asp:review
Vine Type CMS 1.4
By Anand Narayanaswamy
Web sites powered with Content Management Systems (CMS)are normally managed by databases that run in the background. But you canindeed create and deploy Web sites using a Content Management System withoutany databases. How? With products like Vine Type, an ASP.NET-based application thatprovides the ability to add, delete, and edit any number of Web pages withoutthe overhead and hassle of database or scripting language installation.
Figure 1: Vine Type in action.
Designed and developed by Carl Camera of http://www.Vinebranches.com, the CMSmakes use of XML files instead of standard databases such as Microsoft SQLServer. Vine Type is one of a few, or perhaps the only, .NET Framework contentmanagement solutions that consistently serves up the most recent W3Crecommended XHTML-compliant Web pages. The product works with both .NETFramework 1.1 and 2.0 and can be downloaded from http://www.vinetype.com. One of theinteresting points to note is that the Web site itself has been created usingVine Type and, hence, you can experience the actual look and feel of theproduct if you visit the site.
I downloaded personal version 1.4 of the product withintwo seconds as the installation file is only 82 KB. To install the product, yousimply need to place the contents of www and vinetype folders inside the rootdirectory. You should place these two folders separately in order to work withthe product. The site can then be accessed using the URLhttp://localhost/www/default.aspx. You?ll have to log in using theadministrator password (which you gave inside the vinetype.config file locatedinside the vinetype folder) to manage the content. I?m amazed to see the speedwith which I can access and administer the site after the installation.Moreover, the site loads faster than any other Content Management System becausethere is no necessity to access any heavy databases on the back end.
The product automatically adjusts the navigation links asyou add and delete articles and sections. The product comes with built-insupport for RSS, Search, and Site Maps. These features enable your visitors tokeep track of changes when you make them, and also to have a smooth workingexperience. The product is fully compatible with W3C Internet Standards and,hence, it will generate valid XHTML Web pages. The product is fullycustomizable using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). The core feature of theproduct is that it provides the base engine to add, delete, and edit content,management of menus, and navigation, and allows the designer plenty of freedomto customize the look and feel of the Web site. Vine Type is more secure thanany other Content Management System as you need not have to worry about anypossible security issues arising out of scripting languages or databaseintrusion.
As noted earlier, you should log in using theadministrator password in order to post content. As soon as you log in you willbe able to see a set of options for managing the content. You can then postyour content by selecting the Add New Entry button.
Figure 2: The Vine Type editing panel.
As you can see, the product doesn?t contain anyheavyweight WYSIWYG text editor for adding and formatting content. The vendorclaims that the rich text editors don?t generate valid XHTML, which is one ofthe hallmarks of Vine Type. Instead, it makes use of Markdown text entry toformat the content. Markdown provides rich text editing capabilities, includingthe ability to style text in a number of ways ? such as adding images, links,headings, nested bulleted and numbered lists, horizontal rules, code blocks,and blockquotes. For instance, if you would like to format text as bold youshould enclose it with two asterisks or underscores. In the same way, you cancreate headings by adding the required number of hashes. If you want to createa third level heading, simply enclose it with three hashes (###).
A comprehensive description regarding the use of Markdownrules can be explored at http://vinetype.com/default.aspx?section=reference/how_to/how_to_style_text.After playing with Vine Type I now feel very comfortable making use ofMarkdowns rather than selecting the required button from the Toolbar. You canalso add Google maps to your site using Vine Type. To decorate your contentwith images, you should upload the images to the server and then add therequired Markdown referencing the required image. It would be great if thevendor provides a facility to display the file names of all images on theappropriate directory on the editor page in a popup window. It will help theusers to place the images easily rather than copying the file names.
The main feature of the product is that you can see theeffect of a change as soon as you save the content. This will help you previewthe content before its publication. To create new sections and subsections, youshould give the appropriate priority inside the configuration file and thenspecify the name of the section or subsection while adding new content. VineType also generates Breadcrumbs, which enable you to navigate the site easily (thisis a standard feature of every site powered with Vine Type CMS).
To take advantage of the advanced content managementfeatures included with the product, you need not install any add-ins, plug-ins,or additional scripts. These features can be configured using the configurationfile included with the product. I found it very interesting to work with theproduct as it is easy to manage all the required settings using a singleconfiguration file rather than locating and editing several files. Vine Type1.4 also supports Globally Recognized Avatar (Gravatar) and also provides a hotfix to some of the issues noticed in the previous version.
Figure 3: Gravatar in action.
I think the upgrade process is one of the simplestprocedures; you simply need to replace the vinetype.dll file and refresh thebrowser. If you shift your hosting provider, you can copy the files from theold server and drop them into the new server. You don?t have to worry aboutresolving the complicated error messages, which may likely bother you duringthe shifting process.
Vine Type?s framework accommodates more than 100 languagesand cultures, persons with special needs, and international internet standards.The product comes with built-in support for search and includes algorithms forchecking SPAM comments. I am not aware of any other Content Management Systemthat provides these features in such a simple mechanism. Moreover, you caneasily adjust the time zones, and the product is compatible with PDA devices,as well.
There are many interesting features included with theproduct; you can investigate each one of them at http://www.vinetype.com/default.aspx?section=home/features.You can easily install additional templates available from the downloadssection of the vendor?s Web site. As of now the vendor provides only onetemplate, but they plan to offer additional templates soon, along with theupcoming versions.
I found it very easy to work with the vendor. They provideexcellent support through e-mail; they not only clarify issues, but alsoprovide additional input and references. You can also voice your opinion andpost questions about the product at http://aspadvice.com/forums/421/ShowForum.aspx.The vendor is working hard to provide a native .NET 2.0 Executable file for theinstallation of the product and a host of other interesting features, alongwith the next version of the product.
From my point of view, Vine Type can be typically employedfor the creation of a blog and knowledge base. I would suggest that the vendorimplement Forum, Photo Gallery, and Newsletter functionality in the upcomingversions so users can create full-fledged Web sites. You can create robust Websites using the product if you take advantage of all its features.
Anand Narayanaswamy,a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), works as an independentconsultant and runs NetAns Technologies (http://www.netans.com),which provides Web hosting services based in Trivandrum, India. Anand works as atechnical editor lead for ASPAlliance.com. He runs Learnxpress.com (http://www.learnxpress.com), Dotnetalbum.com(http://www.dotnetalbum.com), andCsharpfaq.com (http://www.csharpfaq.com).Find out more about him at http://www.visualanand.netor e-mail him at mailto:netans@gmail.com.
Rating: ????
Web Site: http://www.vinetype.com
Price: VineType Pro Version 1, Single Installation License, US$20