Ektron CMS400.NET

asp:review

Ektron CMS400.NET

XML Content Management System Built on the .NETFramework

By Mike Riley

Content Management Systems (CMS) are deceptively simple intheir design and functionality. Several popular ASP.NET tutorial books evenfeature the construction of such systems as a real-world application example toreward the ardent reader. Many Web developers have cut their first realapplication practices on the construction of a rudimentary CMS for theircorporate intranet or even personal Web sites. Yet anyone who has walked thatdevelopment path knows how intricate the evolution of a scalable CMS canbecome. What seemed like a simple HTML posting text box one day can advanceinto a DHTML-rich text editor with sophisticated access control lists, localizedpresentation layers, XML-driven syndication, and portal-managed front ends thenext.

Although some large IT organizations may pride themselveswith the care and feeding of their homegrown CMSes ( it started as a simpleAccess database on Tim s desk and grew from there ), many companies see suchinvestments as non-core, non-value-add efforts that drain the constrainedresources from the organization s budget. Several commercially canned solutionsare viable alternatives to the increasingly complex demands on a CMS, includinga few from ASP.NET s progenitor. Regrettably, these pre-packaged options areoften limited by the number of programmable objects they expose. For thosedevelopers seeking the well designed CMS building blocks with the flexibilityof constructing a system that can suit their company s specific content needs,Ektron created CMS400.NET.

Figure 1: Ektron CMS400.NET shipswith a complete intranet .NET example, demonstrating most of what the producthas to offer.

The Ektron CMS400.NET system is a comprehensive Web-basedCMS framework that can be integrated with as much or as little technicalinvestment as deemed appropriate for the business need. The system can be putto use immediately upon installation, but its real power becomes apparent when.NET developers leverage the solution s ASP.NET server controls. Drag and dropdata-binding controls including Calendar, ContentBlock, LanguageSelect, Login,and Search make wiring up such functionality a simple task. Advanced featuressuch as RSS syndication feeds, XML data binding, and metadata manipulation areall available to keen developers. The 163-page Developer Reference Manual that accompanies the product is clearand generally well-written (though I did spot a few spelling errors), as is the169-page Setup Guide. The system alsoinstalls a Developer Demo section that provides working examples of thefunctions available. Unfortunately, code samples are rare (and are providedexclusively in VB.NET syntax), and links to the code used to drive the pages isnot part of the output.

Figure 2: End users can edit andmonitor their contributions from within a simple, completely customizable Webinterface.

Many interesting features stand out in this product. TheWorkflow Suite is an impressive access control and rules engine that allowsnon-technical users to administer their own content, as well as monitor inreal-time the status of content flow as it goes from assignment to review toapproval to posting. Such monitoring can be controlled and measured on anatomic level, right down to the images being placed or the Web forms beingcreated by an approved user; each phase can be tied into e-mail alerts, aswell. Content can also be set to expire, and expiration reports can helpadministrators and contributors identify the impact of such occurrences. Eventhe WYSIWYG editor makes content entry a breeze for those contributors lackingHTML skills. The main drawback of this rich editor is its dependency onActiveX, making it an exclusive requirement to have a Windows PC runningInternet Explorer 5 or higher. The level of management and control on all thesefeatures is well designed, intuitive, and will no doubt free up content postingand management requests to the Web team.

Figure 3: The ActiveX control-drivenWYSIWYG editor removes any burden of HTML coding knowledge overhead.

The CMS400.NET system is also an excellent platform forserving multi-language content, providing support for the OASIS XMLLocalization Interchange File Format (XLIFF). This makes it easy for contractedtranslators to provide precise language content swaps, and on-the-fly contenttranslation, allowing an instantly re-rendered page in the targeted languagewith a single request. For companies serving an international marketplace oremploying a distributed, multilingual workforce, this synchronized presentationfeature is immensely valuable.

Another powerful feature is CMS400.NET s capture ofcontent metadata and its subsequent XML indexing of that content. This provideshighly relevant return results when searching for specific values in thestructured content. Unstructured content in the form of plain text from theHTML content generated from the system is also indexed and can be quicklysearched.

Figure 4: Developer examples areadequate but lack detailed code listings, with only a few examples shownexclusively in VB.NET syntax.

Overall, the Ektron CMS400.NET is an impressive platformoffering an extensible framework to customize the already powerful base system.The system is clearly targeted to the large enterprise committed to theMicrosoft vision of Web applications, and the price tag demands that only themost serious organizations seeking a .NET CMS need enquire further.

MikeRiley is anadvanced computing professional specializing in emerging technologies and newdevelopment trends. He also is a contributing editor for asp.netPRO. Readers may contact Mike at mailto:[email protected].

Rating:

Web Site: http://www.ektron.com/cms400.aspx

Price: 10 users,US$7,200; unlimited (Enterprise)users, US$29,999

At a Glance

The Good

The Bad