Answered Motivation for MODX structural design?

Hello, I'm in the process of picking a CMS for my new site. I'm looking for something with a good balance between Wordpress and Drupal (between having more creative flexibility and having so much IT administrative responsibility, creative expression gets lost in the Linux). I am confident using HTML and CSS, and looking to improve my skills in JS/PHP/MySQL with this project.

I'm currently looking at MODX, and finding its design anything but intuitive. It might help me understand how to use Modx if I understood the motivation for structuring it with Resources in a db rather than as HTML docs in a file system. I'm looking at a large learning curve to understand how to port my template series of HTML docs into MODX. (Please stop telling me how easy it is -- that just makes me feel bad for not finding it easy! ) I'm willing to climb this curve, if I understand that this system has long-term value over other systems I've used (Wordpress for personal use and Dreamweaver on a university Linux server).

Would someone explain the MODX structural motivation to me, or point me to articles that explain this? I am finding a lot of documentation on how to do things, which is great, but nothing that I see explains why we do it this way. Also, please excuse me if "structural design" is not the appropriate terminology for my question. Hopefully it's clear what I'm asking for information on!

Thank you for your help!
~Julie

Thanks Bob! This second link is exactly what I've been looking for! I'm definitely the sort who likes to first understand what I'm getting into before I jump in! =) I'll read through this and post more if I have questions. Thanks again!

And this: http://bobsguides.com/modx.html.

MODX is not easy. Yet sweet. It is not funny. Yet brow-lifting.
It'll cause you to think. It might not pamper or hug you. Yet you'll be left fit for your task at hand.

Is it JS, HTML, CSS, PHP or MYSQL? you'll improve, and not wonder but marvel how.
The Community is also pleasant and empowering, but don't be phased by personality; the product speaks for itself.

Cheers.
Me is around the corner if I can help.

Quote from: donshakespeare at Aug 08, 2016, 06:36 PM

Me is around the corner if I can help.

You're just sayin' that cuz she's pretty.

Seriously, as someone who migrated from print design to web development, MODX is far better a "beginner" tool than it might seem on the surface. First, it abstracts all the nuts and bolts into their own drawers/cabinets, and then lets you build exactly what you want. You can build beautiful HTML/CSS and then easily break it down into the pieces needed (templates and chunks) to make it flexible, simply injecting whatever you need into any given location with a simple tag. Another spectacular feature, though one that's easy to abuse, is the ability to inject logic into the tags themselves, making them even more powerful.

It may not seem super intuitive on the surface, but as you get into it you realize it's built for flexibility. It's a 'framework' not a prepackaged solution. No doubt it takes some getting used to, but compared to the templating/development process for systems like Drupal and Wordpress, it's a breath of fresh air.

...Besides, donshakespeare is around if you need anything ; )

@claytonk surely you do not ascribe to the reality of avatars?

Sadly, my avatar is all too real.

And I am stuck with a wonky portrait made a rascal who jipped me very nicely: I mean, look at the baldness' extent.

This is just the picture I use to get better IT service.

Yes, looking at Bob's incredibly helpful page, I can see the utility of this system. I'm a big fan of organization and easily repurposing rather than reinventing. And I agree, the best way to learn how something works is to take it apart and reassemble it, which is essentially what MODX would have me do.

I'm persuaded to give it a try!

Thanks for your help!
~Julie

Oh! I do have a question though.

How does all this db retrieval affect page loading speed?

Do the number of plugins/chunks/snippets/etc slow things down? As in, it would be better to keep the number of chunks to a minimum and keep as much as possible in the template, vs chunking as much as possible?