Discover MODX
Nowadays, the choice of content management systems (CMS) is so great that you unwittingly get lost. Moreover, the quality of the system does not depend on whether it is paid or not, and the decision made then for a long time binds you to the chosen CMS.
I bring to your attention the translation of an article by the English web developer Mark Jenkins, who discovered MODX after many years of development in various systems.
First comes the translation of the article, then - some comments on the text.
I just finished my second project on the MODX platform, and I think it's time to present my thoughts. I got the impression that MODX is not widely known in the web-industry, partly therefore, in order to educate, I am writing this article.
MODX is an open source content management system. It is built on the basis of PHP and MYSQL, therefore it works on almost any server. As in WordPress, there are two versions: MODX Revolution (as wordpress.org , version for downloading and installing on your server) and MODX Cloud (as wordpress.com ).
MODX is unassuming: it doesn't matter where the templates are located, how they are organized or where the content is placed. This is a flexible system that allows you to work as you like.
The choice of site management systems (CMS) is quite wide. I used to use WordPress , Perch , Expression Engine and Kirby , as well as Shopify and Magento for online stores. I use WordPress and Perch on an ongoing basis and both systems have proven their reliability and ease of use.
Hence the question: “ Why should I even get into MODX? "
I think it will be fair if I say that I am quite familiar with WordPress, because did almost everything in this system: blogs, 5-page sites, multi-regional sites with hundreds of pages. When developing large WordPress sites, I encountered many difficulties, for example: the structure of permalinks and systematics may be limited. Although in recent years, CMS has improved significantly, but it still feels that this is not a suitable tool for working with huge and complex sites.
This is where MODX appears in all its glory. While WordPress collects the structure (custom post types, systematics, themes) MODX offers an empty shell, ready to adapt to any of your needs.
The ease with which MODX works with templates is impressive. You do not need to create templates with the specified file name or place them in a specific folder, and the MODX syntax ensures that the code is clean and accessible.
')
Mastering MODX is easy.
First , MODX uses a different terminology :
Secondly , MODX uses its tag syntax . At first, I thought, why did MODX developers bother with creating their own syntax, but after trying it in practice, it became clear. It allows you to keep the template code clean and understandable (at least better than these terrible inconsistent WordPress functions).
My team had no difficulty with the latest project. We used this .gitignore file to exclude everything except the assets and core folders.
File paths are not stored in the database, so you can easily move databases during development.
As I noted in this article, it is easy to study MODX. It will take some time to get used to the terminology and ways to implement certain things.
The documentation is quite good, although in search of answers to some questions you will have to try. The chances of finding an answer to the problem in WordPress are probably several times higher, because MODX community size is smaller.
However, I found the community on Twitter, which turned out to be very useful. By sending a few questions to the #MODX group, each time I received at least one answer, which sent me in the right direction.
The installation process of MODX is more complicated than that of WordPress. For example, to install the system locally, I cloned our repository, then copied the MODX files there, set up the configuration files, started the installation, corrected some file permissions, and restarted the installation. Compared to WordPress, raising and running MODX is a bit lively.
While I'm still new to MODX and I have a lot to learn, in the end, I understand that I have found a solid and reliable CMS offering the flexibility I need.
I can certainly recommend it for business with large websites on hundreds of pages. And already looking forward to immersion in the next MODX project ...
I bring to your attention the translation of an article by the English web developer Mark Jenkins, who discovered MODX after many years of development in various systems.
First comes the translation of the article, then - some comments on the text.
I just finished my second project on the MODX platform, and I think it's time to present my thoughts. I got the impression that MODX is not widely known in the web-industry, partly therefore, in order to educate, I am writing this article.
What is MODX?
MODX is an open source content management system. It is built on the basis of PHP and MYSQL, therefore it works on almost any server. As in WordPress, there are two versions: MODX Revolution (as wordpress.org , version for downloading and installing on your server) and MODX Cloud (as wordpress.com ).
MODX is unassuming: it doesn't matter where the templates are located, how they are organized or where the content is placed. This is a flexible system that allows you to work as you like.
Where can I use MODX?
