The abbreviation CMS stands for the English term content management system. The term can best be translated as content management system. A content management system (CMS) is a system that allows you to manage the content of a website. website can be carried out in an uncomplicated manner. In the broadest sense, this refers to content, images and text. With a CMS you also have the possibility to administrate the navigation of a website.
Overview
With a CMS, the administration of the content and the design of the website (design and layout) takes place separately. If you use a CMS, it is not necessary that you take care of the layout of the content. The layout of the website can be changed with little effort on your part. It is also practical that not only you, but also other users can access the content if necessary. It is also possible for these users to determine which content is published at what time.
With a CMS the saving of the contents of the website takes place in a database (for example MySQL). By means of so-called templates (format templates), which consist of placeholders and HTML, the design of the CMS website takes place. When viewing the CMS website, the CMS automatically replaces the placeholders with, for example, navigation, content and advertising.
Content application and content management application
The CMS consists of the components Content Delivery Application (CDA) and Content Management Application (CMA). With the Content Management Application you are able to create content on the website without knowledge of HTML (Hpertext Markup Language), make changes or remove the text. You do not need any support from a webmaster. To update the website, the Content Delivery Application uses the information. Although the functions of the CMS vary, they usually include format management, web publishing, revision control and indexing, retrieval and search.
Using Web publishing, you can create templates (Templates), assistants and other tools. This allows you to create and modify web content. Documents, whether scanned documents, older electronic documents or current documents can be converted into PDF or HTML files using format management. Thanks to revision control, content is updated or returned to its original state. The revision control also keeps track of all changes made to the files.
The CMS indexes all data within an organization. Users can then search for data using keywords. The CMS then makes this data available.
The CMS provides tools for the one-to-oneMarketing ready. This refers to the ability of a website to adapt advertising and content to the individual preferences of its users. Here, the information that the site has determined or that comes from the user himself is used. For example, if the user searches for a certain product via a search engine, he will not receive any advertising banners that have nothing to do with the product he is looking for. The reader only sees ads from providers that are relevant and available in the provider's portfolio.
Before a CMS is used, a number of factors must be considered. These include the size and geographical location of the company. This is particularly important if the company has headquarters in several countries. The various electronic data forms used in the company are also important. If graphics, videos, diagrams, audio and text documents are used to convey information, it is much more difficult to manage the respective contents.
The probably best known and most used Content Management System is WordPress. Other content management systems are Drupal, Joomla and TYPO3.
PHP language in CMS
In many cases, the term PHP CMS can also be found on the Internet. This is a CMS programmed in the script language PHP. Another PHP CMS is the CMS Made Simple.
Frontbackend and backend of the CMS
A CMS is mostly divided into a frontend area and a backend area. The frontend area (front view) is what the visitor of the website sees. The backend area (rear view) is the secure area. Here the administration of the CMS takes place. In this area, the user is provided with all the functions he needs for administration after logging on to the CMS. It is also often possible to define different access rights for several CMS users. For example, the author can only access the contents of the CMS and the designer can only access the templates.
