Blog Tutorial

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know of a full blown tutorial on how to set up a Blog with MODx?

This may well have been spoken about before but the information that I have found to date within the forum is for my needs not enough.

I have read the following: http://modxcms.com/blog-tutorial.html and http://modxcms.com/Designing-the-MODx-Weblog.html ? but I cant find anything that really describes everything one needs to know.

Questions that are relevant:

• How to set-up templates
• How to set-up users
• How to set-up comments
• How to combine a normal site with the blog
• Can a normal site template be used for the blog
• How is the link structure from the main site integrated
• The list goes on and on.......

It would be great if anyone with the know-how (if prepared to) could create a full blown tutorial.

Much appreciated

Interesting. I don’t think this tutorial will be revisited until after 0.9.5 comes out, but it does need updating and hopefully your issues will be addressed in it.

You should use Ditto rather than NewsListing, and Replix rather than UserComments.
Replix: http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,4724.0.html

Can a normal site template be used for the blog
Yes. However, you may wish to use a variant template for the blog that has the bits that every blog page has but other pages don’t, like the comments snippet.

How to set-up templates - Covered elsewhere.

How to set-up users - What kind of users do you mean?

How to set-up comments - see the Replix thread.

How to combine a normal site with the blog
In MODx, each blog entry is a document page in a folder (ie has another document as a parent). So combining a ’normal’ site is straightforward.

How is the link structure from the main site integrated
It’s the same site, so there aren’t really any big issues.

Any other questions?

Good Morning PaulGregory.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Your answer to use Ditto is the answer that I generally get when it comes to my problems with MODx.

The same problem goes for Ditto. Is there a full blown tutorial? So far as I know, there isnt.

Ive spent numerous amounts of hours in this forum and have learnt a great deal about MODx, its an excellent tool but lacks in Extensive step by step tutorials.

How to set-up templates - Covered elsewhere.

I take it with this answer that no special variables, snippets or chunks are then required.

There will be a Ditto-powered blog configuration in the default content with 0.9.5.
(Indeed, there’s a working blog in the 0.9.2.1 default content.)

I’m quite keen for there to be a walkthrough of how this is achieved; I appreciate that it’s a pain for you because you want to set up a blog now, and there isn’t an up-to-date complete guide available yet. Keep asking questions though, because it is very helpful to find out what things the less-experienced users stumble with.

Quote from: gsx750r at Sep 02, 2006, 06:32 PM

How to set-up templates - Covered elsewhere.

I take it with this answer that no special variables, snippets or chunks are then required.

Not required, no - although you’d probably want the pages to look different to the other pages, it’s just a template. A blog post is just a document. A snippet call is required for the user comments, but this can either be in the document content or the template.

When the new version of MODx comes out 0.9.5 will there be a function for Unique Page Keywords and Description tags.

With this I mean, can I change in the document settings for each individual page the content found within the Keywords or Description tags

If not then I cant use it.

I have a screenshot of what I mean.


As the version I am using is an older version help in form of tutorials for the older versions would still be a good thing.
Not everyone will be changing to the latest version as soon as one comes out.

There are good sites out there that use your system and are large in size, if a user is happy with that what they have and have mastered that what they have then they wont be changing everytime a newer version comes out.

Large parts of 0.9.5 tutorials will be applicable to 0.9.2.1.
There will be a smooth upgrade process.
It is true that if a site is working there is no need to upgrade. But if you haven’t managed to get a blog rolling, and the new guides refer to 0.9.5, then you would benefit from upgrading.

Did you read every page of the blog tutorial? The navigation isn’t very good, it is easy to forget that there are more pages to read.

Quote from: gsx750r at Sep 02, 2006, 07:11 PM

When the new version of MODx comes out 0.9.5 will there be a function for Unique Page Keywords and Description tags.

With this I mean, can I change in the document settings for each individual page the content found within the Keywords or Description tags

If not then I cant use it.

I have a screenshot of what I mean.

0.9.5 keeps the current wacky select-keywords-from-list thing.
Your image mocks up two new fields - meta keywords and meta description. Personally, I agree that it would be easier to have editable in that way - although I’d keep them on their own tab. However, it is not on the agenda.

BUT you *can* achieve broadly the same thing by adding 2 Template Variables, and using them in your template. I have done this on a 0.9.2.1 site, it works fine and enables you to edit keywords from the frontend with QuickEdit. The same method will work in 0.9.5.

The copy that I have is 0.9.1 and a friend of mine gave it me.

The keywords and descriptions are fed to the DB for the individual pages.

Page creation is therefore kept simple as the whole page can be created and published without any further hassle.

On the main modxcms.com site it says:
<cite>Spotlight on Search Engine Optimization: The SEO CMS</cite>

To this statement I would say that the improvements in this case need to be made.

Thanks for your time and help.

PS. Just found another problem - will post in a new thread

I too would like a news system with comments tutorial for Ditto that doesn’t assume prior MODx knowledge. I keep looking at information but I’m struggling. Just off to experiment now, but my brain’s spinning.

Edit: Is the following correct?

NewsPublisher for submitting of news.
Ditto for display of news.
Replix for user comments.

And how does one go about giving web users the ability to edit posts and comments via the websites front end?

Thanks.

@gsx750r: MODx 0.9.1? Are you saying that you’ve not upgraded to MODx 0.9.2.1 because the keywords system changed? I’ve never used 0.9.1 so I can’t comment on the system it used. If it did use the system pictured, then it probably was easier, faster and more convenient (if not as efficient in terms of total db footprint).

However, SEO stopped being about keywords some years ago. There are other SEO-friendly aspects to MODx, such as friendly URLs.

@ImpelGD: Yes, current Ditto tutorials tend to concentrate on the differences between it and the previous Ditto/Newslisting version. I happen to know that the author of Ditto is working on a support site to coincide with the imminent release of Ditto 1.1, and I expect that part of that will be documenting it from a newcomer’s perspective.

Thanks Paul. Am I correct in thinking that newspublisher is still used by web users to submit news/articles?