dotCMS - Open Source Content Management System, Ondemand CMS, and Professional Support

Glossary

API

Administrative Interface

Alert

CMS

CRM

Campaign

Categories

Clicktrail

Cluster

Communication

Container

Content

Content Architect

Content Index

Content Manager

Content Repository

E-Commerce

Events Calendar

File Asset

Frontend Interface

Group

HTML Page

Identifier

Inode

JSR-168

JSR-170

LDAP

Logging In

Macro

Menu Link

Module

Personalization

Portal

Portlet

Relationship

Reports

Role

Scheduled Task

Shopping Cart

Structure

Tabs

Tagging

Taxonomy

Template

Triggers

Versions

Viewtool

Virtual Link

WebDAV

Widget

dotCMS Developer

dotCMS Server Administration

API

The dotCMS application programming interface (API), is a set of Java methods/classes, that the dotCMS makes available through web services.

Administrative Interface

The "backend" or Administrative Interface of the dotCMS can be reached on a dotCMS website by typing a "/c" at the end of the domain name of the site. Once a permissioned user is logged in, the dotCMS Administrative Interface allows users to administer their website (add content, change HTML pages or templates, etc.), in a very structured and user friendly set of web applications called portlets.

Alert

An alert method is used to display an alert box with a specified message across a specific web page.

CMS

A content management system (CMS), is software that allows users to create, edit, manage, search for, and publish digital and electronic text. The dotCMS is a content management system designed to for web content publishing.

CRM

Customer relationship management software is and industry term for software designed to help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way. The campaign manager portlet in the dotCMS that allows HTML/plain text email broadcasting to specific user groups is an example of dotCMS CRM software.

Campaign

A dotCMS campaign is a one time/recurring, scheduled email broadcast of a dotCMS HTML/plain text communication. Web pages, personalized emails, and messages can be sent in bulk through the use of campaigns. A dotCMS campaign can be created, edited, managed, through the Campaign Manager portlet.

Categories

Categories are part of the dotCMS taxonomy. Parent and Child Categories supply content contributors with limited sets of labels they can apply to content as it is contributed. These labels can be used to dynamically separate content by category on web pages. Categories can be permissioned to appear only to specific users and are re-usable across structures.

Clicktrail

A clicktrail or "crumbtrail" is a tracked listing of user clicks that show the navigation path the user chose to reach a given destination on a website.

Cluster

A cluster is a group of linked servers that worked closely together to improve performance, provide fail-over support for each other, and emulate the services they provide.

Communication

A communication in the dotCMS is an HTML/plain text email that can be created, managed, and sent through the campaign manager portlet.

Container

Containers act as server-side include files and can be used to place reusable HTML elements across templates and pages. Containers can also define where content can placed on a template, how that content should be formatted, and whether that content can be edited through the online editing mode. Containers can control which fields from the contentlets will display on a web page, the quantity contentlets that can display, and how that content will display.

Content

Web page content is added and organized in the dotCMS through the use of content Structures. Each Structure has fields which format each constituent part of a particular content contribution. Each piece of content that has been made from the same content Structure is of the same content type.

Content Architect

Content Architect is the second level of training and certification as a dotCMS advanced user. In addition to content contribution, Content Architects know how to fully permission users, utilize the dotCMS taxonomy, and how to create a variety of advanced dynamic pulls of content using Velocity code. A pre-requisite for the Content Architect training is the beginning Content Manager training course. Users who complete the dotCMS Content Architect training are eligible to participate in the dotCMS Developer training/certification program.

Content Index

The Content Repository has a unique number or "index" for each piece of content that created. Administrators can re-index content structures manually in the CMS maintenance portlet.

Content Manager

Content Manager is the first level of training as a dotCMS user. This training teaches all the basic dotCMS operations such as creating and managing content, permissions, versions, creating menu links and virtual links, the user workflow, content contribution, and using containers and templates for web page creation. Users who complete the dotCMS Content Manager training are eligible to participate in the dotCMS Content Architect training/certification program.

Content Repository

The Content Repository is used in the dotCMS to keep the content data and also the meta-data used in dotCMS such as versioning meta-data. The dotCMS uses a content repository specification that was developed under the Java Community Process known as JSR-170.

E-Commerce

E-commerce is the online business transaction of ownership or rights to goods or services. The dotCMS provides E-commerce assistance though a variety of E-commerce portlets.

Events Calendar

In the 1.6 version dotCMS released an updated ajax based social events calendar. The calendar handles one-time or re-occurring events and utilizes the dotCMS taxonomy for categorizing event types. Event Calendar code can be re-used and modified to create an unlimited number of customized calendars on a dotCMS instance.

