CMS template creation and jQuery integration

Question

Hi,

First off I should say that I don't have any experience in working with a CMS.

I have 2 general questions about CMS:

• How easy is it to create a template? I have strong CSS/XHTML skills, is creating a template as easy as writing the markup or does it have to be done in a very rigid way?
• How is jQuery support in CMS systems? I like what you can do with jQuery and would like to incorporate it into the next couple of sites that I will do.

EDIT:

So far answers are asking which CMS, I don't have any in mind. Any suggestions welcome, open source and non .NET preferable.

Answer 1

If you mean jQuery integration in the front-end, you should be able to add any jQuery logic you want to the front-end templates by just including jQuery and your JavaScript. It sounds like you've got a hammer and now you're looking for a nail. I don't really see why CMS-driven sites would be any different for jQuery/ JavaScript logic.

Answer 2

How easy is it to create a template? I have strong CSS/XHTML skills, is creating a template as easy as writing the markup or does it have to be done in a very rigid way?

This totally depends on the CMS. Some CMS's use plain HTML with some Template or Scripting language variables in it. That will be pretty straightforward to get into. Other CMS's use complex XML/XSLT-based templating languages that take some time to learn. I found Genshi (used as a template engine in the popular Trac project management system) very complex for example.

jQuery support in the front-end is usually down to the template used, except if the CMS comes with pre-built front-end controls that require a Javascript framework like jQuery or Prototype.

Bottom line: It really depends which CMS we are talking about.