Web Design & Development Guide

Web content management system

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A web content management system is content management system software implemented as a web application used for creating and managing HTML content. It is used to manage and control a large, dynamic collection of web material (HTML documents and their associated images). A CMS facilitates content creation, content control, editing, and many essential web maintenance functions.

Usually the software provides tools where users with little or no knowledge of programming languages and markup languages can create and manage content with relative ease of use. Most systems use a database to store content, and a presentation layer displays the content to regular website visitors based on a set of templates. Administration and content creation is typically done through the web application, but some CMS may be modified in other ways.

A Content Management System (CMS) differs from website builders like Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver. A CMS allows non-technical users to make changes to an existing website with little or no training. Web CMS typically require an experienced coder to set-up and add features, but it is primarily a website maintenance tool for non-technical administrators.

Web content management systems capabilities

A web content management system is a software system used to manage and control a large, dynamic collection of web material (HTML documents and their associated images). A CMS facilitates document control, auditing, editing, and timeline management. A Web CMS provides the following key features:

Automated templates

Create standard visual templates that can be automatically applied to new and existing content, creating one central place to change that look across a group of content on a site.

Easily editable content

Once your content is separate from the visual presentation of your site, it usually becomes much easier and quicker to edit and manipulate. Most CMS software include WYSIWYG editing tools allowing non-technical individuals to create and edit content.

Scalable feature sets

Most CMS have plug-ins or modules that can be easily installed to extend an existing site's functionality.

Web standards upgrades

Active CMS solutions usually receive regular updates that include new feature sets and keep the system up to current web standards.

Workflow management

Workflow is the process of creating cycles of sequential and parallel tasks that must be accomplished in the CMS. For example, a content creator submits a story but it's not published on the website until the copy editor cleans it up, and the editor-in-chief approves it.

Document management

CMS solutions may provide a means of managing the life cycle of a document from initial creation time, through revisions, publication, archive, and document destruction.

Various products includes Teamsite.

See also

• Content management systems
• Comparison of content management systems

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This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.