A fresh start!

7 Posts

Joepk Reply #1, 14 years, 5 months ago

Hi guys!

Recently I have completed my portfolio website in html/css. I am very proud about the design but technically is it very disappointing because it's static as hell. So my next step is to learn how to build websites dynamically by using cms. I wanted to learn to use MODX a long time ago but I didn't take the time and I really had no clue where to start. I decided to make a fresh start.

Take a look www.joepklunhaar.nl

So my question is where do I start as a beginner?! Unfortunately, I am a designer and my brain doesn't function like a sponge if its about coding and stuff. I guess video tutorials work the best for me unless it's clearly explained step by step.

Or should I just skip modx? Because I have a blog on my website as you might have noticed so I thought about diggin more into wordpress. And wordpress is a awesome and populair cms.

I appreciate your help guys!

This question has been answered by multiple community members. See the first response.

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AMDbuilder Reply #2, 14 years, 5 months ago

Hey,

It sounds like you are already on the right trail, as one of MODX's strengths is taking an existing static site and putting it into a CMS. The design and function are separated making life easier especially if you don't know the geekier coding side of the table. Granted you will need to learn a tad to get you going with MODX, but it's not bad in the long run.

Looking over your site some the breakdown:

Contact Form - use FormIt (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/ADDON/FormIt)
Showcase - getResources (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/ADDON/getResources)
Home Page - getResources and Slideshow Manager (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/ADDON/Slideshow+Manager)
Blog - Articles (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/ADDON/Articles)

You could use Wayfinder (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/ADDON/Wayfinder) for the menus if desired, granted with such a small main menu it might be overkill

You may also want to use addons like MetaX (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/ADDON/MetaX), Copyright (http://modx.com/extras/package/copyright) and phpthumbof (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/ADDON/phpThumbOf) to automate items like adding the meta tags for description/keywords and such, copyright year, and automatically resize images (if you don't do it manually which is more efficient).

The above documentation on each component should get you going on the right track, there is also more information on using Revolution in general (http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Home), if you are more of a book learner then check out: http://modx.com/learn/modx-books/modx-the-official-guide/

A little code to get you going (getResources template for showcase page)

   <div class="bk240 showitem"> <a href="[[+tv.showcase-img]]" class="lightview" data-lightview-group="example" data-lightview-title="Navigation" data-lightview-caption="[[+description]]"> <img src="[[+tv.showcase-thumb]]" alt='' width="180" height="180" class="imgcenter fade img" /> </a>
      <div class="bk120 bk120-2 bottom">
        <div class="textspacing">
          <p class="showcasetitle">[[+pagetitle]]</p>
          <p>[[+intotext]]</p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>

You would create two TVs (showcase-thumb & showcase-img) for the images, and then just add the page title, introtext, and a description (all existing fields for a new document), and boom done(ish).

The getresources call would be something like (sorting optional):

[[!getResources? &parents=`[[*id]]` &tpl=`showcase-tpl` &includeContent=`1` &includeTVs=`1` &limit=`12` &sortby=`{"publishedon":"ASC","createdon":"DESC"}` ]]

Hope that helps some

Patrick | Server Wrangler
About Me: Website | Tweets | MODX Hosting

387 Posts

whistlemaker Reply #3, 14 years, 5 months ago

So my question is where do I start as a beginner?!

I think the best place to start is with something you want to do.

is it very disappointing because it's static as hell.

So decide on something that you want to do 'dynamically' on your website and learn how to do it with Modx. If you have a specific goal you can search for solutions and ask specific questions that will probably be answered.

Figure one thing out and come up with a new goal...

In the mean time it is trivially simple to put a static site into Modx
Oh and I would definitely use Wayfinder even if it seems overkill it simplifies maintenance, and as the site grows it will repay many times over the time put into learning it (IMHO it should be part of the Modx core, it is not like the rest of Modx is this super streamlined, striped down system that adding a navigation system would create code bloat!)

So the answer to:

Or should I just skip modx?

Is NO!!

Because I have a blog on my website as you might have noticed so I thought about diggin more into wordpress

Well if you ONLY want a blog AND you don't want to be have creative freedom* with the template design by all means install Wordpress

* maybe I'm being hard on Wordpress - people do manage to make it do amazing things, BUT it is the hard way!

1,098 Posts

microcipcip Reply #4, 14 years, 5 months ago

I have used both MODX and WordPress, and this is what I think:

If you are going to write many articles and eventually make the blog the main section of your website, then go with WordPress, it is easier to make a blog with it because WordPress is the state-of-the-art blogging platform.
If you plan to customize the website a lot, and use the blog as a complement for the whole, then go with MODX.
Basically you can build the "Home/Showcase/About" pages very easily on MODX, but the blog will require more effort. On WordPress is the exact opposite, you can build the blog easily but the other pages will require more effort.

Where to learn MODX:

If you are a person that learn by examples, I definitely recommend this series of tutorials:
http://codingpad.maryspad.com/2010/08/18/modx-revolution-for-beginners-part-1-introduction/

Jertix.org -> Web Design & Development, Motion Graphics | Follow me on Twitter | MODx Tutorials (in Italiano) | MODx Snippets (English)

7 Posts

Joepk Reply #5, 14 years, 5 months ago

Thanks AMDbuilder. Well it doesn't look like much work if you were to understand what each line of code does but I will try to figure it out myself.

Thanks for the pre code for my showcase wink

So the blog can be done within MODX aswell, but if it's really hard ill get it done my someone else.

Now I forgot to ask this, does MODX have a front end editor?

Thanks for the directions, and yes maryspad has some nice video's

[ed. note: Joepk last edited this post 14 years, 5 months ago.]

1,098 Posts

microcipcip Reply #6, 14 years, 5 months ago

Now I forgot to ask this, does MODX have a front end editor?

Try FrontPage addon:
http://modx.com/extras/package/frontpage

Jertix.org -> Web Design & Development, Motion Graphics | Follow me on Twitter | MODx Tutorials (in Italiano) | MODx Snippets (English)

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AMDbuilder Reply #7, 14 years, 5 months ago

Hello,

As microcipcip noted there is frontpage, but compared with Evolution there isn't a strong frontend editor at this point in time. Perhaps in the future.

Oh, and do ask questions regardless of how trivial and we can help explain things some.

Patrick | Server Wrangler
About Me: Website | Tweets | MODX Hosting

Answered A fresh start!