README
Background
This was my first, and longest, recorded project. The initial goal was to make a social media platform, but it ended up just turning into a CMS and pseudo- framework. For a while this was what powered my personal website.
NOTE: Start date estimated - I do not have an exact date besides ~3 years before the initial commit
Features
While the code isn’t great and the actual design for both of the themes was terrible, it did have some decent features:
- Automated Installation - Generated a config file with required fields and created required database tables
- Themes - Allowed for the design of the site to be swapped out while keeping actual content
- Mods - Allowed for custom functionality to be plugged in as necessary
- Admin Panel - The required feature for any CMS
- Template / File Editor - This was primarily where you changed the actual site content
- Environment Tests - Checked for required files, directories, tables, and permissions
- Debug Mode - Displayed log messages for the duration of your session or until toggled off
- Database Editor - Think “phpMyAdmin”, but simpler
- IP Blocking - Self explanatory, block users based on IP address
Final Thoughts
The whole thing is kind of rough to look back on, but for where I was at the time, it was great. Also, it contributed to me getting my first job so it couldn’t have been too bad. I still laugh thinking about walking into my first interview with a binder full of printed out code - before knowing anything about version control - and talking through each piece as the manager flipped through the pages.