Comparision of CMS : Improving TYPO3 functionality

Comparison of CMS :
Improving TYPO3 functionality
Fedir RYKHTIK
fedir.rykhtik@gmail.com

T3CON09, Frankfurt am Main
September 10, 2009

1 Comparison of CMS : improving TYPO3 functionality
Fedir Rykhtik, September 10, 2009, Frankfurt am Main

Comparison of CMS :
Improving TYPO3 functionality
● Tutorial 3h

● 2 parts with coffee break in the middle

● Be ready to the dialogue

● Feel free to propose Your ideas


About the speaker
Fedir RYKHTIK
Education : M.Sc. in Communication networks,
Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronic,
Ukraine.
Position : Open Source CMS Web developer in
BleuRoy.com (Marseille, France).
Specialisation : large scalable CMS sites with
advanced information architecture.


Speaker relationship with CMS
● Technology : LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP)

● Preferable licence : GNU GPL

● Priority to scalable modular solutions


About the audience
● Do You make code contributions to the TYPO3 ?

● Do You make sites with CMS others than TYPO3 ?

● Did You saw in other CMS features interesting stuff,
which not exists in TYPO3 ?


Tutorial objective
● To show how we could improve the quality and the
logic of the TYPO3 Core and community extensions
● To help to adapt the TYPO3 to the future tendencies
of CMS Web development


Tutorial structure
● Analysing TYPO3
● Here FLOW3 comes
● Diving into the world of CMS
● A little bit of Frameworks
● Improving TYPO3
● The consequences of TYPO3 improving
● Questions & Answers
● Contact exchange

Analysing TYPO3
● Common overview
● Architecture
● Administration
● Development
● Interfaces
● Collaborative work


Common overview
● Chronicles of TYPO3 : 1997- 2009, long way, full of
experience
● Intelligent multidimensional structure
● Adapted for big sites, with complex architecture


On-line demo
● http://demo.opensourcecms.com/typo3/typo3/index.
php
● Username : admin
● Password : demo123


TYPO3 Architecture
● Flexible structure
● FE / BE functions separation, different API
● TCA / TCE / TSFE
● InstallTool
● TypoScript for FE & BE structure (TSConfig)


Administration
● FE Users / FE Groups
● BE Users / BE Groups
● User TSConfig patterns


Development
● Extensions with FE Plugins & BE Modules
● Kickstarter
● XCLASS
● Hooks
● Complex API; probably, not always intuitive


Interfaces
● FE
● TemplaVoila!
● Substitution's mechanism
● Clean FE output
● BE
● Very complete (too much sometimes)
● Possibility of easy integration of 3rd part modules
● Hardcoded


Collaborative work
● Flexible system of rights
● Documents workflow
● Separated workspaces
● System of versionning
● Task center


Here FLOW3 comes
● Real MVC framework
● Brings new methodologies
● Better code quality
● New template engine
● Content repository
● Adapted PHP 5.3


Is it enough ?
Is an intelligent framework is enough to satisfy all
CMS needs ?
Framework is the fundamental base of the
application, but after there the application logic
defines the behaviour of the system.
Let's see what else could we find next door.


Diving into the world of CMS

Hundreds of CMS, in different languages :
PHP, Java, Python, Ruby, ASP, .Net, …


CMS types
● General Web purpose (WCM)
● Blog / multiblog CMS
● Educational CMS
● Enterprise CMS (ECM, DM, CRM, ERP)
● e-Commerce
● Team collaboration CMS ( Groupware CMS)
● Media content management CMS
● Mobile CMS
● Component Content Management Systems

Evolution of CMS concept
● Before : Time of identical solutions with gadgets. It's
enough just to have CMS, with everything ready, use
it, with a bit of parameters changing. Only site
template and site content are different.
● Now : Time of own application, efficient & functional.
To have a CMS like a base, create personalized
projects with custom logic. Sites becomes to be
functionally different, even if the CMS is the same.


