EKlecticCore Content Management System
Module Documentation
Ad News
The Ad News module allows administrators to create email ads or newsletter mailings to all of the registered users who have not opted out of such mailings.
Articles
The Articles module is a powerful multi-purpose module that can be used to as for news, user news/reports, documentation, text blogging, video blogging, audio blogging, real estate listings, etc.
Features:
- Articles can be created by regular users (if so desired) as well as admins.
- Articles can contain up to three attachments. Multimedia attachments (images, audio clips, or video clips) are displayed and played with the article while non-media attachments are displayed as download links.
Audio Video
The Audio Video module allows the inline display and playing of multimedia files (images, audio clips, or video clips).
Click here to see an example of this module in use.
Contact Us Form
The Contact Us Form module provides a method to send email without displaying the email address that receives the messages. This is a guard against email "spammers" who search websites for email addresses.
This module also allows you to send specific information in the message body by adding it to the URL. For example, this site's Contact module is installed in section 33. If you would like to contact us regarding this module documentation, we could create a link like this:
index.php?section_id=33&Regarding=Contact Us Module Documentation
When a user clicks the link above and submits the Contact Us form, the email body will contain the line:
Regarding: Contact Us Module Documentation.
This information is completely arbitrary, which means you can add any information to the link. Another example:
My favorite color is RED
My favorite color is GREEN
My favorite color is BLUE
Each of the links above calls the same Contact Us form, but each sends a different favorite color.
And multiple paramaters can be sent in, as well! For example:
I like BLUE 1965 Ford Mustangs.
This link will send the following lines in the message body:
Color: Blue
Year: 1965
Make: Ford
Model: Mustang
In summary, enhancing the Contact form URL is a simple way to pass specific information in the message body.
Dynamic Columns
The Dynamic Columns module is an incredibly powerful module intended to be used by web designers, and provides the ability to dynamically create an entire site template, or just a single block of content.
At a glance there seems to be an overwhelming number of configuration option for this module. But there are actually just five basic groups of options:
- General Layout: Number of columns, alignment, and fill width.
- Container background: image and fill mode, color, opacity.
- Container layout: Outside (left/right) padding, vertical (top/bottom) padding, inside padding, corner rounding, shadow.
- Column layout defaults: Background color, opacity, width, padding, spacing (left/right padding), vertical padding, corner rounding.
- Column layout overrides: Column #01-10 Background color, opacity, width, padding, shadow.
Details can be found by clicking the "Configuration Help" button in the module configuration section.
Example
The Example module doesn't actually do anything. It is intended to be used as an example for developers to use as a template when developing new and custom modules.
File Explorer
The File Explorer module offers the ability to browse a folder, and "launch" the files contained based upon their file type. The module can be configured to "play media in browser," or to simply download any file that is clicked.
File Upload
The File Upload module allows administrators to upload files. This module is only intended to be used by admins, or as an example to developers. The EKCCMS Explorer's upload functionality should be used for general file management.
Google Map
The Google Map module allows users to quickly add a Google map to their website. Please note that the Iframe Module can also be used if finer technical control is required.
Iframe
The Iframe Module allows users to insert external website content such as Google Maps and Calendars, external YouTube videos, etc. Virtually any external website content can be inserted in an Iframe.
Image Gallery
The Image Gallery module allows users to simply choose a folder containing images, set the thumbnail size, and the rest is "magic"! All of the images within that folder will be automatically resized to the sizes configured the first time the page is loaded. Clicking on thumbnails will open the original image in a popup "lightbox."
WARNING: Please note that the image resizing can place a large CPU load on your server, especially if the original image file sizes exceed 500K-600K. If your hosting company monitors CPU throttling, please ensure that you upload smaller-sized photos.
Language Block
The Language Block module creates a dropdown where users can select their language of choice. This block is necessary for multilingual sites, and should typically be configured as "Always Show."
Login Block
The Login Block module provides a simple interface where users can login to EKCCMS. It also provides convenient links for "Register," "Forgot Password," and "Edit Profile."
Menu
The Menu module creates a dynamic menu of all configured sections in either a vertical side bar or horizontal top bar format. The "Regular Menu Links" format is also the administrative Section Manager which is necessary to manage your "site map" or section hierarchy. The administrative features/links of the "Regular Menu Links" menu only appear when an administrator is logged in.
RSS Feed
The RSS Feed module is an RSS reader that can be displayed on your website. (For displaying weather information via RSS, see the Weather Feed module instead.)
For more information on RSS, click here.
Search Site
The Search Site module provides very simple search engine functionality to EKCCMS. By default it will search all content, but can also search the content of certain modules (e.g. Articles, et al).
NOTE TO DEVELOPERS: You can enhance custom modules to be searchable by including the search() method in your module class. For more details, click here.
Setup Colors and Fonts
This is the "bread and butter" module that defines the basic styling of your website's template. Most of the options are self-explanatory, but more details can be found by clicking the "Configuration Help" button in the module configuration section.
Setup Login Block
This module allows you to style the default Login Block output.
Setup Main Content Location
This module is intended to be used with Dynamic Columns, and tells the system the location where to display search results, and the default Login Block. If this module is not configured, or is not configured correctly, Login Block and search results output may not be displayed.
Setup Menu Colors
This module allows you to style some of the output of the Menu module. Specifically, it configures the look-and-feel of the "Popup - Horizontal Layout" and "Popup - Vertical Layout" output.
Signature Form
The Signature Form allows for the presentation and signing of online contracts. Once the contract title and legalese are configured, users can sign with their finger (on mobile devices) or with their mouse (on desktop devices). The contract is then emailed to whoever is configured, and includes a printable PDF of the signed contract.
SQL Reporting
The SQL Reporting module provides a simple yet powerful interface to create dynamic reports and graphs. Please note that an intimate understanding of SQL and your existing database structure is required to use this module effectively.
Click here to see an example of this module in use.
System Settings
The Admin Links module provides a list of links to all of the administrative functions of EKCCMS.
Tabview
The Tabview module allows administrators to present large amounts of information in a small amount of screen real estate.
Click here to see an example of the tabview module in use.
Template Tester
This module allows the site's template to be changed for the current session. This allows administrators to preview their site in different templates without affecting the view of other users. (In order to change the default template, administrators must use the Global Configuration tool.)
This module can also be configured to allow users to change their template. The list of available templates presented to the users can be configured when setting up the module.
Twitter Feed
The Twitter Feed module allows you to integrate your Twitter timeline right into your website.
Please note that Twitter is changing their system on March 5, 2013, and their changes may affect this module. Please be sure to use our EKCCMS Automatic Updates to make sure you're up-to-date with the latest enhancements to this module.
Weather Feed
The Weather Feed module allows you--with just a US zip code--to add real-time weather and forecast information to your website. International cities can also be included by obtaining the RSS feed URL from RSSWeather.com.
Configurable options enable the display of summarized or verbose forecast information, a current conditions weather graphic, and weather technical info (barometric pressure, humidity, etc.).
