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hardcode editing a cms website

  • 13-01-2013 6:48am
    #1
    businessdit
    Registered Users Posts: 173 ✭✭


    Hi All,

    I have just started a new job where one of my tasks will be to maintain the company website. Unfortuantely for me even though the site is a HTML site, it seems to be running from a CMS system called Ektron which is realy limiting.

    (I have a fair amount of html and css knowledge so I would prefer to hardcode the website in notepad++, it would be quicker for me and would allow more freedom )

    Is there anyway to bypass a cms system and hardcode a website instead, accessing the website folders and files and editing these directly??

    Regards,

    G


Comments

  • #2
    aN.Droid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,911 ✭✭✭aN.Droid


    businessdit wrote: »
    Hi All,

    I have just started a new job where one of my tasks will be to maintain the company website. Unfortuantely for me even though the site is a HTML site, it seems to be running from a CMS system called Ektron which is realy limiting.

    (I have a fair amount of html and css knowledge so I would prefer to hardcode the website in notepad++, it would be quicker for me and would allow more freedom )

    Is there anyway to bypass a cms system and hardcode a website instead, accessing the website folders and files and editing these directly??

    Regards,

    G

    That depends on the CMS.

    Most CMS's would rely on keeping data in a database rather then making html files for each page in the web dir.


  • #3
    Evil Phil
    Registered Users Posts: 7,468 ✭✭✭Evil Phil


    Invest the time to learn the CMS, that's what it's there for, you might be surprised by what features it has. Very few sites are hard-coded these days.


  • #4
    PrzemoF
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭PrzemoF


    Migrate it to wordpress/joomla.
    IMHO hardcoding will hit you (or next administrator) sooner or later.


  • #5
    ChRoMe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,021 ✭✭✭ChRoMe


    PrzemoF wrote: »
    Migrate it to wordpress/joomla.

    Thats just as bad as hard coding it.

    FFS, OP just learning the CMS.. :rolleyes:


  • #6
    PrzemoF
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭PrzemoF


    Hmmm, setting up joomla is easy, even for a beginner, and I dare to say it will be easier to find help & information on wp/joomla that on ektron. To clarify: I was thinking about manual migration (like copy & paste) not an automated one. I guess that the site cannot be big if OP wants to hardcode it.

    Measured by google "popularity contest":
    ektron 624.000
    wordpress 1,770,000,000
    joomla 338,000,000


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  • #7
    ChRoMe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,021 ✭✭✭ChRoMe


    PrzemoF wrote: »
    Hmmm, setting up joomla is easy ,even for a beginner, and I dare to say it will be easier to find help & information on wp/joomla that on ektron. To clarify: I was thinking about manual migration (like copy & paste) not an automated one. I guess that the site cannot be big if OP wants to hardcode it.

    Measured by google "popularity contest":
    ektron 624.000
    wordpress 1,770,000,000
    joomla 338,000,000

    Its still the wrong course of action, OP should just learn the bloody CMS. If I was working with a new hire and their first action was to either hardcode the site or immediately migrate to a different CMS.

    I'd be concerned for their future in the company.


  • #8
    TonyStark
    Registered Users Posts: 851 ✭✭✭TonyStark


    businessdit wrote: »
    Hi All,

    I have just started a new job where one of my tasks will be to maintain the company website. Unfortuantely for me even though the site is a HTML site, it seems to be running from a CMS system called Ektron which is realy limiting.

    (I have a fair amount of html and css knowledge so I would prefer to hardcode the website in notepad++, it would be quicker for me and would allow more freedom )

    Is there anyway to bypass a cms system and hardcode a website instead, accessing the website folders and files and editing these directly??

    Regards,

    G


    Just so you are aware that the powers that be may be paying out on licenses for the CMS or there may be a support and maintenance agreement in place... Such a a decision usually warrants discussion with the paymasters.


  • #9
    stevenmu
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 9,689 Mod ✭✭✭✭stevenmu


    There is very likely some functionality in Ektron that parts of the site rely heavily on that you may not understand yet. For that reason alone if nothing else, it's probably a very bad idea to either try and hardcode around it or to migrate away from it to some other system.

    As others have said, take the time to learn the CMS. Many CMSs can seem limiting at first when you don't know and understand them, but when you get to know them they are generally easily extensible, it's just a matter of learning the best ways to do it.

    For e.g. most CMSs will have some type of raw HTML control that will let you write in your raw HTML/CSS, while still playing nicely with the rest of the site. Being ASP.Net based it may also allow Razor functionality to let you add inline server side code.

    The CMS is there because it is much more powerful, efficient and functional than just hardcoding HTML/CSS, if it wasn't then the site would have been create using hardcoded HTML/CSS in the first place. If you try to fight it from the start you are just building problems for yourself down the line.


  • #10
    stevenmu
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 9,689 Mod ✭✭✭✭stevenmu


    PrzemoF wrote: »
    Hmmm, setting up joomla is easy, even for a beginner, and I dare to say it will be easier to find help & information on wp/joomla that on ektron.

    It might be easy to set up a new Joomla site from scratch, but how easy will it be to migrate an existing site with an unknown amount of content and functionality?


  • #11
    OneIdea
    Closed Accounts Posts: 249 ✭✭OneIdea


    businessdit wrote: »
    Is there anyway to bypass a cms system and hardcode a website instead, accessing the website folders and files and editing these directly??

    My own preference would be cuteftp or I'm sure if you look you'll find a free (FTP) file transfer program...


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  • #12
    PrzemoF
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭PrzemoF


    stevenmu wrote: »
    It might be easy to set up a new Joomla site from scratch, but how easy will it be to migrate an existing site with an unknown amount of content and functionality?

    You missed the second half of my comment. If the site is big a quick migration is not an option.


  • #13
    stevenmu
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 9,689 Mod ✭✭✭✭stevenmu


    Ah, totally missed that sorry :)


  • #14
    Evil Phil
    Registered Users Posts: 7,468 ✭✭✭Evil Phil


    Just so you are aware that the powers that be may be paying out on licenses for the CMS or there may be a support and maintenance agreement in place.

    This is an important point. There may well be more resources online for Joomla/Wordpress but if you have paid for tech support this negates that somewhat - it's just as easy to pick up the phone as too Google your problem.


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