Editing OpenCms

{{Short description|Content management system}}
{{Infobox software
| name = OpenCms
| logo = OpenCms Logo.svg
| logo size = 200px
| screenshot = [[File:OpenCms 10 - The Sitemap editor.png|250px|Editing the structure of a website in the OpenCms sitemap editor.]]
| caption = The sitemap editor of OpenCms
| developer = [[Alkacon Software]] and the OpenCms community
| platform = [[Java platform|Java]], [[XML]]
| genre = [[Content management system]]
| license = [[GNU Lesser General Public License]]
| website = [https://www.opencms.org/ www.opencms.org]
| latest_release_version = {{OpenCms version}}
| latest_release_date = {{OpenCms version|releasedate}}
| operating_system = [[Cross-platform]]
}}

'''OpenCms''' is an [[open-source software|open-source]] [[content management system]]<ref name="linux-magazin.de">{{cite web
| last = Rähm
| first = Jan
| title = OpenCMS 7 kurz vor Veröffentlichung
| language = de
| date = 2007-06-26
| url = http://www.linux-magazin.de/news/opencms_7_kurz_vor_veroeffentlichung?category=381
| access-date = 2009-01-23}}</ref> written in [[Java platform|Java]].<ref name="cmswatch1">{{cite web
| last = Asipenko
| first = Slava
| title = OpenCms 6.0: A Review
| publisher = CMS Watch
| date = 17 Sep 2006
| url = http://www.cmswatch.com/Feature/152-OpenCms-6
| access-date = 2009-01-23}}</ref><ref name="computerwoche">{{cite web
| title = Quelloffenes Content-Management
| date = 2002-04-26
| url = http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/2002/17/1061384/
| access-date = 2009-01-23}}</ref> It is distributed by [[Alkacon Software]] under the [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL]] [[license]].<ref name="zdnet">{{cite web
| last = McGrath
| first = John
| title = Open-source CMS: On the rise
| publisher = ZD Net
| date = 28 November 2002
| url = http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Open-source-CMS-On-the-rise/0,139023166,120270243,00.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081022102444/http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Open-source-CMS-On-the-rise/0,139023166,120270243,00.htm
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = October 22, 2008
| access-date = 2009-01-23}}</ref> OpenCms requires a JSP Servlet container such as [[Apache Tomcat]].<ref name="zdnet"/>

It is a CMS application with a browser-based work environment, asset management, user management, workflow management, a [[WYSIWYG]] editor, internationalization support, content versioning, and many more features including proxying of requests to another endpoint.<ref name="cmswatch1"/>

OpenCms was launched in 1999,<ref name="zdnet"/> based on its closed-source predecessor MhtCms. The first open source version was released in 2000.

OpenCms is used or has been used by large organizations such as [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], the [[LGT Group]], the [[University of Stuttgart]], the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne|Archdiocese of Cologne]], and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.<ref name="zdnet"/>

== User interface ==
The OpenCms user interface runs in a web browser, placing control elements directly on the web page that is edited. Content on a page can be modified by drag and drop.<ref>[https://www.opencms.org/en/article/Get-OpenCms-8-now/ OpenCms release notes describing drag and drop editing features]</ref> Text can be edited "inline" directly on the web page, or in an alternative form based editor.

Web pages and their navigation structure are managed in a dedicated sitemap editor. Content elements are stored in galleries and can be reused between different web pages or web sites. An additional "power user" interface for Administrators provides role and permission management. Since version 9.5 OpenCms has offered layout and template creation without coding.<ref>[https://www.opencms.org/en/article/Step-up-to-OpenCms-9.5/ OpenCms release notes describing template and layout creation without the need to code]</ref>
[[File:OpenCms 10 - Editing a web page.png|thumb|none|Editing a web page in the inline editor of OpenCms 10.]]

== Technology ==
OpenCms runs on the [[Java platform]] as a [[Java servlet|servlet]]. It uses several libraries provided by the [[Apache foundation]]. The user interface has been developed using [[Vaadin]] and the [[Google Web Toolkit]].

The OpenCms content repository is stored in a database, with [[MariaDB]], [[MySQL]], [[PostgreSQL]], [[HSQLDB]], [[Oracle Database|Oracle]], [[Microsoft SQL Server|MSSQL]] and [[IBM Db2]] being natively supported. It can be accessed with [[CMIS]], [[WebDAV]] as an [[Server Message Block|SMB network share]] or through the native web interface.

Text content in OpenCms is defined using an [[XML schema]]. The user interface for the content managers creates [[XML]] files based on these schemas, which are stored in the database repository. A template system based on [[JavaServer Pages]] then creates web pages from the XML.

