Textpattern: first thoughts
Well, not exactly first thoughts. First reactions after installing it for the first time for ages.
Smooth install, elegant initial result. Good to find that you automatically get a simple nav system based on site sections.
In the course of visiting the txp site I came upon a link to the review now included in the margin, and it’s worth briefly summarizing the views of Mike@Capsize, when choosing a CMS for a client small business site:
Drupal: overkill for many sites; theming system difficult to get to grips with.
ExpressionEngine: great, but the client didn’t want to pay.
SilverStripe: promising – abandoned tests because of problems originating in host company’s PHP configuration.
WordPress: blogging orientation means it was not a natural choice.
Textpattern: the perfect solution, combining simplicity with flexibility. In a bit more detail:
Installation is a breeze, the admin section is laid out well, it had everything we need and nothing we didn’t. The templating system just makes sense, and the page building section includes a little tag builder so you don’t have to remember what the tag for the header of a blog entry is (or whatever it is you’re trying to output).
As in ExpressionEngine, all content can be stored in the form of blog-style articles whether destined for publication in a blog-style page or a static page - so clients can be kept away from html pages.
It has a cool little visitor log that keeps track of who visits, when they came, and where they were referred from. This apart, txp is a basic CMS. There’s no forum, no photo gallery, no ecommerce solution, none of that. But there are plenty of plugins. A minor irritant is that you have to deal with one confusing concept: “forms” in Textpattern are little bits of code to use wherever you want. Forms could definitely use a new name (Snippets, perhaps?).