Content management system

Content management system. If you plan to build your site, then you've probably encountered such a notion as CMS. Rasshifrovuetsya this abbreviation as Content Management System (Software).

If quite simply, the CMS - this program allows you to create web- sites with little or no knowledge of programming languages ​​giperrazmetki (HTML, CSS) and other web-based technologies (but the most elementary knowledge of the basics is still required). content management system is designed to make life easier for webmasters as possible, keeping all his work to the initial setting of the site and filling the latter with various information, while providing a user-friendly graphical interface.

How does CMS?
Without exception, all content management systems work on the principle of separation of content (text, images, videofaylly, etc.) and website design. Agree, site design (template) changes very rarely, but its contents can be changed/updated/added, on the contrary, very often. Therefore, all the CMS work with ready-made templates - "naked" blanks pages that are specially created web designers. You only fill in those empty page content through the convenient editor interface resembles Office software (MS Word, for example). This approach is very simple and logical.

However, it should be understood that in this case as a collection site html pages simply does not exist. There are template files and there is a separate site content stored in the database (usually MySQL, SQL). Site pages in the usual form generated at the time of their request. Noteworthy is the fact that for each user are generated different pages. Moreover, CMS can generate unique pages available only for the specific user, for example a page with your account settings and personal data.

Why content management system?
No doubt, a simple static site can be created even in a text editor by selecting "File" option "save as html- document". But imagine this: you need to change some information , for example, a phone number or price of many products due to the holidays. In this case you have to change each page manually and the more pages on the site, the more time this process takes. The prospect is not very attractive ... In CMS it will be sufficient to change the code only once.

As already mentioned, the main advantage of content management system is a usability and site content management in general. The vast majority of modern control systems are ready software products with broad functionality offering users a lot of opportunities and webmaster. Simply put, after the installation of CMS hosting you get a web resource with all needed modules and functions, such as anti-spam protection, personal account, commenting, upload/download files, template support, reference...

Basic functions of content management systems
Content Management Systems are developing quite rapidly, and the list is expanding their opportunities stronger. However, the basic functions are the same for everyone and they have not changed for over 10 years.

1. Manage site content - ie the creation, publishing, editing, and deleting materials/pages.

2. Providing visual administration tools - this feature enables users to create content for a website without any programming knowledge

3. Scalability and modular structure - a very important opportunity to content management system. Thanks to it, you can easily increase the functionality of the site. For popular control systems there is a huge number of modules (plug-ins) for all occasions, from small patches to improve security to large modules for organizing online store and other things...

4. Control and management of user rights - the site administrator has the ability to assign specific users to certain rights, ie, it is possible, for example, to restrict access to some sections of the resource is not registered users, or prohibit certain types of materials comment...
5. Support for wildcard themes - to change the design of the site enough to download your favorite theme in the Internet and pour it on the hosting.

6. Security - all kinds of tools to protect the contents of the site, users' personal data, etc. This may include encryption, captcha, spam protection...

7. Help.
How to choose the right content management system? Selecting a CMS now extremely wide. On the market there are both free and paid system, versatile and highly specialized (for organization directory or shop), professional solutions (difficult to learn and master, but based on them will be to implement a project of any complexity ) and simpler, if I may say so, the calculated for a beginner to site building.

To find the most suitable to you content management system, it is first necessary to decide on the project which is planned to create on its basis (dimensions site, its profile and type), as well as a realistic assessment of the level of their knowledge and skills. After that you should visit the official sites of the control systems, to understand how the developers have positioned their creations. Not be amiss to browse forums to explore independent opinions and reviews.