Need help to convert site to ModX

We’re a non-profit organization and have made the decision to leave the Nuke world of nested tables and move to MODx. However, we need some help on three or four pages as a guide to get us started. Yes, we’ve read a lot of the Wiki. We do have MODx installed and functioning.

Please quote!

Here’s the scope:
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The site is http://www.peterwade.com/ . The Home Page and quite a number of other pages are part of a Nuke-Evolution CMS. We have used PHP-Nuke based sites for probably six years. Nuke is MySQL based and is coded in PHP with some CSS (but not for positioning) and is a hodge-podge of nested HTML tables.


The Newsletter Archive section is indexed within Nuke but the files reside outside the CMS as HTML with server-side includes (nearly 150 files).


The Articles section, well over 300 pages, is outside the CMS and is HTML with server-side includes.


The Resources e-Commerce section is also outside the CMS and is run by OScommerce. This will continue as is but linked in the navigation menu of ModX.


The Inspirations are housed in a News module, and I have added the table from the Nuke database to the ModX database as "modx_site_stories". I would like the pages to work in ModX much the same as they do currently.


Audio streaming is done through Zina, which is embedded into Nuke CMS but can operate as a standalone program.


The Home Page is comprised of a number of includes:
1. The header file (branding) including the Javascript horizontal menu. The quote at the right of the header image is generated from a flat file by a PHP script that makes a random selection.
2. The main article.
3. The book description and product list.
4. The right column.
5. The footer (site details).


The header, footer and right column are intended to be common throughout the site. I would like to use a menu structure from within ModX rather than the current Javascript version. I have made several attempts to convert the header using CSS positioning but without success.


We also want to make this a membership site, requiring free registration to listen to streaming audio or read articles. We would like to use MODx for site searching.


I am finding the conversion to XHTML and CSS quite difficult. What I need is someone’s help to do the complex Home Page and two or three other pages as a guide for me to follow, e.g. a page with database calls (such as Inspirations), the streaming audio module, one of the articles as a guide, and perhaps the Newsletter archive and the Articles index, now basically HTML.


ModX is already loaded and functioning at http://www.peterwade.com/modx/


Please email me at wade dot peter at gmail dot com with the subject "ModX" if you are able to help.
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Thanks,
Peter

Hey, community... 527 views and only one response!

Please quote on this small job.

Thanks.

Quote from: posword at Jan 07, 2008, 01:16 AM

The Newsletter Archive section is indexed within Nuke but the files reside outside the CMS as HTML with server-side includes (nearly 150 files).

Convert to PDf or import each as a document page and use Ditto?

The Articles section, well over 300 pages, is outside the CMS and is HTML with server-side includes.

Convert to PDf or import each as a document page and use Ditto?

The Resources e-Commerce section is also outside the CMS and is run by OScommerce. This will continue as is but linked in the navigation menu of ModX.

Fairly easy jus create web link?


The Inspirations are housed in a News module, and I have added the table from the Nuke database to the ModX database as "modx_site_stories". I would like the pages to work in ModX much the same as they do currently.

Convert to PDf or import each as a document page and use Ditto?

Audio streaming is done through Zina, which is embedded into Nuke CMS but can operate as a standalone program.

Fairly easy, not familiar with Zina?

The Home Page is comprised of a number of includes:
1. The header file (branding) including the Javascript horizontal menu. The quote at the right of the header image is generated from a flat file by a PHP script that makes a random selection.
2. The main article.
3. The book description and product list.
4. The right column.
5. The footer (site details).

Fairly easy, but time consuming, styling etc?


The header, footer and right column are intended to be common throughout the site. I would like to use a menu structure from within ModX rather than the current Javascript version. I have made several attempts to convert the header using CSS positioning but without success.


We also want to make this a membership site, requiring free registration to listen to streaming audio or read articles. We would like to use MODx for site searching.

Fairly easy, setting up takes some time?

Peter

Maybe you’re underestimating the difficulty of the task and the time involved?
That may explain why you’ve had so many views but limited interest.
My experience is that it takes longer to convert from a static site than starting from scratch.
I’m not trying to be negative, but it looks like a lot of work!

David

Yeah,

I requested the spec from your original post and I thought to myself that this is not a small project. I would think that for most people this is 1-2 weeks of good work.

Honestly there are big parts to this job. I did a conversion of a client site that had 6 static HTML pages and it took two days to make it work. Template building, data migration and configuration (possible information architecture) for static content) etc. and refining all the little stuff though it may be possible to just write a script to index the contents of the newsletter archive as a snippet.

On a personal note I would think that now is the time to also drop the Nukish template as well. The current trend (and user expectaion) is for larger type, wider templates and cleaner looks; not necessarily minimalist.

I would think that going for a redesign in conjunction with the new back end makes a world of sense. The changes could be subtle but would also extend the life of the site beyond the current YAPS look.

After reading the post again I, may send you an email but I am scheduled out until the end of February at this time.

Cheers and all the best,

Jay

Thanks, David and Jay,

Yes, I have been playing with it a little in my ignorance and perhaps I have bitten off more than I can chew. Maybe I need to go to a simpler CMS but I can see the real benefits of modX.

How long would it take, do you think, to just do the template and home page?

Cheers,
Peter

Moderator: please delete this thread.

This is actually a very useful thread that others in a similar position can learn from. CMSes of any flavor are not a magic bullet that makes life instantly simpler, but they are a valuable tool that can help you get there. You should feel good about asking great questions in your quest to learn ... thank you!