What is a Content Management System?
For this you have to look back a little bit! The first websites were pure HTML. That is, the text was static and could be changed only against great effort.
Content Management System is now that functionality that the content is treated separately from the layout of the web presence. This has several advantages! On the one hand, you as a customer have the advantage that you can maintain content and photos yourself. On the other hand, if you want to change the layout at some point, the content is usually kept and we develop a new layout in the background.
And TYPO3 is a top class CMS! It offers a variety of functions, which are already integrated in the system. But also a lot of extensions, which makes the system very flexible in its use and therefore adaptable from startup to large corporations. You can find an overview of the most important functions here.
Flexible, expandable at will and free of charge What this means for you in detail, we would like to give you an overview here.
TYPO3 is an online editing system with which dynamic websites can be realized. The open source software is mainly used for the creation and maintenance of websites for companies and public institutions. In 2002 the third version of the content management system was made available to a broad mass for the first time - a success story began. To this day, the "3" is added to the name, as this version marked the final breakthrough of the application. "TYPO" was chosen as the name because the developer Kasper Skärhoj lost part of his work during the development process due to a typo.
The almost 5,000 published extensions are mostly provided free of charge by the respective developers. Due to the incredible power of the community, there are almost endless customization possibilities for working with TYPO3.
Depending on the editor's authorization, it provides access to all administrative areas necessary to organize the website structure, manage editorial content, as well as extend the TYPO3 installation.
Depending on the editor's authorization, it provides access to all administrative areas necessary for structuring the website, managing editorial content, and expanding the TYPO3 installation.
The division into the areas module list, page tree and work area provides clarity and facilitates the handling of the content management system enormously.The structure of the backend from left to right reminds e.g. of the Windows Explorer and is thus also very manageable for newcomers. Individual settings for different editors or user groups also facilitate the management of access rights and areas of responsibility.
The structure of the website is reflected by the page tree - so users always keep track of the structure of their projects. In TYPO3, several page trees can also be maintained in parallel. This is very practical, for example, if a company wants to operate several separate Internet presences - e.g. a corporate website, an online store and a forum - in just one Typo3.installation.
The TYPO3 user interface can be used with any modern web browser and can be functionally extended by additional extensions. Thanks to the intuitive navigation, users quickly find their way around the backend.
Uploading, renaming, copying, moving and deleting files as well as editing HTML or CSS templates is possible with the file manager itegrated in TYPO3. An image preview for easy management of graphical content is also available.
Especially in the area of corporate identity. Nowadays, a company's Internet presence is its business card. First impressions are gained here and the decision for a possible cooperation may already be made when looking at the online presence. The large offer of different service providers does not make the choice easy for searchers. That is why it is important for a company to stand out from the crowd with its presentation on the World Wide Web.
TYPO3 is ideal for such a project, because its extensibility means that the possibilities in terms of visual customization are almost unlimited. Without any problems, already existing HTML layouts can be integrated into TYPO3 projects. Based on a given HTML template, the administrator can define any number of areas into which various content elements can later be inserted.
For the logical description of web pages, the content management system provides developers with the system's own configuration language TYPOScript. Created TYPOScript templates are interpreted by the system and converted for display in the web browser. Instead of having to redefine the design of each individual page, a central TYPOScript template can be used to define the appearance of an entire project.
By using the Mask extension, users can additionally define their own types of content elements, so-called "Flexible Content Elements". This option opens up further individual design possibilities for users.
TYPO3 automatically adjusts the pixel and file size of photos and graphics and saves them in a web-optimized way. The downsizing of images takes place with just one mouse click through a complex, server-side process and delivers high-quality image material that can be used immediately for editorial work.
A click-enlarge function for images is already integrated in TYPO3 by default. With the easy-to-install Perfect Lightbox extension, photos and graphics can also be highlighted in a modern and effective way.
In TYPO3, custom graphics, e.g. for the header of a website, can be dynamically combined from existing image material as well as any fonts. In addition, various effects such as drop shadows or transparencies can be created. In this way, users can, for example, adapt a title graphic to the thematic orientation of a page without having to create a new graphic for this page area. This task is handled automatically by the content management system.
Editorial changes in the structure of the page tree are simultaneously displayed in the website menu. Menu items added by the editor are displayed at the appropriate place immediately after saving. With a few lines of TYPOScript, changes in the menu design can also be easily implemented.
The graphical functions of TYPO3 can also be put to good use when creating your own extensions. Image database systems implemented with TYPO3, for example, automatically convert uploaded image data into any target formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG. In addition to conventional image formats, the source format can also be a TIFF, EPS or PDF document.
This means not only that employees should have good foreign language skills, but above all that Internet presences should be multilingual.
From the very beginning, TYPO3 has been an international and therefore multilingual project. The developers therefore ensured at a very early stage that the system was highly adaptable in this respect. The TYPO3 backend has now been translated into 50 languages. This achievement, like many others, could only be achieved with the help of the large community.
Frequently used extensions are also already available in many language versions. The basic versions of all extensions are also developed in English. Also built according to a clearly defined standard. This allows international users a quick introduction to the functionality as well as an uncomplicated translation into the respective language.
In the current versions of TYPO3, the character encoding UTF-8 is preset by default. With this encoding, all characters from all languages of the world can be displayed. Even extensive languages from the Asian and Arabic regions can be managed with TYPO3 in this way.
Users of the content management system define a default language when building a website. In the page tree, additional translations can be added in parallel to editorial content in this language. This means that there is no need to create several page trees in different languages. The advantage: If no translations are available for certain content, the original content of the standard language is output.
Above all, they are a guarantee for returning visitors to your website. For this reason, it is particularly important to be able to enter and edit new content such as texts or images easily and promptly.
