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So I was looking at my Google Webmaster Tools this morning for devtrench.com and I throught it was pretty funny to see that this site ranks #1 for "modx sucks".
Just for clarity I wanted to write this post to let everyone know that my opinion is that MODx doesn't suck, but that there are few sucky aspects of MODx. In fact, I would say that MODx is the best CMS out there when you consider how easy it is for regular people (non-geeks) to use. If you've never used MODx and are slowly killing yourself by using Joomla or some other piece of crap then I urge you to try it. I've quit looking for a CMS, because MODx does everything I need for client websites.
Since writing my MODx sucks post, I've worked a lot more with it and have concluded that one thing that could make MODx not suck as much is better documentation. Under the hood of MODx there is a database api and a document parser API whose usage is not documented very well, not documented at all, or out of date. I think most users of MODx would agree that MODx needs better, more up to date documentation, especially now with the new Revolution version coming out. Seems that the developers have always written documentation as an afterthought when it really needs to be at the forefront.
I really think that bad documentation is the reason that I didn't see MODx as a better framework when I wrote the old MODx Sucks post. I still don't think it's totally a framework like symfony, but it's much better than what I thought before. I realized this after diving into the code more and figuring out things on my own. Open up the documentParser class and have a look at all of the undocumented functions.
Honestly though, this problem plagues most open source software and programming in general. It's just difficult and extremely time consuming to write good documentation. I know I hate to do it. So perhaps a solution for MODx would be to make a call for better documentation from the community and see what happens. Oh wait...they ask us to get involved on both wikis. Hmmm.
Comments (9)
Oct 12, 2009 at 08:59 PM
Shaun McCormick:
Hi, these links might help: (Revolution-specific) http://api.modxcms.com/ http://docs.modxcms.com/display/revolution/ http://docs.modxcms.com/display/xpdo10/ http://bugs.modxcms.com/ Thanks!
Oct 13, 2009 at 08:20 AM
devtrench:
Thanks Shaun, I'm pretty sure that those links solidify my point. Revolution is in the release candidate phase and there If you need documentation for the 0.9.x version then make sure you go here: http://svn.modxcms.com/docs/display/MODx096/Home Where did it go? I know the old docs were linked from the new site at one point, but now I can't find them. I would really like that link.
Jan 20, 2010 at 11:12 AM
Zachary:
Yes, I think they do solidify your point. My skills are sort of all over the map so I understand a lot of concepts but when it comes down to production I find I am always looking for a great answer, which I guess is better than looking for a bad one? Anyway, MODx seems great so far for building a small to medium-sized corporate marketing site... until you want to build forms and use them to act on the database. Then you're like, "does eForm do that? oh. I have to hack a bunch of sh*t together." This is when I realized the documentation for the API itself was *piss poor*. As my side project I am working with CI. Thanks for writing about both.
Dec 10, 2009 at 07:38 PM
paul b:
OT, I know, but it'd be really nice if you put the year next to your blog entry so we don't have to scroll down to the comments to work out when you were writing. 12 months is long long time in the CMS world. I'm taking a look at MODx at the moment and would have been a lot more discouraged by your original post if it had be from this year.
Dec 11, 2009 at 10:06 AM
devtrench:
Good point. I'll get the year these posts ASAP.
Feb 01, 2010 at 04:44 PM
Bill:
Hi all. I am trying to select a CMS or blogging software to help me build a series of small websites and MODx interests me. I know xhtml and I can hack css files to get the basics done. I have some experience installing and running Wordpress-based sites and I am comfortable with FTP and creating mysql databases. I have not learned PHP yet. I want to decide on a CMS or blogging software to create an ongoing series of small websites (approx 1 a month) that will consist of: a main page, a series of static article pages built around certain keywords (maybe 4-5), some static landing pages (for PPC) and a blog-like or articles page. I say "blog-like" because I want a simple backend system for posting stories every few days, but I do not care about comments and trackbacks. The sites are mainly to push out information about specific topics through PPC and good SEO to generate leads, which then get followed up with offline. The ability to create custom forms for side-bars and landing pages is also very important. Compliant code and strong SEO features are at the top of my list. I have looked at Drupal, Joomla and Expression Engine. Drupal and Joomla seem overwhelming to me and are probably much more than I need. I haven't put much time into EE, but it does seem to be a bit more than I need. I was going to commit to learning how to hack Wordpress when I ran across MODx. The ease of incorporating xhtml/css sites into its templating system is really enticing. But, there seems to be other aspects, which might be difficult for a non-programmer like myself, like the lack of documentation or learning materials. Any advice? Bill
Mar 11, 2010 at 09:59 AM
Susan Ottwell:
A work in progress... MODx From the Inside
Mar 11, 2010 at 10:06 PM
devtrench:
I don't know what your skill level is so it's hard for me to guess what's going to be easy for you. Just try it out. You'll either fall in love or walk away. I know MODx can do most of what you need without actually programming anything with PHP. You can use eForm for forms (which is easy) and MODx does everyhing else in the default install.
Jun 25, 2010 at 06:09 PM
Mark H:
You're a great writer (or that's my impression from what I've read from you). You've seem to dig into parts of the code. Fill in that CLA and help with the Docs. :D I've recently did the same thing, and I'm glad I can help others out there (based on what I find on the forums or know from prior experience) by something as simple as updating the documentation.