Dear Reader,
Over the past few months, I’ve talked about our open architecture and our APIs, as well as how important flexibility and scalability are to building a Web site or intranet. I hear every day about how developers are using these tools and principles to build out cutting edge sites.
The API puts a lot of power into the hands of developers and there are some great examples of how they are taking control of it to add functionality to their Web sites. But adding all of this functionality also adds a level of complexity, as well as time and resources for coding, quality assurance testing and debugging. Whenever you add any of these elements to a project, you immediately increase the risk of not completing a project on schedule or within budget.
There are ways to mitigate that risk and still add the exact functionality that you want to your Web site. While developers can use Ektron CMS400.NET’s open API to build all of the functionality into their Web site, they don’t have to. CMS400.NET includes built-in server controls that can help you implement functionality to your site, including Web 2.0 and social networking features.
Most developers look at the server controls as out-of-the-box functionality. The flexibility comes from changing the controls properties to modify its default behavior. Anything beyond that is outside of the control’s capabilities. This is where many of our developers are missing our approach. When it comes to talking to the API the controls should be the first level to consider.
The way we engineered the server controls was to give developers the ability to programmatically manipulate the controls so that they can create the customization they are looking for. At the same time, we wanted to minimize their risk in the amount of code they need to write. We did this by allowing the developer to access the data class directly from the control itself (ekItems properties of most controls). This allows programmers to use the control as a data object. In many cases, they can then manipulate the markup and even pass their custom markup back into the control (.text field of the control) which will then display that information (along with the menu option).
Developers can also consume the data from the control in an XML format and do what they need to do with it. If there is some custom presentation that you want, the developer can create an XSLT file for that data and pass the file into the control. Then, the control will handle all the transformation needed and output the desired presentation. For other developers, they prefer EKML for their custom presentation and pass that file into the control (if you are not sure what EKML is you should check it out in the developer’s sample included in the demo site).
By using these to supplement your own custom code, you are mitigating risk while freeing up resources. The Ektron Server Controls have not only already been built, but they have gone through extensive QA and debugging, so that you don’t have to worry about them.
If your customizations are more demanding, then it’s time to look at the API layer. It’s not just the right tool for the right job, it’s the right layer for the right amount of customization. There will be times that you do need to talk directly to that API, which is why it’s there. The controls are just a good example of functionality built on top of the API itself.
Some of the best sites that I have seen have been built with a combination of completely custom functionality and Ektron Server Controls. Sometimes they are used straight out of the box, and other times they have been customized. But in every case, they’ve made the development process easier and afforded developers the opportunity to build some very cool functionality! For more information about the server controls and how they can be customized for your site, check out this video on our site.
As always, I’m interested in hearing about how you’re using CMS400.NET in your organization and how it has helped you grow your Web site the way you want (and need).
Sincerely,
Bill Rogers
Ektron CEO and Founder
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