Fifth issue of ProcessWire weekly introduces latest core updates, new and interesting modules and other highlights from the world of ProcessWire.
This time I'd like to start with a little question: where did you first hear about ProcessWire? Care to share your "my first ProcessWire moment" stories with us? If so, please do so here – and while you're on it, take a look at what others are saying too.
Based on what's been shared so far, it seems that word of mouth is by far the best marketing strategy we have. A lot of stories start with something like "I read this post from this guy who was really happy with ProcessWire". Good thing we've got plenty of those stories to share!
Latest dev branch updates; Lister in the core package and more!
Really big news this week is that the latest update to ProcessWire dev branch in GitHub adds a "light" version of Ryan's Lister module to core as an alternative way of browsing pages in admin. Other updates in this particular version include modules now being able to pick their own icons from the Font Awesome icon collection and some smaller tweaks.
Lister module was earlier discussed in ProcessWire weekly #1 and displayed in this screencast. The version now added to core is slightly thinner than the "full" Lister (or ListerPro), which will most likely be released as a commercial module at the near future.
See the full commit message for more details about version 2.4.4 and don't forget to check it out yourself – Lister is one of those features that have to be seen to truly realise it's full strength. Ryan has, once again, done amazing work on getting this module as smooth as it is!
Hassle-free language installation with Language Instant Install by Nico Knoll
Language Instant Install module by Nico Knoll makes handling language packs in ProcessWire a breeze: just go to the languages tab in admin, pick a language and click "Install". That's it.
For the record, installing language packs isn't that difficult without this module either – add a new language and upload the language pack – but this module provides a very nice shortcut nevertheless. Simply having a list of all available language packs directly in the admin view is quite useful in itself.
PassiveCron, new commercial module from the creators of minimize.pw
Combination of a module and web service, PassiveCron is aiming to make scheduling background tasks easier for the general public by providing a web service with easy-to-use, fluent API. This is second commercial ProcessWire service by folks at Conclurer and definitely a welcome addition to the ProcessWire ecosystem.
The service itself is still very much a work in progress and we've only got the initial description available so far, but I for one am very much waiting to see what you'll cook up next and how PassiveCron is going to evolve.
Keep up the good work, guys!
Did you know about the knowledge base site profile for ProcessWire?
This one isn't brand new – in fact it was released two and a half months ago – but I believe that the knowledge base site profile by marcus still deserves a special mention, as some of you might've missed it's original launch and it's really quite interesting project.
It's a very good starting point for any site aiming to provide knowledge base type of features – and what system would be better for organizing such content than ProcessWire?
For anyone who might not yet know what a site profile is, those are ProcessWire's way of packaging sites for redistribution. A bit like themes in WordPress and a lot like installation profiles in Drupal – after downloading a fresh copy of ProcessWire, you can install one of the site profiles available here as your starting point.
Nominations for the Critics Choice CMS Awards 2014 start tomorrow!
Heads-up for all ProcessWire users reading this: nominations for the Critics Choice CMS Awards 2014 are starting on June 15th – which is tomorrow. Don't forget to nominate your favorite system for all applicable categories.
Quick recap of previous years:
- In 2012 ProcessWire was the winner in "Best Free CMS" category.
- In 2013 we were really close in categories of "Best Open Source CMS" and "Best Free CMS".
It'll be interesting to see how well we do this year. If I had to guess, I'd say that we'll probably be competing in at least a few categories, but anything beyond that would be too much of a guesswork.
Featured site of the week: the personal portfolio site of Ben Byford
This weeks featured site is something.. umm, a bit different. It's the portfolio of Ben Byford – web designer, enterpreneur, artist, writer and musician – showcasing his obvious talent in various areas of creative work.
my new site http://t.co/I1efJG6J0C was made with @processwire, mixup.js, Less/css, and lots of lovely animations and AJAX fun times
— ben byford (@benbyford) June 6, 2014The site itself is so full of movement, animation, transitions, sliding items etc. that it too feels more like a piece of art than a regular website . Not your typical company site, but in it's own terms very fascinating and, again, an example of the flexibility of the system powering it.
Browsing the showcased works is an adventure in itself; some of those are really awesome. Don't just take my word for it though, take a look yourself (and prepare to be amazed).
Stay tuned for our next episode
That's it for now, folks. Glad you could join us and hope you've enjoyed the fifth issue of ProcessWire weekly.
We'll be back with more news and highlights next week – Saturday, 21st of June. Until then, happy hacking with ProcessWire!
Adrian on Saturday 14th of June 2014 19:29 pm
ProcessWire Weekly - always a great way to start a Saturday morning!