A Better CMS
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- jtb260
Ideaist I'm afraid to say that solution I'm working on probably won't float your boat. But I totally see what you're talking about.
- ETM0
Well, going back to the OP. Not how I want to myself, but clients want to be able to edit mobile. So phone/tablet optimization is important... which means making things as simple as possible.
CraftCMS has a mobile/responsive back-end, if you want to see one in the wild.
- prophetone0
in my browser
- ideaist0
^
I'd start with something like http://www.csshero.org/ that works with an existing CMS, but meshes it's front-end and back-end.
; )
- hotroddy0
depends how much control is necessary.
1.. The more control = the more options = full of features = harder to navigate2. The easier to update = the less your able to do
- vaxorcist0
are you the only one editing the site?
RE: editable/moveable/etc... beware that some CMS's allow non-designers to really mess things up accidently by dragging things around in trackpad errors, you may get some phone calls to come fix this thing...
- jtb260
@vaxorcist this is what I'm hoping to solve.
I'm looking at this from the angle of an agency creating a site for a client. We're getting away from systems like WP or Expression Engine and building more bespoke CMS using php frameworks. I have an opportunity to design something that is somewhere between Squarespace and EE.
- vaxorcist0
ok, this can be more human-management than tech sometimes... years ago, we built a huge drag-drop editing system that client upper-end people loved, but actual users kept dragging things randomly and needed help...
...so we locked it down, with full consultation with people at client company, even the higher-ups, then we got these enraged emails and phone calls from some guy we'd never heard of at the client company who wanted to drag things around again, demanded it even, he really felt like we had killed his creative potential, etc...
...and we almost lost the client over this, as this angry guy we'd never heard of had lots of power there for some reason.... we finally let the client IT department handle much of this.... felt sorry for them in a way...
good luck,... this can be political, some people may hate their cube gigs longing for a bit of creativity in your CMS, if you prevent that beware....
- we only locked down the drag-drop, not the text/photo editing...vaxorcist
- Can't you have both?cannonball1978
- Right on. That's a good cautionary tale. We'll keep it in mind.jtb26
- multiple user levels is a good idea here.... and keep a logfile of who does what. Even WP has multiple user levels now....vaxorcist
- ideaist0
It's amazing that their is STILL not a user (creator or client) WYSIWYG editor/cms that seamlessly meshes front and back end...
- ukit20
If it's aimed at agencies and professional developers, would you really want something between Squarespace and EE? I could see how an easier, more WYSIWYG approach could be appealing for the regular user who doesn't know much code, but for developers I'd imagine it could quickly get limiting.
- monkeyshine0
I'd like to see the content more effectively separated from the presentation layer. The problem with WYSIWYG (and, of course, I'm talking about larger sites) is that it locks us into this short-sighted way of approaching content - looking at individual pages vs. a broader content strategy. Whoever solves this CMS problem will be rich, I tell ya, rich!
- ideaist0
^ (note)
ExpressionEngine -> http://ellislab.com/expressionen…
CraftCMS -> http://buildwithcraft.com/Both are clean and smooth, but still rely on a both a front and back end.
Like monkeyshine says, the first to solve said CMS problem will dominate immediately.
- ETM0
^ (further note)
True, but something like ee doesn't think in pages (more my point). You CAN approach a site that way, but the entries exist to be presented in any number of creative ways, without having to rely on any sort of preconceived, page, hierarchy or general nav tree concept that some CMS's still cling to. It something that really does some people's head in coming from 'structured' CMSs.
- Touché...ideaist
- ...Their MUST be a UI-friendly way to solve this that satisfies both client and designer/developer!ideaist
- Dev, designer, user... Fast, cheap, good. It seems you can only ever get 2 out of 3.ETM
- ETM, where are you located? I'm in rural Ontario, Canada (Creemore)...ideaist
- ...LOVE your portfolio by the way; brief but tasteful.ideaist
- Calgary, ABETM
- jtb260
For me I think the problem with CMS' like EE and WP is that the editing of content lack context completely. Custom page and post types, or low variables and entries are terrible ways to manage content. Especially for client sites.