Question: Best practices - what is the best workflow for a new site?

Hello,

What is your normal workflow process for a basic website setup? (And I believe there will be many)

For instance, I noticed on the default install the following pages are created:
- Home Page
- 404 - Document Not Found *
- Contact Us
- Search Results *
- RSS Feeds *
- [*loginName*] *
- [*loginName*] *

* = not published in menu

Are there any other pages you normally setup for your basic websites? (Besides, of course, your website-specific pages)

---

I have been considering a workflow and have considered this one:
- Install site and setup System configuration
- Create a folder to place all of my documents under
- Create the generic pages above (for consistency of all my sites) and the rest of my pages
- Create template
- Install / Modify / Create Snippets and Modules

So basically 1. install and setup, 2. create pages/articles, 3. create design

Does this sound like a good workflow to you or how do you do it better / more efficient?

Thank you for your time, and I hope to be a valuable member to this community.

Thanks,
Chuck

This is a GREAT topic Chuck, thanks for bringing it up. I’m very interested in what people have to say about this topic, and think it will be different based on the type of "industry" you’re targeting. Ideas, folks?

(Brings to mind the idea of distributing "content packs" that can be easily reskinned...)

::bump::

It looks like I am changing my workflow. Previously, designing the template was last.

But I was not taking into account TV’s (template variables).

Now, I believe the first step should be to:
1. draw a framework of the proposed sections of your site.
2. Create the basic framework template with TV’s in mind
3. Create your TV’s
4. Begin adding content, etc...

----
I am doing this for a few reasons. I am trying to:
- use TVs during content to creation to decide whether the page will have certain items such as (different header, right side column, extra submenus)
- adding a link for "Print View" page to most documents (using Susan’s template switcher)
- adding a link for "Email this page to Friend" on most documents

How do you veterans do it?

Thanks for all of your help,
Chuck

Nice topic, I agree with Ryan.

Here is my workflow :
1. Define the logical structure of the website, the roles/permissions and the features needed
2. Build the templates & navigation according to information structure and permissions
3. Create styles for the layout(s).
4. Create TVs according to information structure. Associate them with the appropriate template and if necessary define access permission. Some TVs might be used to make part of the template editable with QuickEdit.
5. Install module/plugins/snippets according to features needed
6. Create chunk templates used by snippets (&tpl=`chunkname`)
7. Add content / dummy content
8. Create inline styles for the content
9. Validate the XHMTL, then the CSS
10. Test cross-browser compatibility
11. Adjust things so that everything fits nicely

Very nice. David, thanks for this description. I believe this thread can be a great asset to us MODx newbies.

Chuck

Hey everyone,

I come from graphic arts background then moved into web development. I actually do think that background plays an important part in how someone would plan a project.

1. A3 pad and a pen/pencil
2. Sketch out site structure, needs and future scenarios.
3. Install local copy of MODx ready for dev.
4. Create basic CSS wire frame using Stylemaster.
5. Create template (sans graphics) with any snippets etc required
6. Test - edit - test - edit - test some more!
7. Add graphics.
8. Deploy to remote server.

That’s a fairly basic outline. I like to keep things as simple as possible.
So I try to only use:

• text editor
• Stylemaster (so good!)
• local server environment
• Photoshop
• remote server

Hope this adds some useful information.

Mike

Thanks for that Mike. I am no graphic artist at all. I have my graphic guys do all of that. Oh how I appreciate what they do! Thanks for the process you use.

Any more? I am particularly interested in the longtime MODx users workflows.

Chuck

No workflow, but some general things I’ve come to appreciate doing.

HTML headers and meta content: Create it in a chunk, only leave closing body head tag in the template. That way if you later decide you need to insert some extra JS or CSS into a copy of a template for a special case (like a page that needs lots of javascript that’s not needed on every page call), you can insert it in the template while keeping your meta content intact and editable in one place.

Menus: Build your base menu as a static chunk. I’ve very infrequently found a need for a totally dynamic top navigation. Set "you are here" states with classes or IDs applied to the body tag and some CSS. Use drop menus, List Childs or Sibs or some other menu snippet for the rest. Make the top navs at least a reusable chunk so you can update multiple templates quickly as needed.

Sidebars: Use TVs with a default value, maybe even a chunk. Learn to use @INHERIT.

Footers: chunk it up ... virtually always.

I can barely call myself a "professional", but the workflow I use goes like this:

Plan my site, document the specifics for the template I’ll be using (colors, images), upload whatever "auxiliary" files I’ll be needing such as images and javascript files. Plan the document tree structure fit the menu structure. This step often takes twice as long as the rest, but not taking the time usually triples or quadruples my overall time, not to mention the aggravation.

Bare-bones template (no graphics, set background colors with CSS, and just stub content) to get the basic layout I want. Get the layout working properly in the CSS (floats and other main content positioning). I will use TVs and chunks for the different sections, such as banner, top menu, left sidebar, right sidebar, footer, etc. It is worth mentioning here that I make my CSS files in sections, each main template container in its own commented section, so I know at a glance where to go to adjust the CSS for any given object.

Create the main document tree layout - work it out so that I can create a minimum of "new" documents, just create the first section with subsections using "lor ipsum" text, then duplicate it (the documents can be edited from QuickEdit).

Add chunks, snippets, and TVs to the template containers for content, starting with the main menu system (the menu system usually takes the most effort to style properly), Install whatever snippets and plugins I’ll be needing (I install MODx bare, clearing all those optional checkboxes, since I’ll most likely be wanting to use the latest versions, or even one of my own hacked versions).

Add images and graphics to the main CSS, and adjust the CSS for the content as it is added. Because I work like this, I prefer to use FTP and external CSS files, with an FTP client that ties in to my editor for dealing with the CSS. It’s much faster than waiting for page refreshes every time I edit and save the CSS.

Edit the content using QuickEdit at my leisure. Set unfinished documents to not show in menu, and add them to the menu as I finish them if I want to at least get a start of the site live.

Quote from: rthrash at Jun 29, 2006, 01:54 AM

No workflow, but some general things I’ve come to appreciate doing.

HTML headers and meta content: Create it in a chunk, only leave closing body tag in the template. [/b]

Did you mean closing of the </head> tag? Or did you mean opening the <body> tag?

Quote from: sottwell at Jun 29, 2006, 02:00 AM

Add images and graphics to the main CSS, and adjust the CSS for the content as it is added. Because I work like this, I prefer to use FTP and external CSS files, with an FTP client that ties in to my editor for dealing with the CSS. It’s much faster than waiting for page refreshes every time I edit and save the CSS.

Have you ever used Xampp (windows) or Mamp (mac)? I started using this and it has saved me TONS and TONS of time. I create and edit the site on my work pc. Then once I have it basically setup, I upload it to a temporary dir on a live server. (I usually show my clients the first "live site" and continue making their wanted tweaks on my local pc). I really upload it to THE live server and make changes there.

I have also been looking at using SVN on my work PC to keep my local version intact with the live site.

Another thing I began doing: Setup 3 sites- (1) Live Site, (2) Test Site, (3) Development Site. I do this for each customer so I can work on their new requests without messing with the live site.

Thanks for both of your feedback- invaluable to us rookies
Chuck