Scrypool

This project will eventually replace the application I use for this website. Even though the code is available and free to use within the restrictions of GPL-3.0, I strongly recommend not using the available code, because it is in heavy development, and changes almost every day.

Scrypool is roughly based on my site, but completely rewritten en very much enhanced. On top of that scrypool is being designed and developed to make it easy to collaborate in creative projects. It will include many tools :

• a text editor with styling features, a timeline to easily browse through the evolution of a text, such as a movie script, a manuscript for a novel, a draft of a schoolbook in progress.
• a system to upload and organise images for a storyboard, or illustrations for a book.
• linking images to text, so that you can see the images used in which part of the text.
• tools to plan a project, with calendars, charts, task lists, contact lists, assigning tasks, etc.
• ways to present the project, with the tools to offer merchandise (webshop).

Scrypool will be released as open source, and is written using only open source tools. I know, you might ask why not using flash for designing an online drawing application for example. I have two problems with flash. One is that it limits the usability of the site for some people, and two, it is a proprietary format which limits the possability for some others to join development. Luckily HTML5 is very strongly on its way, and hopefully it will offer a descent alternative to using flash.

Joomla Templates

Recently I've been studying the cms system Joomla. In my opinion it is a very well written cms, with lots of features, and fully customisable. So I started creating a template. Some have claimed I lack a certain talent with colors (because my site is mostly black and white). Proving to master templating a cms and to use colors in design, is best done by showing a template with lot's of color, so here it is : The Joomla page.

I plan to design more templates.

This website

It would be a shame to let the site you're looking at out of my portfolio. This site is developed in php and also uses javascript and ajax. I'm not really a huge fan of flash and actionscript, but since it is used so often, I do work with it.

This site is not only written in php, it also uses the Object Oriented paradigm, and is developed with as much separation of content, structure, functionality and style as possible. On top of that I've seperated the tasks that the application has to perform. There is a layer for accessing the database, a layer for collecting the data, a layer that defines certain entities in this application. A blog-post is one example of an entity.

I've also managed to create a system to change the content online. I don't need to use a html-editor to modify the content. That's why I call this my own little CMS. The plan is to extend the possibilities. Of course you could ask why I don't use an existing CMS. The reason is that I now am in full controll. I can extend functionality as I wish and need.

Often, the problem with an existing CMS is that you almost have to learn a new language. You have to understand the structure, the way it works and even a new syntax. That can take weeks of study.

It speaks for itself that I do study CMS-systems. There are plenty of them going around the web. Drupal is very well known, and has a very good reputation. In my experience it is becoming way to big for simple websites. Another CMS with the power, size and reputation of Drupal is Joomla. They are free, and quite userfriendly for simple uses, and as long as you're happy with preset templates. In my opinion though, the term 'userfriendly' is used way too often.

So I'm making my own CMS. It is not as good as the big ones, but it does its job very well so far. When I need an extension, I simply write one, without having to study a new syntax, structure, system. On top of that, I don't have to worry about updates that can break modules or extensions.

© Bart Deruyter

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