Content Management Made Easy - with Editize!

Implementation

Step 1 - Download the software

A free trial version of the software is available at www.editize.com/download.php, and downloading the software was certainly no problem.

This is worth mentioning, because some software vendors allow only a single download, and if for some reason the download is unsuccessful, you end up having to call the company, etc. This is not the case with Editize. If for some reason, you need to repeat the download, or you'd like to download the newest version of the software, it's a hassle-free process. Simply sign on to the member area, and download the software.

Step 2 - Copy the files to your server

Create a folder on your server for the Editize files, such as http://www.yoursite.com/editize/, and upload the files to that folder. Here's a description of the files included in the download:

• editize.jar - The Editize Java library file. This contains the Editize applet.
• editize.php - The Editize API for PHP. This PHP library will generate the HTML and JavaScript code necessary to display the Editize applet on almost any browser or operating system.
• kunststoff.jar - The Kunststoff Look & Feel. Improves the look of the Editize user interface dramatically, but adds 43KB of Java files for users' browsers to download the first time they visit your site. If you delete this file, Editize will simply run without any visual enhancements, and will load slightly faster over slow modem connections.
• osx.html - A small Web page containing JavaScript that allows Editize to behave like a form field on Mac OS X browsers.
• index.php - A sample PHP script that demonstrates how to create Editize form fields compatible with most browsers.*
• index-mac.php - A sample PHP script that demonstrates how to create Editize form fields compatible with most browsers, including Internet Explorer and Mozilla on Mac OS 10.1.*
• imglist.php - A sample PHP script that will list the images in a given directory of your Web server for Editize to use as an image list.*

Step 3 - Copy the license file to the server

This file will be called editize.hostname.lic Put this file in the same folder as the others.

Step 4 - Integrate Editize into your update pages

Any page that uses Editize must know where to find it. Providing those directions is as simple as adding this line to any page that uses Editize:

<?php require('path/to/editize.php'); ?>

This line will point to the editize.php file in the folder you created earlier. Then, the following code will be used, instead of a typical HTML form.

<form action="..." method="post">  
<?php  
$ed = new Editize;  
$ed->name = 'example';  
$ed->display('<p align="center">This is the document that  
Editize will edit.</p>');  
?>  
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />  
</form>

The instructions that are available with the Editize download include more information on setting the configuration attributes, plus a few other tweaks. And of course, the instructions will vary slightly if you're using ASP or another scripting language. All the instructions are well-written, straightforward, and easy to understand, so you won't have any problem following them to customize the system to your needs.

Results

• The end result was a very slick looking interface that end users were very comfortable using. Editize provided them with a very familiar point-and-click environment similar to most word processing software, so users had no trouble updating site content.
• There was much less work involved from a development standpoint, due to the fact that Editize was an out-of-the box solution. Thus, I could avoid having to deal with an assortment of formatting issues in the php code.
• The separation of design from user-submitted content ensured a more consistent and professional-looking site.
• End-users required little or no training.
• The initial investment was minimal.

The trial had been successful! The site managers were happy, and the team members I'd asked to trial the software really enjoyed using it. The community college decided to go ahead and integrate the product with its CMS.