[Web4lib] CMS + homegrown code (making the transition)

[Matt Russell]

I'd like to add my vote for Drupal.  One important measure of these 
open-source CMS frameworks is the size of the user community, and on 
that score I think Drupal is the stand-out winner.  MODx may have great 
features, but I would guess the user community for Drupal is 20 times 
that of MODx.  There is a very lively drupal for libraries group which 
has already been mentioned 
(http://listserv.uic.edu/archives/drupal4lib.html).  Also, there's a 
huge ecosystem of support organizations built around Drupal, with Acquia 
(http://acquia.com/) at the center. 

As with any CMS, you really need to learn how the CMS works in order to 
adapt it to your needs, but Drupal has the clean and modular 
architecture to fit even very large and complex websites.  Have a tour 
here for some examples:  http://buytaert.net/tag/drupal-sites

Cheers,
Matt



Cary Gordon wrote:
> Drupal is the erector set of web content management systems. It has a
> module called Content Construction Kit (CCK) that lets you create as
> many content types with as many content fields as you need. There are
> many types of fields available either in the CCK modules or as
> sub-modules.
>
> Drupal, which is really conceived as a content management framework,
> definitely lets you have what you want. If you don't like the 4,900
> contributed modules, its well-documented APIs and powerful "hook"
> system make is straightforward to build your own.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Cary
>
> On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 8:35 AM, Ken Irwin <kirwin at wittenberg.edu> wrote:
>   
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Taking the CMS question in a slightly different direction: I currently have a library website that's all done in hand-coded html + php. I'm interested in moving toward a CMS, but I'm afraid of "losing control". So much of our current site is custom-built stuff with a lot of PHP running in the background (everything from database-driven dynamic content for things like our list of databases to a homegrown equivalent of the Serials Solutions A-Z search).
>>
>> Can I have both?  Do any or all of the CMS products allow for plenty of custom content too? If I move to a CMS, what happens to my database-of-databases? My myriad homemade tools? Can I still leverage the power of that system, or replicate it in an easier-to-use form? I want to join you all in the 21st century where I don't have to do everything with a hand-crank, but I'm afraid of being boxed in by the limitations of "what someone else wants me to have".
>>
>> Any advice, wisdom, guidance, or horror-stories?
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Ken
>>
>>
>>
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