File Asset

File assets can be uploaded to the dotCMS from the folder options of the website browser or from a webDAV connection. Examples of File assets include images, pdf files, text files, etc.

Frontend Interface

The HTML pages visited through a network connection represent the "front end" of a dotCMS website. Some front end web pages have the "Logged in Site User" permission which allow users to view HTML page content based on their "back end" user permissions.

Group

A group is an agregate collection of pages (tabs) and roles. Pages determine what portlets (mini web applications), that a user can see/use, while roles control access to the content and web assets available within those portlets. Groups are set up so that a user account can be completely permissioned simply by adding a user to a group.

HTML Page

An HTML page in the dotCMS is really little more than an address to which many things can be linked. In the dotCMS, no content actually resides on the page, the HTML page merely links to a template, that includes containers, where content can be created. Since the HTML page merely tracks the connection between these items, content can be removed from a web page without affecting the content and templates can interchanged without damaging content on a web page.

Identifier

The dotCMS creates and identity number to label each web asset and piece of content as it is created and saved to the dotCMS. This unique number does not change and allows items created in the dotCMS to be found regardless of how other properties of the item change over time due to updates or modifications.

Inode

When a new piece of content or web asset is created in the dotCMS it receives a unique inode number. The inode number helps the dotCMS to locate the item created in the dotCMS regardless of how that item is changed and modified over time.

JSR-168

Java Specification Request 168 is a Java portlet specification designed by Sun Microsystems. Facilities for personalization, presentation, and security are provided by this portlet API. By using this portlet specification, the dotCMS is product agnostic and can support multiple portal products that adhere to the API specifications.

JSR-170

JSR-170 is a specification for acessing content repository in a uniform manner. The dotCMS uses this specification to allow data and versioning meta-data to be stored/extracted in a predictable and standardized way.

LDAP

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is a directory of objects with similar attributes organized in a logical and hierarchical manner. The dotCMS provides for integration with an organizations user account LDAP directory so that users logging in for the first time to the dotCMS can be automatically permissioned based upon the group they belong to in the LDAP directory. This LDAP synchronization process can only occur if their is a corresponding dotCMS group created with the same name as the LDAP group. A configuration file in the dotCMS controls the activation/de-activation of LDAP synchronization with the dotCMS.

Logging In

The login portal for any dotCMS website can be reached by typing "/c" at the end of the domain of the website. For example, the login portal of http://www.dotcms.org can be reached by extending the url to http://www.dotcms.org/c

Macro

Macros usually consist of hundreds of lines of Velocity code that have been bundled together to avoid the redundant creation of code for commonly utilized processes. Since many website designers need to create photo galleries, provide commenting on web page content, build RSS feeds, etc., - all these "mini web applicatons" have been bundled into easy to use Macros in the dotCMS. For a complete list of dotCMS macros, visit the following URL: http://www.dotcms.org/documentation/dotCMSMacros

Menu Link

Menu Links are used to include HTML pages and documentation in navigation menus, even when those pages normally would not be displayed because they exist outside the parameters of the Navigation Macro. For more information on how to use/create Menu Links visit the following URL: http://www.dotcms.org/documentation/MenuLinks

Module

A dotCMS module or accelerator is a complete set of HMTL pages, content, templates, files, etc., that extend the standard dotCMS installation and add functionality to it. Modules can be added to the dotCMS though the import feature of the administrative maintenance portlet.

Personalization

Users with the "dotCMS Power User" permission can personalize their greeting and backend pages/tabs in the dotCMS. For more information on how to take advantage of the Power User role, see the following URL: http://www.dotcms.org/documentation/PowerUser

Portal

A portal is a Web-based application that acts as a gateway between users and a range of different high-level services. The dotCMS platform is based on the Liferay portal. The dotCMS is a 2nd generation portal consisting of different portlets to process consumer requests to dotCMS services and to generate dynamic content from the responses. Portlets are used in portals as self-contained pluggable user interface components to the services. dotCMS Java portlets adhere to the Java Specification Request 168 Portlet Specification (JSR 168), which standardises the interoperability of between portlets and portlet containers.

Portlet

A Portlet is a mini web application that is usually accessed through a dotCMS menu tab. Portlets control the way that users interact with and manage dotCMS web assets, content, templates, containers, the events calendar, etc. Portlet access is controlled though a set of configurable dotCMS permissions. dotCMS portlets adhere to the Java Specification Request 168 Portlet Specification (JSR 168), which standardises the interoperability of between portlets and portlet containers.