The main difference between CMS
● Adopted to Your project
● Flexibility (all the levels)
● Performance
● CMS power
+ Quantity of community members
+ Quality of members communication
+ Quality of developed packages (verified, supported)
- Quantity of developed packages
● Cost of development
● Cost of support

Wordpress


Wordpress
● Big community
● Clean logic
● Themes
● A lot of widgets
● Simple but smart architecture
● GNU GPL


On-line demo
● http://demo.opensourcecms.com/wordpress/wp-
login.php


Drupal


Drupal
● Friendly style
● Very extendible
● Taxonomies
● Themes
● Custom content types
● Simple API – hook based
● GNU GPL


On-line demo
● http://demo.opensourcecms.com/drupal/


SilverStripe


SilverStripe
● Simple CMS with high usability
● All basic needs
● OOP code
● Modules, widgets, themes
● BSD license


On-line demo
● http://demo.opensourcecms.com/silverstripe


eZ Publish


eZ Publish
● Complex multifunctional CMS
● Fine multilingual support
● SEO-friendly
● Workflows
● Original template system
● CNU GPL + Proprietary licence


On-line demo
● http://ez.no/ezpublish/demo
● http://now.ezpublish.no/
● Username : editor
● Password : publish


Liferay


Liferay
● Java
● Nice Apple inspired default style
● Good busyness strategy
● Portal
● Social Offic : Cloud edition
● Export/Import data
● Licence : MIT


Jahia


Jahia
● Java
● Complete solution : WCM / DM / Portal
● Licence : GPL + Proprietary
● CNU GPL + Proprietary licence


On-line demo
● http://demo.jahia.org/cms
● Password : password


Plone


Plone
● Python
● Built on the Zope application server
● Document publishing / collaboration tool
● Very rich in functionalities
● Huge community
● Interface conforms to WCAG-AAA and U.S. section 508
● GNU GPL


On-line demo

● http://plone3.sixfeetup.com/
● Username : siteadmin
● Password : siteadmin01


Nuxeo


Nuxeo
● Document Management
● SaaS : Cloud Edition
● MS Office & Open Office support
● Collaborative work
● Workflow
● DAM
● Licence : GNU LGPL


A little bit of Frameworks
● Today almost any advanced OSS CMS has own
framework, which implement the philosophy of the
CMS, helps to standardise the code of the extensions
and Core.
● Standalone frameworks are good examples for
teams who are working on the code of TYPO3.


Django


Django
● Python
● Object-relational mapper
● Advanced caching framework
● Syndication framework
● Designer-friendly template language
● Code based on DRY principle
● Licence : BSD


Symfony


Symfony
● Clean design
● Code readability
● Good ORM support
● Documentation
● DRY, KISS, XP
● MIT License


Where is the way of TYPO3 evolution ?
● Each of CMS has its own auditory, its own structure,
pluses and minuses in realization.

● The question is : where the Internet goes ?

● The time to decide the Future of TYPO3 – is Now !


Improving TYPO3
TYPO3 Curve of learning
● TYPO3 Improvements


Improving TYPO3
● Optimize curve of learning
● Explore the ways of TYPO3 ● Content import / Export
improving ● Custom Workflows
● Taxonomies ● Flexible data object model
● Interactivity ● Security paradigms for
● Usability development
● Dynamic SEO Management ● DAM Integration
● Hooks library ● Clustering
● Dynamic Templating System ● Places of social exchange
● Default Templates ● Extension repository


Optimization of curve of learning
Different roles, different problems
● Server Administrators
● Developers
● Site Managers
● Integrators
● Editors


Curve of learning : Server Admins
Primary functions : TYPO3 installation, state control
Possible difficulties : configuration of system
modules, security fails
Recommended actions : ready to use bash
installation scripts; VM (VMWare, kvm, OpenVZ,
Proxmox) TYPO3 images on P2P networks, automatic
control & update mechanism of the Core &
extensions


Curve of learning : Developers
Primary functions : new extension writing,
modification/tuning of public extensions;
Possible difficulties : unstandardised code; loose of
the time of development.
Recommended actions : Core advanced API creation,
enlarging of main Core framework functionality,
coding guidelines popularization.


