Introducing MODX

Original author: Marc Jenkins
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Nowadays, the choice of content management systems (CMS) is so great that you are involuntarily lost. Moreover, the quality of the system does not depend on whether it is paid or not, and the decision made then for a long time binds you to the selected CMS.
I bring to your attention a translation of an article by the English web developer Mark Jenkins, who discovered MODX after many years of development in various systems.
First, there is a translation of the article, then some comments on the text.



I just finished my second project on the MODX platform , and I think it's time to state my thoughts. I got the impression that MODX is mostly not widely known in the web industry, partly because of this, in order to educate, I am writing this article.

What is MODX?


MODX is an open source content management system. It is built on the basis of PHP and MYSQL, so it works on almost any server. Like WordPress, there are two versions: MODX Revolution (like wordpress.org , a version for downloading and installing on your server) and MODX Cloud (like wordpress.com ).
MODX - unpretentious: it does not matter where the templates are located, how they are organized or where the content is placed. This is a flexible system that allows you to work as you like.

Where can I use MODX?


The choice of site management systems (CMS) is quite wide. I used to use WordPress , Perch , Expression Engine and Kirby , as well as Shopify and Magento for online stores. I use WordPress and Perch on an ongoing basis and both systems have proven their reliability and ease of use.
This begs the question: “ Why do I have to delve into MODX? "
I think it’s fair to say that I’m fairly familiar with WordPress, because I did almost everything in this system: blogs, 5-page sites, multi-regional sites with hundreds of pages. When developing large sites on WordPress, I came across many difficulties, for example: the structure of permalinks and the systematics can be limited. Although CMS has improved significantly in recent years, it still feels like this is not a suitable tool for working with huge and complex sites.
It is here that MODX appears in all its glory. While WordPress is building a structure (custom post types, systematics, themes) MODX offers an empty shell, ready to adapt to any of your needs.
The ease with which MODX works with templates is impressive. No need to create templates with a given file name or place them in a specific folder, and the MODX syntax ensures that the code is clean and accessible.

I am switching from WordPress. Will it be difficult to relearn?


Mastering MODX is easy.
First , MODX uses a different terminology :
  • Resources - web pages (resources can also be documents, links, etc.)
  • Patterns
  • Template variables - equivalent to custom fields in WordPress
  • Chunks - HTML markup repeated on different pages (for example: header, footer, sidebars, etc.)
  • Snippets are dynamic pieces of PHP code.


Secondly , MODX uses its own tag syntax . At first, I thought, why do MODX developers bother with creating their own syntax, but having tried it in practice, it became clear. It allows you to keep the template code clean and clear (at least better than these awful inconsistent WordPress features).

Git compatibility


My team did not have any difficulties with the latest project. We used this .gitignore file to exclude everything except the assets and core folders.
File paths are not stored in the database, so you can easily move databases during development.

Are there any flaws in MODX?


As I noted in this article, learning MODX is easy. It will take some time to get used to the terminology and methods of implementing certain things.
The documentation is good enough, although you will have to try hard to find answers to some questions. The chances of finding an answer to the problem in WordPress are probably several times higher, because the MODX community is smaller.
However, I found a community on Twitter that turned out to be very helpful. By sending a few questions to the #MODX group , each time I received at least one answer that directed me in the right direction.
The MODX installation process is more complicated than WordPress. For example, to install the system locally, I cloned our repository, then copied the MODX files there, configured the configuration files, started the installation, corrected some file permissions and started the installation again. Compared to WordPress, lifting and launching MODX is a bit flimsy.

Conclusion


While I am still new to MODX and have a lot to learn, in the end, I understand that I have found a solid and reliable CMS that offers the flexibility I need.
I can undoubtedly recommend it for a business with large hundreds of page websites. And already looking forward to immersion in the next MODX project ...

Comments from the translator


  1. The author of the article identifies two versions of MODX: Revolution and Modxcloud , while the official separation occurs on Revolution and Evolution .
    The MODX Revolution version is recommended for use by all users, including beginners, it is a modern, reliable system. The brand new xPDO-based database API provides an efficient and easy way to read, create and edit all MODX objects. With one simple query, you can manipulate the data of several MODX tables. MODX Evolution
    VersionIt is also quite reliable and stable, constantly updated, but is already outdated, and is suitable for sites that are already working on it or for those web hosts where 8M or 16M RAM is limited, because Revolution requires a minimum of 32M.
    As for Modxcloud , this is an additional service from the MODX team - virtual hosting based on the latest version of MODX Revolution, which is already built-in . The hosting is designed for serious projects with a large server load, although it is possible to choose a free placement option (very good for gaining experience with MODX). By placing the site on MODXcloud, the update process is then click-through; we can say that the issue of ensuring the site’s security is out of competition here.
  2. When the author talks about good documentation, it is, of course, about the English version.
    Nevertheless, there are quite a lot of Russian-speaking sites on the MODX system, so the developers will not be alone.
  3. The author describes the difficulties of installing MODX on a local server, but in fact everything is much simpler: a server with PHP and cgi installed does not bother with access issues and the installation process takes 3-5 minutes.
    In general, MODX developers recommend using an extended installation distribution kit (advanced instead of traditional), which increases the security of your system by an order of magnitude: you can install the core of the system in a folder that is not accessible from the web, and rename the back-end folders of the manager and connectors as you like.

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