Relationship

Relationships can added between dotCMS structures to "marry" two pieces of content. Much like database relationships, one-to-many or many-to-many relationships can be created so that both pieces of content can be identified, managed, or exposed on the front end based upon their union.

Reports

dotCMS web form reports can be managed through the report manager portlet. Customized reports can be created by installing JasperSoft's iReport software. The dotCMS downloads with Jaspersoft's library files for use with iReport software.

Role

Roles allow view, modify, publish access to content and web assets. Users lacking a permissioned role to dotCMS objects have no access to those objects. The administrative portlet in the dotCMS provides the functionality for creating and managing roles in the dotCMS.

Scheduled Task

A scheduled task is designed to ocurr/re-ocurr a specific time(s) in the future. The dotCMS provides a Job Scheduler Manager portlet for viewing/managing these scheduled tasks. dotCMS email campaigns, for example, are one type of scheduled task administered through the Job Scheduler Manager.

Shopping Cart

A Web based Shopping Cart is similar to the original grocery store shopping cart. Basically it is a means by which a customer can read a list of products and mark off the selections they want. When finished ordering, the customer indicates that they are ready to check out. This is where the total order is placed and confirmed. In the dotCMS, a shopping cart and E-commerce solution is provided by enabling the E-Commerce porlets.

Structure

dotCMS Structures are the framework through which content contribution takes place. A dotCMS structure is similar to a database table in that the fields created in a Structure provide the formatting for content being contributed. Structures can be permissioned so that only certain users have access to contributing certain types of content.

Tabs

dotCMS menu tabs or pages are the clickable menu items on the backend of the dotCMS. Each tab is configurable and can display one or more of any dotCMS portlet(s).

Tagging

Tags are user defined labels that can be applied to content during content contribution. A tag field must be added to a dotCMS Structure to allow users to use the tagging taxonomy. Once a user has added a piece of content with a specific tag, that tag becomes part of the "tag pool" available to other content contributors or users on the front end for keyword searching.

Taxonomy

A taxonomy is a system of labeling/identifying things, frequently in a hierarchical structure usually consisting of a series of subtype-supertype or parent-child relationships. The dotCMS taxonomy consists of tags, categories, and relationships.

Template

Templates are layouts available to users when building new HTML, xHTML or XML pages. The only difference between Templates and HTML is that Templates include *Containers which act as server side includes. The Containers placed in the Templates define the areas on an HTML Page that end users will be able to contribute content to and how that content will be displayed. Templates provide a webpage layout and link the Containers to the HTML page.

Triggers

Triggers are conditions set to examine the properties of dotCMS objects to implement the start of a scheduled task. Triggers are typically used in dotCMS actions such as recurring email campaigns.

Versions

The dotCMS automatically saves previous versions of dotCMS objects and content upon each new save or modification. The dotCMS allows users to click on the "versions" tab of an opened dotCMS object and to "bring back" or preview previous versions.

Viewtool

dotCMS viewtools are Java classed that are exposed to velocity code. ViewTools are tiny Java applications that run within dotCMS to provide a special functionality.

Virtual Link

A virtual link is an alternate URL link to a dotCMS web page that remains in the address bar of a browser even after the destination page is reached. Virtual links can be used to make shorter, more memorable URL paths to dotCMS web pages. Virtual Link usage can also be tracked to find out how many users reached the destination page via the virtual link.

WebDAV

Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning, or WebDAV, is an extension of the HTTP protocol that allows users to create a connection between their local computer and a server. After establishing a WebDAV connection to the dotCMS server, users can drag-and-drop files to the dotCMS folders that they are permissioned to.

Widget

A widget is a re-usable piece of dynamic content that may allow for users to specify value choices as to how that dynamic content will operate or display to the front end user. Widgets usually define a few simple value choices that an end user can specify in order to create a dynamic pull of content.

dotCMS Developer

dotCMS Developer training is the final level of training and certification in the dotCMS. This course provides a complete description of the dotCMS developmental architecture for current and future development, SVN merge and revision handling, setting up an Eclipse environment, dotCMS infrastructure, portlet development, as well as Velocity and AJAX programming.

dotCMS Server Administration

The dotCMS Server Administrator training shows system administrators how to configure and implement LDAP user authentication as well as auto-synchronization of LDAP groups with the dotCMS user groups and roles. The course teaches administrators how to implement the dotCMS in a clustered environment, dotCMS maintenance tasks, and how to fine tune dotCMS performance on a server.