Content Management Systems (CMS) when referring to web development are collaborations of software created specifically to allow a website to be updated, edited, or expanded - easily and intuitively - by any one with access.
A person or department without sufficient technical knowledge, HTML experience, or other applicable website development skills can utilize Content Management Systems to fully manage a website on their own.
Website based Content Management Systems most often consist of three portions:
A properly created CMS will allow users to quickly and safely expand certain portions of a web page or website without having to worry about proper coding, making errors, or otherwise messing anything up.
Indicated by the URL in the address bars (www.your-site.com...) In the following example, the Administrative Area is on the left, located at www.your-site.com/admin/about, as it is currently pointing to "edit About Page". The Database is not visible as it only stores information, and the Live Website is located on the right, at www.your-site.com/about, as it is currently pointing to the live "About Us" page.
Feel free to edit and submit the information in the sample admin section on the left, and observe the resulting changes that occur to the sample live website on the right.
Editing: home page | ||
| Edit: | ||
| Home Page | ||
| About Page | ||
| Product Page | ||
| Contact Page | ||
This sample content management system is a very simplified version of an actual CMS, however its functions should hopefully help ilucidate the power and simplicity that a CMS may allow for.
Actual Content Management Systems usually offer some form of WYSIWG (What you see is what you get) editor - allowing for text formatting and image, table, hyperlink, list (etc.) insertions in a format very similar to that of, for example Microsoft Word®, and eliminating the jargon (HTML code) that for example may be seen above in the content section of the admin window.
Such an editor requires a small download and file installation and is therefor not displayed on this page, however if you do not mind downloading the required software, check out the more advanced example of a CMS.
If you are interested in a more detailed sample content management system to get a better feel for the actual control that a Content Management System permits - including simple & intuitive text formatting, hyperlink insertion, tables & list insertions, image placement, and more - and do not mind downloading the required software (2-4 MB. file), check out a more complex cms example.
Depending on the specific websites' functions and managers, content management systems can potentially save countless amounts of time and money. The advantages of using content management systems include:
The capabilities of Content Management Systems are limited virtually only by their creator and the functions desired. Content Management Systems can have many various uses, including: