People following the development of Fork CMS probably noticed that we recently introduced a new Analytics module. We started from scratch to be able to use all the most recent Fork Features in this module.
This blog post will go trough the most notable changes with the new module.
The visitors module is a new Fork module created at Wijs to show recent visitors an a map. It uses Google Analytics integration and Google maps to fetch data and nicely display it. Next to these visitors, items from other modules can be shown on this map. The code is crafted for easy integration with other modules. You can add a location to these linked items and show them on the map with a link to their detail page.
To say this is a new module would be a bit of a lie. It has been tried and tested in Real Projects™ at Wijs, but privately engineered by Dave Lens, who recently decided to open-source this module. Hear hear!
It contains the following features:
The goal of this module was to be developer friendly, and to spend as little time as possible loading images from a separate module. Once configured, it will generate a slideshows.php file containing an empty getImages() method for the specified module in its engine folder. Typically a developer will do either a database query, or read out a folder in that method in order to build image data. The slideshows widget will then use that method to populate itself with the provided image data.
Extra tip: Keep an eye on the GitHub repository, in the near future an example of how to link the slideshows module with other modules will be added!
The module generates a fully installable module with a good working backend and a basic frontend. It uses a wizard to let you choose
In the frontend, the generated code contains some best practices like meta tags, open graph tags and Twitter card.
A little while ago there were a few people requesting the integration of something like an A/B testing tool in Fork, and because Fork is a CMS system that is marketing-oriented it would be a good idea to make this available to it's users as an extension.
Because I'm doing my internship at Wijs as a PHP developer, where they make a lot of use of Fork, I could make this a valuable learning experience. So after some consideration and brainstorming I decided to create a Multivariate Testing module as part of my internship.
It will be available as an installable extension because we wish to keep the core of Fork as small as possible. Besides, installing an extension only takes a few minutes!
Why Multivariate Testing?
The difference between the two is that A/B testing is comparing two entirely different versions of the same page, and Multivariate Testing is comparing parts of a page.
I chose for Multivariate Testing because it's a more logical choice to have as a starting point. It enables us to use the widget system of Fork to let users easily create and maintain their own Multivariate Testing. In literally minutes a user can create a test that consists of either content and/or forms.
The forms work together with an extension called Form Builder and is delivered as part of the Fork CMS download package. If installed the Multivariate Testing module will automatically adapt itself and give the user the option to add forms as versions of their tests. If the user doesn't have this extension installed he can still create content-only tests.
Benefits
Another benefit of using this module is that it is integrated, like the Google Analytics and Mail motor extensions, in Fork and thus you don't need to install any extra third party tools. And there is also an API (Application Programming Interface) available so third party applications can get the information of your own tests with ease.
We also don't make use of any Javascript manipulation to track the click-through rate for your tests. This is a lot better than manipulating your website with Javascript because no extra files need to be loaded that could slow down your website!
What can it do?
It's primary function is to create Multivariate Tests that are part of your website as a Fork widget. After adding one of your tests to your website, you can see the click-through rate and further information visualised in the back-end under "Statistics".
Feedback
This module is still in development and we'd appreciate all feedback you can give us. If you find any bugs or have any feedback or great ideas or additions please let us know! You can download this module on the Fork CMS website under extensions or on github if you wish to contribute to the code.
In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek Πανάκεια, Panakeia) was a goddess of Universal remedy. She was said to have a poultice or potion with which she healed the sick, a substance meant to cure all diseases.
Panakeia is a flexible and responsive fork theme. Much like the Greek legend it tries to be a universal remedy for small websites and blogs. It has an adaptable brand which gives you a strong visual starting point to build upon.
We're very happy to add five new themes to our Extensions library. Each theme has his own unique features and style. And the best of all, they are all available for free!
A while ago, Knife a.k.a the Fork CLI Tool has been released. This is a tutorial on how to use Knife to make your own module. We'll use the 'mini blog' example as previously used in the development tutorial.
Building forms is one of those things most developers don't like to do. It's a repetitive monkey job that provides little to no satisfaction. So we created a module that allows anyone to create forms via Fork CMS. No longer do developers have to toil away at forms.
The module allows anyone to create his own custom form and link it to a page on their website, without the interference of a developer.
Options include changing the default values from form fields, to validation with custom error messages. In other words, you're able to tune the form to your liking.
But what to do with the data sent through these custom forms? The interface of the formbuilder allows you to browse through all your sent forms. Optionally, the formbuilder can send you an email each time a new form is submitted (including the form data). If you ask nicely it might even give you an export of all data.
Here's a sneak peek:
A community wouldn't exist if it weren't for the people powering it. Our answer to this is the profiles module. Fork CMS powers some high-traffic community websites (e.g. abconcerts.be, vorstnationaal.be).
An enhanced version of the profiles module of these websites is on it's way!
More info about pricing will be announced later.
The basic outline of the profile module's functionalities:
We want Fork CMS to be the best CMS a website manager can wish for. In case of a web community, it's essential for the web or community manager to be able to monitor what's going on. So we want to make sure the profiles module can answers questions as:
The answers to these questions give great insight in what 'lives' in the community. They provide input to nurture the community and make it grow.
Right now, the module is in the information architecture phase. We're defining all functionality and we're designing the wireframes. When the wireframes are finished and polished, designers and developers will transform it into a working module.
We'll keep you posted!
