Building Block CMS

Facts : Basic

This page gives some facts about Building Block.

What can I do with it?

Using Building Block, you can manage and edit your website directly in your browser. You can design your pages just as you like, because Building Block gives you full control about the HTML source code. You need some HTML knowledge to set up Building Block projects, but after that even non HTML-savvy users can change or commit to pages.

With Building Block's basic tools you can build guestbooks, newstickers, weblogs, wiki-like pages, forum pages, bugtrackers or To-Do-Lists. Even advanced applications as help desks or browser sidebars are possible.

Building Block comes with a template technology similar to XSL Transformations: You describe how an entry should look like in HTML, and Building Block uses this template for all entries.

Other features:

• You can set up several users or allow anonymous access.
• Building Block can send backups via email.
• You can set a maximum length for guestbook and forum postings.
• You decide which HTML tags are allowed within the entries. Disallowed HTML can be rejected. This serves as a simple but effective spam protection.
• You can edit, move and delete entries. You decide which users are allowed to do so.
• Projects can be protected by a password.
• Building Block can notify users about additions or changes.
• You manage Building Block using a well-documented administration interface right in your browser.
• Building Block runs in every browser, even without JavaScript.

The powers of Building Block are speed, simplicity and efficiency. That means you won't find toys that are not important for the main functions: counters, smilies, statistics, calendar, RSS feeds or plugins. Even without those Building Block can offer a potential comparable to expensive commercial software.

What is the difference to other systems?

Flexibility

First, you are free to design your pages as you like them. You are not tied to any predefined layouts. Second, Building Block provides all features through one uniform interface: You can decide at any time whether or not users can edit or add to a page. So you can turn a static page into a guestbook, a guestbook into a wiki-like page and the wiki into a bulletin board.

Minimum Software Requirements

Building Block needs only a CGI-capable web server and a Perl interpreter. Today this is common on even simple web hosting packages, and so you can run a professional Building Block site for a couple of Euros a year. Other systems need less common technologies as Python, Zope or Ruby, or even complete Java environments. Not only are these expensive, they also require expert knowledge to set up and manage.

Less Auxilliary Tools

Building Block is fast, efficient and simple, but it does not support modules, plugins, statistics, RSS feeds oder calendars.

Effort

Just as any other system Building Block demands some effort to get into the concepts and set up projects. It is not a turn-key software that runs out of the box, as it is the case with some bulletin boards. However, there is far less training and learning involved compared to other content management systems. These often are so complicated that you can not set up or run them without help from the outside.

Comparable

Building Block offers lots of tools and functions found in other software or in expensive commercial solutions: direct access to the HTML source, user management, mail notifications, HTML filter, multilingual interface and password protection.

Does that run on my site?

These are the requirements to run Building Block:

• You already have a homepage or a web server account.
• You have not ony "webspace", but a full featured web server package with support for the Perl programming language and custom CGI programs enabled. If unsure, ask your provider.
• If you want to set up Building Block on your own, you should have at least some basic knowledge of HTML and how to use an FTP client. The more you know, the more efficiently you can deploy Building Block.

What is Perl and CGI?

Perl is the programming language Building Block is written in. It is used for all kinds of tasks, but is particulary good at handling text. That is why it is used often in World Wide Web applications. You provider should have installed Perl on your server as this is a standard today.

CGI is a technology for exchanging data between Perl programs, the server and the user. It is used to pass user input to Building Block. After processing the data a reply is sent to the web server. All of this happens on the same machine. Finally the data are sent back to the browser of the user.

Is Building Block a Wiki?

Building Block lets you create pages which you can edit right in your browser. You can decide which users are permitted to do so.

However, Building Block is not a Wiki software, and it does not try to be. Here are the main differences:

• In Wikis every user can quickly create new articles and link between them. In Building Block you have to create a new project and a display for every new page.
• In Building Block you are free to design the page any way you like. This is not commonly found in Wiki software.
• In Building Block you retain full control. You decide whether a page can be changed by everyone, after login or not at all. So a Building Block page can look like a static page, but inside you have all editing possibilities. Further, you can combine several projects on one page. Normal Wikis do not offer this kind of flexibility.

What About Backups?

The user of a web server is responsible to make backups of his or her web projects. Now if you use a software which works with databases, then backups can be difficult, particulary for beginners. Restoring such a database after a crash can be even more complicated.

Building Block makes backups easy. It saves all project contents in simple text files. You can have these files sent to you email account regulary and save them on your computer at home. You can also download these files at any time using FTP.

If you want to restore data after a crash or vandalism, you simply upload your last backup to the server. Your pages are up and running again in no time.

I use static pages. What benefits can Building Block bring?

If you have written your pages in an HTML editor up to now, Building Block can bring you some advantages:

• Keeping your pages up to date is easier. You update single items, no need to work through a complete page.
• Using Building Block you can manage your site from anywhere and on every computer: at home, on a laptop at a conference, in an internet cafe abroad. Of course that works in every browser. Building Block uses a password mechanism to protect your pages.
• You can change the markup of your pages quick and easily. In no time you can display an image before every heading or add alink at the end of every entry. You only change the template, Building Block translates it to the whole site immediately.
• Unlock your pages for all or certain visitors and enable web collaboration.
• As soon as you master Building Block, you can add a guestbook, bulletin board, newsticker or help desk to your site withou having to install or learn a new software.

There are also a number of changes:

• Building Block does not have a design or graphics mode. Be prepared to work with HTML and a simple text editor. A well prepared Building Block project can also be used by non HTML-savvy users.
• You can not simply go ahead starting to write HTML. In Building Block you have to create and configure projects before you can start. It may take some time to get used to that.