ProcessWire Weekly #645

Latest core updates: ProcessWire 3.0.273

This week we have a new weekly update from Ryan, in which he covers a major new feature included in the latest development version of ProcessWire, 3.0.273: an AI based installer and site builder. If this sounds pretty big deal... that's probably because it is.

I always thought we needed more site profiles for ProcessWire, but now we have essentially have an unlimited number of potential site profiles when you use the AI installation. Note that the AI installation option also automatically installs the AgentTools module as well.

— Ryan

To be clear, the familiar, vanilla installer hasn't gone anywhere. But for those who prefer an interactive and guided approach, need more help with the technical side, or simply want a quick boost to getting their site up and running fast, there is now an optional AI powered option included as well.

The AI option starts by asking what you are building (e.g. what your site is about), and based on those questions creates everything your site needs from field and template setup to templates, e.g. actual code — even creating sample content for you. The end result is a ready-to-use site that you can then continue to iterate on with Agent Tools, modify by hand, or start populating with your own content.

Behind the scenes the Site Builder utilizes a new site-ai site profile, which is now bundled with the core package. This profile comes with premade decisions and instructions for agents, such as Markup Regions and Page classes being enabled, vanilla JavaScript and CSS for the front-end with no frameworks involved, and so on.

Most of the updates to the core this week focus on the AI installer option, though some apply outside it as well: text based fields in the core now consistently extend TextField, uk-list bullets render in proper color in the admin, and $config->tableSalt is created with more entropy during the installation process (same as $config->userAuthSalt).

That's all for our core updates section this week, but for more details about this very interesting new feature, including more screenshots of the build process and a site created using this approach, be sure to also check out the latest weekly update from Ryan at the processwire.com support forum. Thanks!

New module: Site Docs

Site Docs is a new third-party ProcessWire module from NB Communication, providing an easy way to set up an internal site documentation management system.

Behind the scenes Site Docs is comprised of two modules: the main SiteDocs module that creates the docs templates, fields, and provides access-control and search logic, and ProcessSiteDocs responsible for rendering the docs index, individual single-page views, a print-ready manual, and related admin navigation.

Here's what Site Docs provides out of the box:

• Per-page visibility settings, inherited from parent page to child pages
• Docs pages show up in admin live search under a "Docs" group
• Print-friendly manual view (Admin > Docs > Print manual)
• Optional custom CSS and JS, configurable site name

The module also has a basic integration with Ryan's Agent Tools module for providing agents context for the site, and has WireTests tests bundled in.

If you'd like to give this module a try, you can clone or download it from the SiteDocs GitHub repository, or install it via the built-in modules manager in the admin. If you need additional assistance or have questions or suggestions for the author, head down to the Site Docs dedicated support forum thread.

Big thanks to NB Communication for sharing this very useful module with the ProcessWire community!

Site of the week: Rivertown Solar

Our latest site of the week belongs to Rivertown Solar, which is a Westchester, NY residential and commercial solar installer.

Founded in 2020, Rivertown Solar company designs and installs custom solar and battery storage systems. By committing to zero subcontractors, the company utilizes an entirely in-house team of local installers, with a promise of transparent pricing and long-term support for their installations.

Rivertown Solar is a Westchester, NY residential and commercial solar installer whose site pairs a service-led structure with detailed savings and system information for homeowners considering solar. Built on ProcessWire with a focus on performance and SEO.

— ProcessWire sites directory for Rivertown Solar

The Rivertown Solar website was created by Marc Wolf and features a beautiful design, top-notch user experience, and plenty of informative, well-organised content: company details, services, pricing and incentives, and more. The site also features a knowledge base and an active blog. All in all this is a very nicely crafted website with well a thought out content hierarchy, and effortless and easy to use user interface.

As for some behind the scenes details, the front-end of this site is powered by the Uikit front-end framework. Meanwhile, some of the non-core ProcessWire modules we could spot in action include a couple of popular commercial Pro modules — both created by Ryan and made available via the official ProcessWire store: ProCache and FormBuilder.

Our congratulations to Rivertown Solar for their ProcessWire powered website — we're happy to have this fantastic website featured in our sites directory!

Stay tuned for our next issue

That's it for the 645th issue of ProcessWire Weekly. We'll be back with more news, updates, and content Saturday, 26th of September. As always, ProcessWire newsletter subscribers will get our updates a few days later.

Thanks for staying with us, once again. Hope you've had a great and productive week, and don't forget to check out the ProcessWire forums for more interesting topics. Until next week, happy hacking with ProcessWire!