Curve of learning : Site Managers
Primary functions : site configuration & process
managing
Possible difficulties : distributed processes, hard to
look for everything, especially in the case of large
sites with complex workflows
Recommended actions : administrator panel
creation, with possibility to add selectors and
indicators to manage the site


Curve of learning : Integrators
Primary functions : templating, site organization
Possible difficulties : not usual for other CMS
methods like TypoScript & TemplaVoila
Recommended actions : predefined packages of
TYPO3 with explicative commentaries


Curve of learning : Editors
Primary functions : Content editing, Workflow editing
Possible difficulties : non-ergonomic editing
Recommended solutions : possibility of offline
editing


Explore the ways of TYPO3 improving


Taxonomies
Objective : Content structuring
Problem : Many content / objects, hard to find, hard to manage
Solution : Using vocabularies and terms to tag the content /
objects
Participants : Site Administrators, Integrators, Internet Visitors
Consequences : Associative organization of content
Implementation in TYPO3 : TCA-based module
Reference CMS : Drupal (PHP), Liferay (Java)


Taxonomies
TYPO3 already has a taxonomy, a simple one.

● Linear content sequences – monocriterial
● Tree hierarchy : parent – child relationship
● Semantic relationship via taxonomies


Taxonomies
● Object
● Term
● Vocabulary

Terms could have complex hierarchy, with
parents/child relationships, synonyms.
Taxonomies are object-types independent, could be
used with different types of objects.


Content Organisation
● Organization & presentation of large data volumes
with proposition of navigation between the
elements by custom rule
● Optimization of system resources to work with well
ranged data
● Flexible site structure


Semantic Search
● RDF, Turtle, OWL (Web Ontology Language)
● Google Squared :
http://www.google.com/squared


Interactivity
Objective : Give to the visitor the possibility to exchange with
system and other visitors in custom way
Problem : absence of standards in TYPO3 to automatize the
exchange with FE User
Solution : advanced interface API development
Participants : Web Developers, Integrators, Internet Visitors
Consequences : easy and secure creation of interfaces stimulate
community-driven module
Implementation in TYPO3 : advanced interface API as Core feature
(form API, advanced user model API)
Reference CMS : Drupal (PHP)

BE Usability
Objective : Usable & ergonomic BE interface
Problem : A lot of fields, tabs, buttons,
Solution : Optimization of representation with possibility to
enlarge the functionality for the custom needs, creation of
profiles by default.
Participants : Web Developers, Integrators, Site Administrators
Consequences : Efficacy in work of administrator
Implementation in TYPO3 : Presets into BE users administration
panel, BE interface visual configurator.
Reference CMS : SilverStripe (PHP)

Dynamic SEO Management
Objective : Providing to the site administrator a powerful
instrument for search engine optimisation
Problem : Currently SEO in TYPO3 – it's developer work,
sometimes it's some heavy to change the URL rewrite model
Solution : tool for clean & elegant URL, with easy interface
Participants : Web Developers, Site Administrators
Consequences : Administrator could manage SEO without
technical skills
Implementation in TYPO3 : SEO administrator module
Reference CMS : eZ Publish (PHP), Drupal (PHP)

Hooks library
Objective : Extension & core synergy
Problem : Standalone extensions, many sub-APIs
Solution : Core API with clearly declared hooks and explications
where and how to use, standardization of each basic hook
Participants : Web Developers
Consequences : Complexes of extensions working in synergism
with each other
Implementation in TYPO3 : Documentation, additional hooks
Reference CMS : Wordpress (PHP), Drupal (PHP)


Dynamic Templating System
Objective : Dynamic templating providing
Problem : Static templates, integrators are depended
from developers
Solution : Template scripting, “pipe”-methodology
Participants : Web Developers, Integrators
Consequences : Optimization of site creation process
Implementation in TYPO3 : Additional script language
Reference CMS : Django (Python), eZ Publish (PHP)


Default Templates
Objective : BE & FE accessible templates
Problem : Unexisting FE templates, not accessible BE templates
Solution : Basic FE templates creation; norms of accessibility
Participants : Interface Experts, Site Administrators, Internet
Visitors
Consequences : more wide distribution of TYPO3, faster site
construction for some kind of projects,
Implementation in TYPO3 : Templates library on typo3.org
Reference CMS : Plone (Python), Wordpress (PHP), Drupal (PHP)


