MODx For Idiots Book?

I’m new to MODx and content management in general. I’m not a programmer, but I’ve been able to figure most things out. Usually by grabbing source code and picking it apart.

But, I’m stuck with MODx. I’ve read all the documentation on this site. Google doesn’t bring back too many sites with MODx help or tutorials.

Can anyone refer me to a good help site or book?

I read in previous posts that "AJAX in Action" was recommended reading.

Anything else I can get my hands on to try to get the hang of MODx?

I also saw a post dated in January 2006 that a MODx / Devkit or MODx in a Nutshell was in the works. Any updates on this?

Basically, I want to build my site as a blog. I’d like some static chunks on the main page only as a Welcome and a chunk that updates occasionally as a What’s New.

I’d like to set up a photo album. I think the lightbox effect is too cool.

Also, a forum. I saw that SMF intergates seamlessly into MODx. Is this true? I’d like the users to have "my space" type profiles.

And I have a TON of music files that I would like to get on my server so people can listen while they surf. I bought an application called Wimpy. It is pretty cool.

I’m just not getting too far. Trying the Blog Tutorial and getting parse errors. I think I need to read more before I jump in. So any book suggestions would be great.

I have a Safari account, so I can read most books immediately.

Thanks so much! At some point I have to figure out if maybe MODx is too much for my level of experience. I’m more than a beginner, but definitely not a tech geek.

MODx is one of those apps that clicks at some point. Some folks get it right off, but typically not those who’ve not been developing websites professionally for a while. In short, there’s not a lot of documentation outside of the wiki and the support site. The site you describe above is quite ambitious ... and will require a good amount of very custom coding (especially the myspace-clone stuff). No books and probably none soon, as there’s a lot of things about to change under the hood. See my signature for more info on who we’re really targeting right now, and best of luck/welcome aboard!

I read that before. That’s why I was searching for books or documentation. I don’t want to be filling the forums with beginner questions.

Besides, I’m a high maintenance "idiot" as you can tell from my "wants" for my site.

But, that is how I learned most of what I do know - seeing something and not being quite satisfied, so I would tear it apart and figure out how to tweak it.

Thanks for the response though. I’ll keep at it.

I’m waiting for the "click".

Definitely keep at it and cry for help when you get stuck

This is probably one of the reasons why I would love to write a full fledged MODx book. Maybe once we get closer to a 1.0 release, I’ll really dig into this idea. At least that way, new users can get a great introduction and won’t feel lost afterwards on where to go from there.

Sign me up for a copy!

Actually, I reinstalled MODx with the demo site and this is MUCH better.

I would strongly suggest this to any "newbie".

I think MODx will "click" quicker for me with a demo to take apart and tweak.

I might actually be posting some questions at a higher than "idiot" level soon!

Wish me luck and I am still liking MODx much more than the other CMS I have tried.

A MODx book ? That’s an idea I definitely have in mind : at some point, post 1.0, it will definitely be on the agenda (if not in english, I have some contacts with french editors )... I most definitely would like to help writing it anyway, Jeff ! I guess you should have Paul on your side, he is a great editor ! Sharp eye and neat english, that’s a great thing to have for a book

Still, I am not sure it will be "MODx for idiots"... rather be "MODx for web professionnals" (heck, why not "Content Management On Rails" )... as Ryan stated it’s first and foremost a system for pros or power users and geeks : it’s powerful beyond what you expect and it fits perfectly for any pro who craves flexibility (be it design or code-wise)...

+1 from me as well, a book sounds a great idea post 1.0 release. I agree with David on the naming, definitely want to appeal to a wider audience than just the idiots, lol No reason why it couldn’t span right across the relative skill levels - I’ve read a few books where they achieve this to good effect, kinda like something for everyone.

Yes, "idiots" is a bad phrase, because it says something about the reader that is not strictly related to how the reader needs hand-holding; the target reader is a beginner at MODx but may have skills from elsewhere. The best thing is to have a basic overview of website development and programming in an early chapter to bring people up to speed (which would recommend other books for those who need more detail in that area).

Possible titles:
"Introducing MODx"
"MODx for Beginners"
"MODx for Newbies"
"A Beginner’s Guide To Creating Professional Websites With The MODx Content Management Framework"

Or the first one with the second as a subtitle. Or any mix and match. Really, it’s easier to come up with a title once it’s been decided what would be in the book and what would be in a second book.

The original poster mentions Safari - I don’t know what one has to do to get a book in that, I know it’s not just O’Reilly books. But having instant on-line access to a book, as well as there being a proper print copy, is quite useful so <a href="http://www.lulu.com">Lulu</a> might be worthwhile.

I *would* be interested in helping such a project, and I definitely offer my services for sub-editing as David suggests, however I do have limits on my time.

As it stands, the best introduction to MODx is probably the sample content in 0.9.5 - it’s a significant leg-up. There are lots of bits of information out there, but there is no linear document bringing everything together - everything cross-references everything else.

On the book idea: Peachpit Press’s Visual QuickStart and Visual QuickPro series are by far the best books I have read for programming or web design. The use of images and visual examples at a ratio of nearly 50% to text is most helpful to someone who needs to see what is being done rather than be told what to do. MODx Content Management and PHP Framework System A Visual QuickStart Guide sounds like a pretty great title. No matter what it is called I am sure it will be as good as MODx itself.