The choice of site management systems (CMS) is quite wide. I used to use WordPress , Perch , Expression Engine and Kirby , as well as Shopify and Magento for online stores. I use WordPress and Perch on an ongoing basis and both systems have proven their reliability and ease of use.
Hence the question: “ Why should I even get into MODX? "
I think it will be fair if I say that I am quite familiar with WordPress, because did almost everything in this system: blogs, 5-page sites, multi-regional sites with hundreds of pages. When developing large WordPress sites, I encountered many difficulties, for example: the structure of permalinks and systematics may be limited. Although in recent years, CMS has improved significantly, but it still feels that this is not a suitable tool for working with huge and complex sites.
This is where MODX appears in all its glory. While WordPress collects the structure (custom post types, systematics, themes) MODX offers an empty shell, ready to adapt to any of your needs.
The ease with which MODX works with templates is impressive. You do not need to create templates with the specified file name or place them in a specific folder, and the MODX syntax ensures that the code is clean and accessible.
')
I am switching from WordPress. Will it be difficult to relearn?
Mastering MODX is easy.
First , MODX uses a different terminology :
- Resources - web pages (resources can also be documents, links, etc.)
- Templates
- Template variables are the equivalent of custom fields in WordPress
- Chunks - HTML markup that repeats on different pages (for example: header, basement, side panels, etc.)
- Snippets - dynamic pieces of PHP code.
Secondly , MODX uses its tag syntax . At first, I thought, why did MODX developers bother with creating their own syntax, but after trying it in practice, it became clear. It allows you to keep the template code clean and understandable (at least better than these terrible inconsistent WordPress functions).
Git compatibility
My team had no difficulty with the latest project. We used this .gitignore file to exclude everything except the assets and core folders.
File paths are not stored in the database, so you can easily move databases during development.
Are there any drawbacks to MODX?
As I noted in this article, it is easy to study MODX. It will take some time to get used to the terminology and ways to implement certain things.
The documentation is quite good, although in search of answers to some questions you will have to try. The chances of finding an answer to the problem in WordPress are probably several times higher, because MODX community size is smaller.
However, I found the community on Twitter, which turned out to be very useful. By sending a few questions to the #MODX group, each time I received at least one answer, which sent me in the right direction.
The installation process of MODX is more complicated than that of WordPress. For example, to install the system locally, I cloned our repository, then copied the MODX files there, set up the configuration files, started the installation, corrected some file permissions, and restarted the installation. Compared to WordPress, raising and running MODX is a bit lively.
Conclusion
While I'm still new to MODX and I have a lot to learn, in the end, I understand that I have found a solid and reliable CMS offering the flexibility I need.
I can certainly recommend it for business with large websites on hundreds of pages. And already looking forward to immersion in the next MODX project ...
Comments from the translator
- The author of the article identifies two versions of MODX: Revolution and Modxcloud , while the official division takes place on Revolution and Evolution .
The MODX Revolution version is recommended for use by all users, including beginners, this is a modern, reliable system. The brand new database API based on xPDO provides an efficient and easy way to read, create and edit all MODX objects. With one simple query, you can manipulate data from several MODX tables.
The MODX Evolution version is also quite reliable and stable, constantly updated, but is already outdated, and is suitable for sites that already work on it or for those web hosts where 8M or 16M RAM is limited, since Revolution requires a minimum of 32M.
As for Modxcloud , this is an additional service from the MODX team - virtual hosting based on the latest version of MODX Revolution already built in. Hosting is designed for serious projects with a large load on the server, although it is possible to choose a free placement option (very good for getting experience with MODX). Having placed the site on MODXcloud, the update process is later on a click, you can say, the issue of ensuring the security of the site is out of competition here. - When the author speaks of good documentation, it is, of course, an English version.
Nevertheless, there are quite a few Russian-speaking sites on the MODX system, so the developers will not be alone. - The author describes the difficulties of installing MODX on a local server, but in fact everything is much simpler: a server with installed PHP and cgi is not annoying with access issues and the installation process lasts 3-5 minutes.
In general, MODX developers recommend using an extended installation distribution (advanced instead of traditional), which increases the security of your system by an order of magnitude: you can install the core of the system to a folder inaccessible from the web, and rename the back-end manager and connectors as you like.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/220127/
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