Issue 2 May 2013

Step by measured step

by Destry Wion |

This issue of TXP Magazine delivers more exciting firsts. Ralitza brings us the first Site Watch article, profiling 24 Ways and the key fellow behind it, Drew McLellan. Kevin delivers the first full-length tutorial on creating a front-side extranet. Philipp Schilling, one of two new team members, takes time to consider Textpattern’s brand strategy in the longer run. Stef describes several custom developments in the magazine that many of you have been asking about. For you freelancers who’ve ever wanted to work and truly be free, Marie shares how it can be done from a bungalow in Bali. And Claire Brione, plugin developer extraordinaire, is profiled in the calms of Vendeuvre. All that and more. Nothing to be missed.

Claire Brione: plugin developer extraordinaire

by Destry Wion |

Claire Brione is making a name for herself in the Textpattern community, thanks to her plugins that make it possible to create admin-side access from the front-side of a website. I don’t use any of her plugins, yet, and until rather recently I only knew of her by her support forum nickname, CéBé, but when the editorial team was discussing who to profile this issue, someone said “women who develop are the real deal”, and that pretty much decided it. With enthusiasm from me and the rest of the team, I took a virtual trip to Vendeuvre, France to learn more about Claire and why Textpattern is part of her life.

24 Ways behind exhibit glass

by Ralitza Dilovska |

If you work for the web, you likely have this one in your feed reader already. Published once a year, in December, 24 Ways is an “advent calendar for web geeks”, as well as an excellent reference for web design and development at any other time of the year. Each issue is an event that marks—not the end—but the beginning of a new year of ideas and developments in web design. 24 Ways has run on Textpattern CMS since its debut, and being an excellent site inside and out, it’s well deserving of our first Site Watch column, and thus first Exhibit entry. Drew McLellan, 24 Ways Editor-in-Chief, found time in his busy schedule to give me some background about the site—how it was built, who helps with the work involved, etc.—and shared his honest thoughts about Textpattern CMS too.

Custom developments behind TXP Magazine

by Stef Dawson |

To bring this magazine to fruition required gently twisting Textpattern from managing linear date-based or date-independent content into clusters of easily navigable, issue-based articles. Although fairly straightforward, it’s not as simple as it sounds, and took a few waves of the PHP wand to accomplish—some TXP Mag(ic), if you will. Several plugins stirred into the cauldron also made the workflow simpler from the inside for the editorial team. So put on your pointy black hats and find out how the spells were cast to turn the magazine you’re reading from an outline drawing of a frog into a curvy princess.

Exploring a nomadic business and lifestyle

by Marie Poulin |

I haven’t always had a thirst for travel. There is something to be said for the comforts of “home”; close-knit friends that are always there, friendly smiles from staff at your favorite local hangouts… It feels good to be familiar with a city and its quirks, and feel safe and comfortable in its neighbourhoods. In the last months of 2011, I went through some personal stuff that forced me to take a good hard look at my life, career, and personal goals. I felt myself going in two possible directions: I could pick up and start over—find a new apartment, acquire new furniture, and begin to “settle down” again and so forth—or I could get rid of all my worldly possessions and become more transient, working from anywhere. I’ll let you guess by this article’s title which direction I chose. It may seem drastic, but it turned out to be a lot easier than I imagined. (Not to mention a lot more fun!)

Strengthening the Textpattern brand

by Philipp Schilling |

In the first issue of the magazine, Destry Wion proposed a new family emblem that generated a lot of pushback, including from me. While it’s understood that Destry’s proposed emblem was simply meant as a fun mark to identify Textpattern’s own websites (not meant to be a change to the brand itself), the majority of people nevertheless felt it would still be confusing. Yet there is a problem with Textpattern’s branding. Not only might a family site emblem be a good idea (albeit more brand-compliant), but an evolution of the brand itself is needed—a well-thought refinement that improves brand clarity and retention. As creator of the existing Textpattern logo, and a new member of the editorial team, I outline a slightly new look and function for the Textpattern brand and invite you to discuss the new direction. Together we can help re-establish the level of respect the Textpattern brand name once had.

Building a Textpattern-powered public login form

by Kevin Potts |

Often, your client’s website will need more than just public-facing content. Having a simple login system, where content is locked behind authentication, is useful for boards of directors needing meeting minutes, customers needing proprietary support information, or a hundred other uses. Textpattern, through its own strong user security and a combination of plugins, can support exactly that.