Frequently Asked Questions
- How and why did MODx start?
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The MODx project started out of frustration after a multi-year search for an open source CMF (Content Management Framework). We needed a solution that would allow us to quickly build clean XHTML/CSS sites and web applications (i.e., a sensible, robust and extendable API without extended learning curves), and that also worked as a great marketing-site CMS. While MODx began as an add-on hack of Etomite, the founders ultimately found themselves having to choose between forking the project or abandoning over a thousand hours of work. They chose dinnerware.
- Do we really need another Open Source PHP CMS?
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Considering that few CMSes – Open Source, Commercial or otherwise – do a stellar job of supporting web standards and offer an API that makes it straightforward to develop custom web applications, yes.
- Who is MODx's ideal target?
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Someone who is ready willing and able to get their hands into the code a bit and try to figure things out. MODx's team doesn't have the bandwidth right now to address the ultimate end-user market (the folks wanting to learn CSS and to figure out how to import and export databases, although we sure seem to answer a lot of those questions in our forum).
- How do I make sure MODx works best?
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We've spent hundreds of hours in the forums that can be traced back to really cheap hosting; you really do get what you pay for there. The following guidelines should result in more smooth sailing.
- A very reliable web host without turbo-overloaded servers.
- Linux.
- Apache with mod_rewrite.
- PHP 4.3.10 or above. PHP 5.1.x will get you some very cool things in the near future.
- MySQL 4.1.x or above.
- You've seen and know what "<?php" means.
- Is there a simple getting started guide, including how to install MODx?
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Starbuck, one of our friendly community members built an awesome tutorial site that is updated regularly. It's a great resource for anyone wanting an overview of most of the MODx basics in a step-by-step screenshot oriented format..
- What's the best way to upgrade MODx between versions?
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anselm1109, another community member documented the process on his blog. We couldn't have said it better. :)
- How do I move from a staging to a production server?
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This is an important topic that is surprisingly easy and straightforward if you follow the few simple guidelines that are conveniently covered in the documentation.
- How do I style my navigation menu with CSS to look like ..."?
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MODx's menu building tools are tremendously powerful and offer a lot of options to leverage CSS to it's fullest. If you're not a CSS pro, you might want to review a few resources dedicated to CSS found elsewhere on the net. Google is your friend in a big way here. Two great CSS resources to help you understand before you start asking questions in the forums:
