Posts Tagged SnowCMS 2.0 beta
SnowCMS 2.0 Beta Now Available
Posted by Ian in News and updates on February 1st, 2012
Yup! You can now download SnowCMS 2.0 beta from the downloads section on Google Code.
Please be aware that this version could be unstable… So it shouldn’t be used on a production website (though I don’t know how you could anyways 
).
I ask that if you do beta test SnowCMS and find any problems that you please file a report in the issue tracker.
Thanks!
SnowCMS 2.0 Beta — We’re Almost Ready to Go!
Posted by Ian in News and updates on January 31st, 2012
Yeah, I can’t believe it myself! Even though my last update on this blog hasn’t been since the start of August, recently I began working on SnowCMS again — and I have been tying up the loose ends.
Yesterday I finished the new and improved update system, and today I fixed bug #72, which will warn a user when they are attempting to activate a plugin or select a theme which is not compatible with their current version of SnowCMS.
That means, according to our road map, that SnowCMS 2.0 beta is just about ready to go! Before I release an official beta, I will be messing around with the system for another day (I have to get to bed!) just to make sure there aren’t any major bugs or anything else I may have missed or completely forgotten about.
But if you really want to get SnowCMS 2.0 beta right now (which I doubt there is anyone even reading this ) you can always download it from the repo on Google Code, but otherwise, you will have to wait!
Got some more work done
Posted by Ian in News and updates on August 1st, 2011
Yesterday I posted an updated list on what is left to do before SnowCMS 2.0 beta can be released, and I just want to say that I just committed r1062 which crosses the system notifications and link tree part off the list.
I also moved a few things around and started on the system update feature as well, but there is still some work there to do.
We’re getting very close! Exciting, right?
Just a couple things left to do
Posted by Ian in News and updates on August 1st, 2011
I just committed r1057 minutes ago which finally completes plugin management — meaning you can install, activate, deactivate, delete and update plugins.
So where does that leave us? Here is the updated list of things to do:
- System Settings – Done
- Themes – Done
- System Update – To do
- About – Done
- Errors – Done
- Add Member – Done
- Manage Members - Done
- Member Settings – Done
- Member Permissions – Done
- Add Plugin – Done
- Manage Plugins –
Work-In-ProgressDone - Plugin Settings –
To doDone - Authentication Tokens –
To doDone - Verify that registration, activating, resending activation emails, password resetting and profile viewing/editing features work – To do
- Get the link tree and notifications working in the control panel – To do
Pretty close, right? Tomorrow I am going to try and get to verifying that features such as registration, activation, etc. work properly, along with implementing the control panel link tree and getting the notifications system to work (just need to have the list of notifications displayed when clicked).
In the road map I said that SQLite support would be released once 2.0 beta came out, but I am having second thoughts and it is going to be pushed back until the SnowCMS 2.0 beta 2 release — sorry.
An update before I go to sleep!
Posted by Ian in News and updates on July 20th, 2011
Yesterday I said the theme management was done, until I realized I forgot to do theme compatibility checking. I have since then committed r1047 which resolves this issue… So I can honestly say theme management is completed. Unless I realize I forgot something else!
Today I also finished fixing the Member Settings area, and it looks the same as the current System Settings area that I showed off yesterday.
There is still work to do, but I thought I would give a list of all the areas that are completed/need work:
- System Settings – Done
- Themes – Done
- System Update – To do
- About – Done
- Errors – Done
- Add Member – Done
- Manage Members - Almost done, I want to make a few tweaks
- Member Settings – Done
- Member Permissions – To do
- Add Plugin – To do
- Manage Plugins – To do
- Plugin Settings – To do
Keep in mind that when I say to do I don’t mean that the entire thing doesn’t work, I simply mean I have yet to make sure the section works properly and looks good in the new control panel.
While the list may look awfully long, I will just say that the manage members area just needs a couple links so administrators can view accounts waiting for approval/already approved, so that won’t take much. Member permissions just needs to have the form converted over to the new setup, and the same goes for the plugin settings area. That leaves me with 4 bigger ‘projects.’
So there you have it! I have said it once and I’ll say it again: we’re getting there!
PS: Before I forget again, I have decided not to have an alpha 2 or 3 release. We will be going straight to SnowCMS 2.0 beta. Technically speaking we are passed the alpha 2 stage and half of the alpha 3 stage has also been completed.
SnowCMS 2.0 — We’re Getting There!
Posted by Ian in News and updates on July 18th, 2011
It’s me again! I just wanted to point out that as of revision 1043 theme management is complete! (Well, actually, I noticed an issue in the issue tracker for the addition of themes being able to specify which versions of the system they are compatible with, but I will do that next)
A few revisions ago I also finished updating the system settings sections, and I figured I would show it off.
