MODx newbie stuff!

Not just MODx I guess, but all CMS. I’ve never worked with a CMS before and after having done some research I narrowed it down to Drupal and Modx. I made base installs for both of them and played around with them a bit. So here’s a few newbie questions...

How does ModX compare with Drupal? I googled it and found many good articles but they either only explained the strengths of one or were very vague in comparing the two. In my own 10 minute experience, I found the Drupal admin panel to be more user friendly while the Modx one was a little difficult to navigate.

Also, it seems that I can’t configure my site anymore for Modx. After saving the configuration, I got an error message and then the configuration tab from "Home" disappeared forever, never to be seen again.

Still, after reading about the flexibility of Modx and how some users claim that it works for you and not the other way around, I’m still interested in it.

The configuration tab on the Manager home will only show if there are problems with your configuration. To configure your site, use the Tools -> Configuration menu.

It would help if we knew what the error message you got said.

Thanks, noticed it only shortly after posting. After a little more testing, it seems to me that ModX is more developer friendly and a ton more flexible and customizable than Drupal. However, I’ve had a much better user experience using Drupal’s admin center...ModX seems a bit overwhelming, cluttered and confusing. It also seems that ModX’s learning curve is pretty steep.

Quote from: mlchai at Feb 02, 2008, 10:46 PM

Thanks, noticed it only shortly after posting. After a little more testing, it seems to me that ModX is more developer friendly and a ton more flexible and customizable than Drupal. However, I’ve had a much better user experience using Drupal’s admin center...ModX seems a bit overwhelming, cluttered and confusing. It also seems that ModX’s learning curve is pretty steep.

I think you are spot on here. MODx is confusing in the beginning and there is a learning curve. I am a newbie big time. Here is the thing though: I have taken all the popular CMS systems for a spin. I was so ready to give up on MODx but stuck with it. If you know some XHTML and CSS an want to build a custom site with your unique design AND have full dynamic capability then MODx is the system for you. It is so worth sticking with...

Max

Thanks for the reply. After more researching, reading and testing I think I’ve found a good "line" between the two or rather, what separates ModX from all the other CMS since I believe it’s in a category of its own.

My take on this is, for a site where you are going to build it around a community and have heavy community participation, Drupal and those types of CMS are the choice. Because they come with basic features for those out of the box and contain many modules for extending community and user interaction, it seems to me that’s a hands down choice.

ModX seems like it could do that too, but it doesn’t look like it was built for such a thing. Upon inspection, it seems ModX would be good for when one is building a site with dynamic content but doesn’t require a lot of community interaction such as a blog, a content site, article site, etc. Also seems like a good choice for paid developers who develop those kinds of sites for clients.

For the project I’m doing, by my definition it seems Drupal is what I should be going with. However, I am very interested in ModX and I’ll be keeping my eye on it and I’m pretty excited to build a site with it in the near future.

That’s why it is frequently stated that MODx is not a YAPS - Yet Another Portal Site. If you need an out-of-the-box community portal site, then Drupal or Joomla is most likely a better choice at this time.

Some time ago my mother-in-law wanted a machine for typing letters and some minimal spreadsheet functionality. I recommended she buy a Brother word processor for $400 rather than a full-blown PC, monitor and printer for what was then around $1000. And she was happy with it until she finally retired from her little business. So you can see that I’m a firm believer in the right tool for the job.

I am no expert on any of these systems but reading your list of requirements it sounds like MODx should be able to work.

In a way I understand your leaning towards going with Drupal. It is a more out of the box system...

One thing I found when testing Drupal and Joomla though: these are large systems with a bewildering array of choices of modules. I found that navigating through them to figure out what they all did was a time consuming process. All of these systems are built with deeply coded themes. I like to design my own sites. In my case I am a photographer who has added web design to my business mix. I would rather build my own design than backwards engineer another design theme. The CSS files in the Dupal themes are large and complex.

Other folks are attracted to MODx for several reasons. For me the big attraction is that I find that the design process and MODx work well together. There is a lot of freedom which allows for design creativity. Its getting the scripting stuff to work that causes me headaches.

The other thing I like about MODx is this forum. Its more like a family here than over at Drupal or Joomla. I found getting answers over there more difficult than it is here. I think this has to do with "call volume." MODx is smaller and thus I find the forum to be easier to deal with.

I am sure that for people who know all there is to know about these complex CMS systems the wave of newbie questions/frustrations must be a drag. Some of the posts I read on the Drupal forum indicated a certain level of impatience with "newbieitis." For the most part the MODx crew seem to take the "there are no bad questions approach" which is nice.

In short there will be a learning curve and level of frustration with any of these CMS systems. After a while you have to pick one and stick with it...

Good luck!

Max