CMS Made Simple Forums

Hi,

I am doing a website for a client and they want CMS support (of course)

All the websites I have previously done I have done in Dreamweaver and they all have pretty good functionality and are CSS based.

However after doing a lot of research on the net I have come to the conclusion that this CMS stuff is a little different. For a start I guess I was hoping for a piece of software that I download, open up and start making websites. Then I upload it all to a server and then open some kind of UI to edit and manage it.

But snooping through the CMSMS site it looks like I cant even get going without setting up the server FIRST. Theres all this talk of MYSQL and php. I tried Wordpress once and had to set up a MAMP server on my mac. I didnt like it at all and the design options were very limited.

You see Im a designer first and foremost and I like to make things look nice. I worry about alignment and colour matching and gradients and grids and things.

However Ive also recently lost my job and need to 'quick smart' get up and running doing cool CMS websites.

Sooo, my question to all you total CMS groovers out there is:

Can you direct me to a place that explains how to install CMSMS on a Mac and get designing straight away. Do I need a server set up or can I design it all first and upload it later?

Can I design my site in Dreamweaver and then turn it into a CMSMS site? I would be happy to do this although I would like to do it the PROPER CMCMS way.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Nige



By the way I have a .mac account. Can I use that server to get going?

Also I need to design this site for a client but dont yet have their server details. Can I not design it all first on my Mac and then upload it when its ready?

nige wrote: Can you direct me to a place that explains how to install CMSMS on a Mac and get designing straight away. Do I need a server set up or can I design it all first and upload it later?

Look to Visual Tutorials, there is a MAC installation also (outdated but functionality)

nige wrote: Can I design my site in Dreamweaver and then turn it into a CMSMS site? I would be happy to do this although I would like to do it the PROPER CMCMS way.

Always in V.T. #3 there is a tutorial for transform a generic free template in CMSMS

Alby

nige wrote: Also I need to design this site for a client but dont yet have their server details. Can I not design it all first on my Mac and then upload it when its ready?

Whether it's a remote server or local server, you need a server that supports PHP, access to a MySQL database, etc.  The full list of requirements is here: www.cmsmadesimple.org/support/faq/    (#6)

If you do not want to worry about CMSMS installation, you need a managed hosting provider (they will have it installed for you). However, getting CMSMS installed by yourself, while being a learning curve, is an easy and exciting process. Investing in that process is well worth your time.

There is also an out-of-the-box "Just Works"(TM) LiveCD in progress.

Pierre M.