Overview of the "TWEditor" Content Management System Functionality

Core Functionality Overview

The majority of customers I work with want the ability to make changes to their websites. However, in most cases they don't have the technical know-how or resources to comfortably make those changes "manually". For this reason, I have developed a system to give customers the capability to maintain their website in a simple way.

A website built on top of the "TWEditor" content management system gives the customer access to an online administration section where they can oversee the operation of their website. Through this interface, they can manage all aspects of their website.

The system is built to allow multiple users to access and make changes to the site. The main website administrator can create user profiles, and decide whether the profiles have administrative capabilities, or just editing capabilities. For the latter, the website administrator can define exactly which pages the user has the ability to edit.

The system includes the ability add or remove pages as needed. When a page is added, the website administrator defines its relationship to other pages on the site. By doing this, a hierarchy is created which in turn is used to automatically create the website's navigation. Each page can be edited using a word processor-like interface that includes the typical formatting options one would expect to see (bold, italic, color, font etc.)

Typically, a website will have a one layout for the homepage and an alternative layout for all interior pages (though sometimes more). With the ability to hold multiple page templates the "TWEditor" content management system can cater to those websites with varied layout configurations. When editing a page on the website, a list of available templates is displayed, and within a couple of clicks, the page's appearance can be completely changed.

The system is also designed to allow maintenance of the website in multiple languages if needed. By maintaining versions of each page in multiple languages, users have the ability to select the language the website is presented in. Selection automatically switches the language of both the content and the navigation, and at the same time, the website memorizes the user's preferred language, so that the correct language is presented by default upon future visits to the website.

Other aspects of the website can also be controlled through the content management system. An array of site settings are available to the website administrator, including appearance settings for the drop-down navigation system, control over the website's "style sheet" and control over the website's footer text. Also included is the ability to temporarily take the website offline and display an emergency message in its place. Website administrators also have control over the assets associated with the website with the ability to review all the images and documents that have been uploaded to the website.

Add On Utilities Overview

The content management system's core capabilities are also designed to be extended through the inclusion of Add On Utilities. These utilities allow specific functionality to be added to the website, and for that functionality to be controlled via the administration section. New Add On Utilities are constantly being developed as different customer needs arise, but the following breaks down those already available:

Form To Email
This utility allows interactive forms to be easily created on any page of the website. A website administrator can create all the fields that comprise the form, and select what type of field should be shown (i.e. text box, checkbox, button etc.), and whether it is a required field. The content management system automatically displays a neatly formatted form to website visitors, and validates the information they are providing. Users receive a detailed alert if they fail to provide the correct type of information. When the website visitor submits the form, its contents are sent out by email. The website administrator can define numerous properties associated with the email message, including who it is going to be sent to. The website administrator can also opt to send a confirmation message to the website visitor.

URL Redirects
Often, website addresses can be long and hard to remember. The URL Redirects utility allows website administrators to create shortened addresses that automatically redirect a website visitor to the correct, longer, address. This is particularly helpful when including website addresses in marketing materials because the shortened address takes up less physical space in addition to being easier for website visitors to remember. To aid with tracking the success of a particular URL Redirect, the content management system keeps a tally of how many times the shortened address has been accessed.

News Manager
The News Manager allows website administrators to create a dynamic collection of news and/or press release articles. Each article can be created with a start and end date, and during that period will be displayed on the website automatically as an "active" article. When the end date passes, the article is automatically added to the news archive. Each article can be edited using a word processor-like interface, and can also be created in multiple languages if the website is configured to operate that way. [NOTE: This utility is RSS enabled.]

Contact Manager
This utility manages the capture of website visitor contact information. After filling out a form on the website, the visitor's information is stored in a database. The website administrator can review a full listing of subscribers, and can export the data to a spreadsheet for offline use, or open a blank email that is configured to blind copy each subscriber. If needed, the website administrator can select a subset of subscribers rather than the entire list.

Photo Gallery
A photo gallery can be inserted onto any page on the website with this utility. The website administrator can upload digital images which get automatically resized to the correct dimensions for display on the website. Each photo can be given a title, description and can also be sorted into a specific order in which to display. When a website visitor looks at the gallery, they are presented with an array of thumbnail sized images to choose from, or can simply scroll through the gallery using "Next" and "Previous" buttons. [NOTE: This utility is RSS enabled.]

Document Archive
If there is a need to offer website visitors documents to download, the Document Archive utility is the best solution. Although the core website functionality allows for documents (PDFs, Word documents etc.) to be uploaded and made available for download, the Document Archive is geared to handle multiple documents in a much more convenient manner. Each document can be described and categorized so that the website visitors are presented with a well organized selection of documents to choose from. [NOTE: This utility is RSS enabled.]

Events Calendar
This Add On Utility allows the site administrator to manage a calendar of events on the website, allowing events to be categorized and detailed. Events will then be visible to website visitors and grouped within their respective categories in chronological order. [NOTE: This utility is RSS enabled.]

Multi User Login
This utility allows the management of multiple website login accounts. Pages on the website can be flagged as requiring users to be authenticated before seeing the content. Non-authenticated users will be prompted to login before being able to access the restricted pages.

Google Maps
With this Add On Utility, site administrators can add interactive maps to any page of their website. The utility allows multiple locations to be defined for each map, which get displayed as pin points with informational summaries. A Google API key is required for this utility.

To find out more about how the "TWEditor" Content Management System can be integrated into your website, please contact me.

[NOTE: The "TWEditor" Content Management System is a PHP / MySQL solution that can be hosted on both Windows IIS or Apache web servers that are configured to run PHP and database servers that are configured to run MySQL.]

[NOTE: The "TWEditor" Content Management System uses the FCKeditor WYSIWYG control.]