIGS 3D API*Closed source software, software that is not distributed with source code...
and JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
are allowed. This gives the user the same flexibility as when designing a new web-system
Web content management system
A web content management system is a software system that provides website authoring, collaboration, and administration tools designed to allow users with little knowledge of web programming languages or markup languages to create and manage website content with relative ease...
from scratch, while at the same time it delivers the conveniences that make using a CMS worthwhile.
How RenovatioCMS works
Basically, RenovatioCMS consists of nothing more than a collection of documents, a menuMenu (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. A menu is used in contrast to a command-line interface, where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands .Choices given from a menu may be selected...
and login
Login
Login is the method whereby a user obtains access to a computer system.Login may also refer to:*Magazines:** LOGiN, published by Enterbrain** ;login:, published by USENIX* Login, Carmarthenshire, an hamlet in Carmarthenshire...
system, some management tools, a CodeEditor (RVCodeEditor) and a skin
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
. The documents shape the actual contents of a website. They are stored in a database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
and can be edited using the built-in document management tool (that contains the CodeEditor). When a page is being visited, the document involved is retrieved from the database and evaluated as if it where an ordinary *.php
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
file.
The generated output is stored in a buffer and combined with other data like the menu structure or the account
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
properties. The result is transferred to the skin
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
. The skin then moulds the combined data into an HTML, CSS, JavaScript construct and sends it to the visitor. The included management tools used for language, menu or document management, are documents as well, but they are not considered to be part of the CMS itself. The core system is considered to consists only of the apparatus that evaluates documents and shows web-pages to the user.
A WYSIWYM approach
No WYSIWYGWYSIWYG
WYSIWYG is an acronym for What You See Is What You Get. The term is used in computing to describe a system in which content displayed onscreen during editing appears in a form closely corresponding to its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product...
(What You See Is What You Get) like editor is included. Instead, RenovatioCMS uses a web-based CodeEditor that lets the user edit HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
or PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
directly, comparable to code editing software like Notepad++
Notepad++
Notepad++ is a text editor and source code editor for Windows. One advantage of Notepad++ over the built-in Windows text editor, Notepad, is tabbed editing, which allows working with multiple open files.Notepad++ is distributed as free software...
or HTMLKit. This is referred to as a WYSIWYM
WYSIWYM
WYSIWYM is an acronym for What You See Is What You Mean, and refers to a paradigm for document editing...
(What You See Is What You Mean) approach. In forum systems
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, often a secure version of the CodeEditor is included that restricts users to using UBB code
BBCode
BBCode or Bulletin Board Code is a lightweight markup language used to format posts in many message boards. The available tags are usually indicated by square brackets surrounding a keyword, and they are parsed by the message board system before being translated into a markup language that web...
. The enriched output of HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
or UBB code
BBCode
BBCode or Bulletin Board Code is a lightweight markup language used to format posts in many message boards. The available tags are usually indicated by square brackets surrounding a keyword, and they are parsed by the message board system before being translated into a markup language that web...
is available during editing using pop-ups
Modal window
In user interface design, a modal window is a child window that requires users to interact with it before they can return to operating the parent application, thus preventing the workflow on the application main window...
, while the output of PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
code is only available after saving.
The omission of WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG is an acronym for What You See Is What You Get. The term is used in computing to describe a system in which content displayed onscreen during editing appears in a form closely corresponding to its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product...
appears to be a principal matter, as the developers are explicitly trying to pursue a WYSIWYM
WYSIWYM
WYSIWYM is an acronym for What You See Is What You Mean, and refers to a paradigm for document editing...
approach. The idea is that once a user has mastered a programming language like HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
or UBB code
BBCode
BBCode or Bulletin Board Code is a lightweight markup language used to format posts in many message boards. The available tags are usually indicated by square brackets surrounding a keyword, and they are parsed by the message board system before being translated into a markup language that web...
, WYSIWYG becomes unnecessary and would result in less efficient code than WYSIWYM
WYSIWYM
WYSIWYM is an acronym for What You See Is What You Mean, and refers to a paradigm for document editing...
.
System requirements
RenovatioCMS is developed for Apache web-serversApache HTTP Server
The Apache HTTP Server, commonly referred to as Apache , is web server software notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. In 2009 it became the first web server software to surpass the 100 million website milestone...
that support SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
and PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
(LAMP
LAMP (software bundle)
LAMP is an acronym for a solution stack of free, open source software, referring to the first letters of Linux , Apache HTTP Server, MySQL and PHP , principal components to build a viable general purpose web server.The GNU project is advocating people to use the term "GLAMP" since what is known as...
or WAMP
WAMP
WAMPs are packages of independently-created programs installed on computers that use a Microsoft Windows operating system.WAMP is an acronym formed from the initials of the operating system Microsoft Windows and the principal components of the package: Apache, MySQL and one of PHP, Perl or Python....
servers). The client
Client (computing)
A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....
side (the software that runs within the browser) uses HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
, CSS
CSS
-Computing:*Cascading Style Sheets, a language used to describe the style of document presentations in web development*Central Structure Store in the PHIGS 3D API*Closed source software, software that is not distributed with source code...
and JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
. Furthermore the included management tools are consistently using techniques like AJAX
Ajax (programming)
Ajax is a group of interrelated web development methods used on the client-side to create asynchronous web applications...
(Asynchronous JavaScript And XML), SJAX (Synchronous JavaScript And XML) and JSON
JSON
JSON , or JavaScript Object Notation, is a lightweight text-based open standard designed for human-readable data interchange. It is derived from the JavaScript scripting language for representing simple data structures and associative arrays, called objects...
(JavaScript Object Notation).
See also
- List of content management systems:PHP
- List of content management systems