== Versions ==
OpenCms has been under continuous development as an open source project since the year 2000. Currently a major version is released every 6 months in April and October. The [[Distributed revision control|revision control]] of the OpenCms [[source code]] is done using [[Git (software)|Git]] on [[GitHub]].<ref>[https://github.com/alkacon/opencms-core OpenCms source code on GitHub]</ref> The following table provides an overview of all major OpenCms releases.<ref>[https://github.com/alkacon/opencms-core/blob/master/history.txt Overview of all OpenCms releases in the history.txt file on GitHub]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Overview of major OpenCms releases
|-
! width="5%" | Version 
! width="10%" | Release&nbsp;date
! width="85%" | Important new features
|-
| {{Version|o|4.0}} || 2 Feb 2000 || Online / offline [[workflow]], [[WYSIWYG]] editor for web pages, explorer, user management
|-
| {{Version|o|5.0}} || 5 May 2002 || Page templates in [[JavaServer Pages|JSP]] with own &lt;cms:&gt; [[tag library]], extended [[Web cache|caching]] and static export of pages
|-
| {{Version|o|5.3}} || 11 Dec 2003 || Full text search using [[Lucene]], direct edit of web pages
|-
| {{Version|o|6.0}} || 30 Jun 2005 || Updated user interface, storage of content in [[XML]] files based on [[XSD]], management of multiple sites
|-
| {{Version|o|6.2}} || 31 Mar 2006 || Integrated [[image scaling]], visual comparison of document versions
|-
| {{Version|o|7.0}} || 04 Jul 2007 || Support for [[WebDAV]], automatic link management, category tags for all content files
|-
| {{Version|o|7.5}} || 15 Jun 2009 || Content galleries, extended support for creating JSP using expression language
|-
| {{Version|o|8.0}} || 8 May 2011 || Enhanced user interface allowing [[drag and drop]] of elements in the page and sitemap editor, support for mobile devices
|-
| {{Version|o|8.5}} || 24 Sep 2012 || "Inline" editing of web pages, integration of [[Apache Solr]], [[CMIS]] support, [[SEO]] features
|-
| {{Version|co|9.0}} || 08 Nov 2013 || Preview for mobile devices, accessing the content repository using a [[Server Message Block|network share]], visual site management interface, demo template based on [[Bootstrap (front-end framework)|Bootstrap]]
|-
| {{Version|co|9.5}} || 03 Nov 2014 || Nested containers allow template and layout creation with drag and drop, user generated content, [[PDF]] creation, extended editor roles, spell checking in the WYSIWYG editor, visual management of galleries, categories and templates
|-
| {{Version|co|10.0}} || 23 Mar 2016 || Modernized administration workplace, added Apollo Template, new file explorer, [[Identicon]]s for users, direct commit of changed templates to [[Git (software)|Git]], drag and drop of images, enhanced Solr based content search
|-
| {{Version|co|10.5}} || 15 Feb 2017 || Improved localization tools for side-by-side comparison of sitemaps, support for generating pages as JSON fragments, asset connection for external data sources, font icons in the user interface
|-
| {{Version|co|11.0}} || 30 Apr 2019 || Redesigned user interface, meta mappings for SEO, new Mercury Template, default content list generation with predefined Solr searches, bookmarks in the explorer, new apps for resource type and sessions management 
|-
| {{Version|co|12.0}} || 12 Oct 2021 || [[Headless_content_management_system|Headless]] JSON API for REST content access, greatly improved Mercury Template, template variants, updated [[WebDAV]] implementation.
|-
| {{Version|co|13.0}} || 03 Apr 2022 || New plugin system, search by geo coordinates, extensions to template variants, improved Mercury template.
|-
| {{Version|co|14.0}} || 11 Oct 2022 || XML schema versioning with automatic content rewrite, two factor authentication (2FA) in the user login, source code editor widget for multi-line text inputs, Mercury template updated to Bootstrap 5.2.
|-
| {{Version|co|15.0}} || 25 Apr 2023 || Role-based control for sitemap access and new editor for modifying selected sitemap attributes, app "Person data search" reveals personal user data in the VFS, improved Mercury template.
|-
| {{Version|co|16.0}} || 02 Oct 2023 || New app "Unused contents" finds and deletes content not actively used, individual detail pages based on categories, option to reset the password for all content managers, improved Mercury template.
|-
| {{Version|co|17.0}} || 09 Apr 2024 || New app "Date search", export a selected site for archiving, hide "sensitive" content in the Offline project, support for Java LTS 17 and 21, improved Mercury template.
|-
| {{Version|co|18.0}} || 08 Oct 2024 || New “Place element” mode in the page editor, markers for reused content, automatic typographical correction of quotation marks, improved Mercury template.
|-
| {{Version|c|19.0}} || 02 Apr 2025 || New tools for website translation, image preview and filename validation in the upload dialog, improved content validation, fast access to categories.
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Version|l|show=011110}}
|}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last= Liliedahl |first= Dan |title= Opencms 7 Development |year= 2008 |publisher= [[Packt Publishing]] |isbn= 978-1-84719-105-2 }}
* {{cite book |last= Butcher |first= Matt |title= Managing and Customizing Opencms 6 Websites: Java/JSP XML Content Management |year= 2006 |publisher= [[Packt Publishing]] |isbn= 978-1-904811-76-3 }}
* {{cite book |last= Butcher |first= Matt |title= Building Websites with OpenCms |year= 2004|publisher= [[Packt Publishing]] |isbn= 978-1-904811-04-6 }}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[List of content management systems]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://www.opencms.org/}}
* [https://demo.opencms.org/ Live online demo]
* [https://github.com/alkacon/opencms-core/ Master GitHub repository]
* [https://documentation.opencms.org/ OpenCms core documentation]
* [https://mercury-template.opencms.org/info/english/ OpenCms Mercury template documentation]


[[Category:Free content management systems]]
[[Category:Java platform software]]