Static Content - is s9y the right thing..

[gfroyle]

If I want hierarchically structured static content that is not time-dependent in the same fashion as a frequently updated blog (e.g a book or user manual with chapters, sections, subsections, pages) then is it easy to do that on s9y, or is blogging the major/sole focus? The key thing that I need would be easy and automatic navigation/breadcrumb-generation.

When reading the "Features" listing, s9y is described as a "PHP-powered flexible blogging/CMS application" but the following list of features seem to focus almost exclusively on "blog" stuff.

[I am searching through multiple blog/CMS systems to find the right one for this sort of purpose..]

Thanks

gordon

[garvinhicking]

Hi!

Serendipity offers the Static Page plugin which can maintain static pages. Did you try it out?

Since it's an extra plugin, Serendiptiy does not list it in its core features. Serendipity is a hugely plugin based system, so listing all plugins that are available onthe feature page would be misleading.

Best regards,
Garvin

[gfroyle]

Serendipity offers the Static Page plugin which can maintain static pages. Did you try it out?

Not yet.. I haven't actually installed s9y yet...

I am finding that I am spending so much time downloading and installing one CMS after another, then spending a few hours learning how to do things only to then discover that it is awkward and/or tedious to do what I want.

So I thought I would just ask the community first.. I imagine that I might get replies like:

- yep, s9y can do that easily and the Static Page plugin does it all, or
- yep, s9y can do it, but really it's best for blogging and for your needs you should try WordPress/TextPattern/MovableType/..../Etomite/Drupal, or
- not out of the box, you would need to write some PHP, adjust a template, fiddle with MySQL etc.

Then I could either do the install/debug/learn cycle, or gratefully move on.

Cheers

Gordon

[garvinhicking]

Hi!

I am finding that I am spending so much time downloading and installing one CMS after another, then spending a few hours learning how to do things only to then discover that it is awkward and/or tedious to do what I want.

I feel your pain. Sadly this is just what you always need to do, if you don't have first-hand recommendations. I also hate that task.

So I thought I would just ask the community first.. I imagine that I might get replies like:

That's perfectly fine of course. I was just not sure if you were already using s9y, or if you are not even having access to an installation.

So, my answer is this more like:

Yes, Serendipity can maintain Static pages using the Static page plugin and allows for parent pages and breadcrumb navigation. However you can also easily adapt Serendipity to maintain "Categories" with usual blog entries, which allows more structurized content. You can adapt a template/plugin so that entries are sorted alphabetically or whatever else sorting routine you might need.

However, I cannot deny that serendipity is aimed for what people usually want to use in a blogging environment: Maintain special pages with specific content.

Serendipty is not, and will never be, a user-driven contribution system like a Wiki. For that, serendipitys entry-based architecture is too much pointed at singular entries, not at collaborated entries. If you want that, a Wiki is currently the really only way to go; I know of no system that is equally well in a CMS, blog and Wiki scope.

A User manual with chapters and things like that could be built with Serendipity, but if that is all you want to do, you will only utilize a very little featureset of Serendipity which is not even the "best" part of the system. In that case, I actually more recommend you to go towards Drupal or Typo3, which are both larger systems that aim for structurized content. However, their userinterface is much more ugly, and their techniques are much harder to deploy and use than a serendipity setup.

So it all boils down to, what you personally like more and where you better see to realize your ideas. This sadly is a task, no community can take from your shoulders.

HTH,
Garvin

[gfroyle]

I feel your pain. Sadly this is just what you always need to do, if you don't have first-hand recommendations. I also hate that task.

Thanks for your help... just in case it helps anyone else, I thought I would let you know that after extensive investigation I have settled on ModX CMS for my purposes.. building mainly static content in a hierachical structure, but still with limited blog/comment facilities.

All the best

Gordon