[Nkhosinathie]

i need some help of how i can develop a content management system using netbeans.i have covered languages like c,c++,java and assembly.so i just started php which i think its a great language for web applications.any suggestions are welcome.i'm not in a rush as this is my own project that i'm doing.

[wirehopper]

I don't recommend building your own content management system.

There are many excellent systems available. From a business perspective, the ability to work with an existing CMS is more valuable than building your own.

The advantage of using existing code (whether it is a CMS, cart, blog, registration system, CRM solution) is that you can offer people a lot more code, that has been tested, and usually has documentation for both users and developers.

If I were you, I'd look at Drupal, joomla, eZ Publish, MODx, TYPO3, b2evolution, WordPress (listed in no particular order). You can test them out at opensoucecms.com. These are extremely marketable skills.

You can use NetBeans with any PHP project.

[Nkhosinathie]

thank u Wirehopper but i have taken a look on those cms and the one i like is joomla.i want to know whether i can edit them to be the way i want? is it possible to edit them and how? thank u in advance.

[carters-site]

Their Open Source so the code should be available for you to download. If you are working on a windows machine then you can use XAMPP to setup a local enviroment on your machine for Joomla!

When I toyed with it a while back that is what I did and it worked pretty nicely. I believe Joomla! even has a walkthru on how to get started.

Personally I have worked on multiple CMS projects and they are not something you want to start from scratch. They take lots of time to develop and its best just to use the free versions out their and customize them or write plugin to them to do what you want.

Another important tip to save you some frustration. Make sure u keep an original of the file before you start going crazy editing code. That way if you really botch it you can at least get things back to where you started.

Good luck!

[dgreenhouse]

I'd add... Definitely buy some books on whichever CMS you settle on (sounds like Joomla).

Joomla has a very active user community, so I'd spend a lot on time in the forums.

It will take awhile to get your head around the whole thing, so you'll have to be patient.

[Nkhosinathie]

Guys i really need your help as soon as possible.actually the project i'm doing is the below


Web Portal that will have information of the different careers, education institutions and other resources.
Wants users to be able to register on the site and upload their profiles (cv)
Wants to be able to manage own content without needing programming skills
If users do not have email addresses, they must be able to create email addresses on the domain without having to someone sitting and managing that
Restrictions

Server is running CentOS 4 Linux
Web server is Apache2 with PHP5 support
Database is MySQL 5 or Postgresql
Project must be completed is 3 weeks (design framework and structure must be done in a week)
My take, think of all the different prospectus' in all the different colleges, technikons and universities. All this information must be catered for and much more.


i really need your help as i will be presenting this project to the company in two months time.

[wirehopper]

3 weeks would not be enough time for me to do this work.

I'd translate the requirements into the following tasks:

Determine the visual interface - what the page will look like.
Define the site architecture - how the information will be organized
Determine whether users only upload the CV or if they can post additional materials/edit additional content
Find out what content they will be managing. Text? Images? Structured data such as a profile?
Mechanism to create an email address. This should not be allowed, it presents a huge security risk for the server.
What are 'restrictions'?

You have a good server.

If you have never done a project like this before, it will be very difficult to create accurate estimates of the time it will take to do the work.

My recommendation would be to continue to work on the requirements, such that the client understands exactly what they will get, and you know what work must be done.

Don't allow anyone to create email addresses on your server. Spammers will abuse them.

[Nkhosinathie]

i do agree to that Wirehopper thats why i asked u if there is a way i can get an existing content management system that i can work with,edit the source code to be the way i want it.any suggestions are welcome at this stage.talking about the time,i told them that 4 months will siut me.

[wirehopper]

4 Months is good. I recommend breaking the schedule out and showing them where the time goes. Also put in opportunities for them to review your specifications and work.

[Nkhosinathie]

sp mr Wire hopper u saying there is no way i can get a code that i can edit to hand this project to a client?