Content import / export
Objective : Migration facility.
Problem : Currently API is on-line editing oriented.
Solution : Change the paradigm of data processing.
Participants : Web Developers
Consequences : Data automatic exchange Possibility of offline
editing.
Implementation in TYPO3 : Data API
Reference CMS : Liferay (Java), Nuxeo (Java), eZ Publish(PHP)


Custom Workflows
Objective : Flexible workflows
Problem : Workflow could have custom number of stages
Solution : Construct workflow from elements
Participants : Web Developers, Site Administrators, Editors
Consequences : Possibility of custom processes
Implementation in TYPO3 : Workspace system reorganization
Reference CMS : Drupal, eZ Publish


Traditional stages in TYPO3
● Editing → Reviewing → Publishing
● 2 validation could be not enough
● Custom stages


Flexible data object model
Objective : Custom content types
Problem : Pages types or separated tables. No API.
Solution : System of internal Data management
Participants : Web Developers, Integrators
Consequences : Development cycle optimization. Data exchange
simplification. New powerful extensions.
Implementation in TYPO3 : TYPO3 CR in TYPO3 5 ?
References : Drupal, eZ Publish


Security paradigms for development
Objective : Make code secure
Problem : SQL Injections, XSS, hacker attacks ...
Solution : Data filtering API
Participants : Web Developers, Server Administrators,
Site Administrators
Consequences : Secure code in Core & in extensions
Implementation in TYPO3 : Core code libraries
Reference CMS : TYPO3 5


DAM Integration
Objective : Store/manage the files in dB, to manage
data on the level of objects
Problem : Versionning, security, import/export.
Solution : dB driven content managing
Participants : Web Developers, Site Administrators
Consequences : Better security. Facility of clustering.
Implementation in TYPO3 : DAM
Reference CMS : MediaWiki, Nuxeo, eZ Publish, Liferay


Clustering
Objective : Provide easy implemented clustering
mechanism
Problem : Cache, data storage
Solution : Fully distributed cache, DAM
Participants : Server Administrators, Web Developers
Consequences : Easy clustering.
Implementation in TYPO3 : DAM, modification of cache
mechanism
Reference CMS : MediaWiki, Alfresco

Places of social exchange
Objective : Exchange experience between the members
Problem : Separation of TYPO3 experience information,
insufficiency of mailing lists
Solution : Moving typo3.org to Web2.0
Participants : Server Administrators, Web Developers,
Integrators, Site Administrators
Consequences : better TYOP3 quality
Implementation in TYPO3 : System of forums, RSS
Reference CMS : Wordpress, Drupal

Extension repository
Objective : Optimization of the TYPO3 extension repository
Problem : Many extensions, hard to find the extension You need
Solution : Supplementary mechanisms of search and transversal
navigation, provide a connection with the Forge
Participants : Server Administrators, Web Developers, System
Administrators
Consequences : More active extensions distribution, concentration
on the development of the more interesting extensions
Implementation in TYPO3 : Advanced search on typo3.org
Reference CMS : Plone, Wordpress, Drupal


Extension repository
● http://plone.org/products
● http://wordpress.org/extend/
● http://drupal.org/project/Modules


The consequences of TYPO3 improving
● Bigger audience
● Evolution TYPO3 API
● Better code quality
● Simple & clear development
● More interesting projects
● Personalization cost is less


Implementation of proposed
improvements
● The major modifications could be done only in TYPO3
v.5, as they ask complete rebuild of some part of the
system.
● Some of proposed modifications could be ported to
the TYPO3 v.4.4 as FLOW3 & Fluid parts are
implemented in v.4.3.


Questions & Answers

● Questions ?


Contact exchange
● Social Networks
● LinkedIn
● Viadeo
● Facebook
● www.fedir.fr


These slides
Available to download on slideshare.net :
● http://www.slideshare.net/fedir


Credits
Abstractions
http://www.imageabstraction.com/
TYPO3 Analysing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loungeonflickr/2674483278


Special thanks
● http://www.opensourcecms.com
● OpenOffice project


Comparision of CMS : Improving TYPO3 functionality

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