Creating editorial content or editing existing texts is therefore child's play with TYPO3. Even less experienced users can quickly learn how to use the editorial tools. Workflows are similar to those of familiar office programs such as Microsoft Word.
Thanks to the Rich Text Editor (RTE HTML Area), which is already available in the standard version of TYPO3, texts appear during editing exactly as they will be displayed later on the website. This makes the creation of articles very easy. Depending on taste, texts can be formatted or supplemented with additional elements such as images or links. The editor is completely configurable. Superfluous buttons can be easily removed. It is also possible to add your own functions.
Numerous wizards support editors in creating new pages and content. For a variety of complex content elements, such as forms or tables, step-by-step instructions are available to guide the user through the various menus.
To edit the content of a website even faster, editors can use the so-called frontend etiding. As the name suggests, this function allows you to edit the individual elements of your website directly in the frontend. In this way, even TYPO3-inexperienced editors can concentrate on the editorial work. Extensive backend knowledge is necessary.
The standard installation of TYPO3 is equipped with all important functions that a content management system must have. For a large number of websites, TYPO3 thus offers the required range of functions right from the start. In addition, the modular structure makes TYPO3 an extremely flexible system for almost all areas of application.
In addition to the extensive standard features, it is especially the countless extension options that give TYPO3 its almost limitless flexibility. As already mentioned, there are currently almost 5,000 extensions from various thematic areas. In the TYPO3 Extension Repository (TER), a central directory for TYPO3 extensions, these extensions are stored and can be easily integrated into a TYPO3 installation via the extension manager. Every developer can also upload own extensions to the TER, which are then available to the whole TYPO3 community for free.
The most popular and high-quality extensions, which usefully supplement the range of functions of TYPO3, are permanently integrated into the basic system after intensive testing by the TYPO3 development team. One example of this is the now standard index search, which was available as an optional extension until version 3.8. With its help, TYPO3 pages as well as embedded documents can be searched easily.
15% of the EU population today suffer from physical disabilities. In addition to the respective health problems, the lack of social connection also plays a major role in the lives of many disabled people.
Barrier-free or barrier-poor Internet sites remove obstacles on the Internet and simplify thereby the use of the information technology. The associated facilitation should therefore be a high priority for both private and commercial Internet presences.
Clearly structured texts can be reproduced in the logically correct order with the help of a Braille display or a screen reader. Visually impaired people can also use alternative descriptive texts to understand the content of integrated images.
TYPO3's WYSIWYG editor generates valid HTML code by default, which forms the basis of accessible websites.
That is why there is a dedicated TYPO3 Security Team, which deals with the security-related aspects of TYPO3. Regularly published security reports regarding the basic system as well as its extensions inform about current security vulnerabilities. In these reports, users can find out which specific security problem exists, how critical it is and whether a solution already exists.
An engaged community contributes to a considerable extent to the fact that security gaps and bugs are found and repaired fast. Every user can thus contribute to the security of TYPO3.
Numerous security features also enhance the daily work with TYPO3. For example, access to the TYPO3 backend can be restricted to a certain IP address range in order to allow access only to employees of one's own company. The administrator can also be notified by e-mail of suspicious system events. In the case of incorrect login attempts to the TYPO3 backend, for example, he is informed immediately.
Passwords are transmitted and stored in TYPO3 in encrypted form. With the help of an SSL certificate, the entire data transfer between server and browser can also take place in a secure way, for example to protect the transmission of personal data.
And not only with Typo3 but also with us security is written BIG! That's why we recommend you our maintenance service package. You know for sure the updates for Windows 10! Or with your smartphone! The same is true for TYPO3.
With TYPO3's versatile user administration and workflow management, teams can work optionally without consuming the planning of large projects or creating conflicts during coordination.
Communication between editors and administrators takes place through integrated task and message management. Thus, even geographically separated editors can coordinate and exchange information about the progress of certain tasks. The client is automatically notified after completion of certain milestones and informed about further progress and outstanding tasks.
Different areas of the backend and frontend can be released for user groups. This ensures that special settings can only be made by qualified persons. Using a freely definable login form, visitors can authenticate themselves on a website and thus gain access to protected content.
Of course, corresponding restrictions are also taken into account when browsing websites. For example, only logged-in users receive search hits within protected page areas. Authenticate sensitive content on a website and thus gain access to protected content. Download areas or forums can be protected from unauthorized access and made available to selected visitors.
By integrating existing directory structures using the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), user data from existing services such as the Windows Active Directory (AD) can be transferred to TYPO3. The rights are automatically transferred to the corresponding TYPO3 project and regulate the editorial possibilities of the users. Authentication at the backend can also be done with the help of LDAP.
This widely used extension allows easy news management in the TYPO3 backend. The creation of news categories including images, as well as the integration of additional documents, is easily possible with News. List-, archive- and single views are configurable and can be customized according to your needs. In addition, the extension offers a freely configurable archiving function and RSS export options.
With the practical calendar extension, year, month, week, lists and event views can be output. The customization options are manifold. To guarantee an optimal clarity, different categories can be defined. The function of being able to create multiple calendars (e.g. internal appointments) is particularly interesting. These can also be restricted to certain user groups. Authorized frontend users can enter appointments directly into the calendars.
For many years, the extension mm-forum has proven itself for the simple management of forums. Even larger forums with several hundred thousand posts can be easily managed with mm-forum. An integrated overview gives forum operators information about registered users and topics in a statistic. In addition, detailed user profiles can be created. An integrated private messaging system allows easy communication between forum members.
Our consultants and partners are always available for a free informational interview.
Even if you already have a Typo3 website and want to update it. At this point we invite you once again to take advantage of our maintenance package. Which contains a system check as well as update and Upgate for the period of one year.
More about Typo3 and an individual offer for your needs, please contact us.