As you can see the settings page is no longer a long list of, well, settings. There are now sections which contain the settings to make it much easier to find what you are looking for.
There isn’t much to show with the theme management section, but just imagine that it looks something like the above, but with themes
After compatibility is put in, I will start working on the next area of the control panel, which will be the error log. I am going down the list of sections as displayed in the control panel — just because. I am planning to do a pretty big overhaul of the System Update section, so I will save that for last.
While it looks like I still have quite a few sections to cover (Errors, Add Member, Manage Members, Member Settings, Member Group Permissions, Add Plugin, Manage Plugins, and Plugin Settings), keep in mind that all but the plugins section are simply being updated to work with the new Form class and to look nice in the new control panel… Which won’t take too long.
But as I said, we’re getting there!
SnowCMS 2.0 Alpha 2 and Alpha 3 to be Merged
Posted by Ian in News and updates on July 7th, 2011
Hey there, everybody!
I just committed revision 1036, which finishes the conversion to the new theme system, kind of.
The road map currently shows that this would indicate that an alpha 2 update would be right around the corner… Well, that has changed.
You see, I feel as though that many core components of the system are still — to put it bluntly — pathetic. These components include such things as: the plugin installer, updater, and manager, the theme viewer, installer, and updater, and the system updating mechanism. Interesting, last I checked, that’s just about everything!
Due to this, I have decided to move the road map around (haven’t done it yet, but will tomorrow) and merge the alpha 2 and 3 release together, and along with that, alpha 2 will be the release to include the new control panel theme I showed off a few days ago. The reason that the new theme will be included in alpha 2 is because I plan to change around the look and feel of these “cruddy” components, and I see no point on doing that if a new theme will be used which may then require some more tweaks.
In case you are wondering what the 2.0 beta milestone will contain, because it seems somewhat pointless in terms of planned updates, it is something I have yet to add to the road map as well. I will talk more about this as the time comes, but 2.0 beta will bring an overhaul to the log in system, which will no longer use a cookie containing a member ID and salted & hashed password, but an authentication token, which will completely removed any traces of your password in any form from cookies (along with being seen in clear text when logging in, if JavaScript is enabled).
Sorry about that! Though its not as if many have downloaded SnowCMS anyways
A Sneak Peak at SnowCMS 2.0 Beta’s New Control Panel
Posted by Ian in News and updates on July 4th, 2011
Hey everybody! Yesterday I decided to take a little break from copying and pasting code (switching over to the new theme system), but I still wanted to work on something that had to do with SnowCMS.
I figured that I would work on the new control panel layout slated to be released with SnowCMS 2.0 beta, and now that I am done with the HTML aspect I decided to give everybody a peak. Check it out:
New Log In
Now you will no longer receive an error asking you to go to another page to log in, just to come back again. With 2.0 beta you will be able to log right into your account from the authentication page, if need be (if you are logged in, your user name will be filled in already, and all you will need to do is enter your password).
Redesigned Home Layout
The new starting page for the control panel takes a lot of queues from the current design as seen in SnowCMS 2.0 alpha, but I thought a little reorganization was needed, especially thinking about the possibility of people having a massive amount of plugins adding functionality and other settings within the control panel… So I decided to show navigation options in two places: the sidebar and in the middle with the icons.
As you can see, I also moved “News from SnowCMS” to a more prominent location, instead of having it crammed into the sidebar as it is now.
Right below the header, and above the middle content of the site, there is now a bar which contains two things: a link tree and notifications. Now navigating back out of “corners” in the control panel will be much easier as the link tree will allow you to jump up, if there is one (there will be a new addition to the API to allow plugins to integrate with this).
More Prominent Notifications
Right now in SnowCMS 2.0 alpha notifications are only displayed on the start page of the control panel, which is fine, but it seems logical to be able to view these notifications regardless of location within the control panel.
With 2.0 beta, all a user needs to do to view these notifications is to click “Notifications” on the right side of the link tree, which will then display a window containing current notifications.
I have yet to decide what exactly plugins will be able to display in this notifications area (presumably text and a link), so all I can show you right now is “No Notifications!”
Hope You Like What You See
Well, I hope you like what you see! I certainly look forward to reaching the 2.0 beta milestone, as we will become feature complete at that point, and we will be very close going “gold,” when I can start building plugins (and others, of course — they can be created now, it’s just that a lot things may change until then) to show off what SnowCMS is capable of doing.
Till next time, be sure to follow us on Twitter @SnowCMS, check out our Google Code Project website, along with registering at the SnowCMS Dev Forum.