novella has been released!!!
Whew…it has been a long week, but I am proud to announce the first version of novella is out the door and ready for consumption.
You can go check it out at www.devmade.com/novella.
If you get a few minutes, check it out and let me know what you think. There are bound to be some bugs here and there in the sites and in the code so if you find any please let me know. Also, I would love any feedback you have.
Scott Topiol said,
Wrote on January 18, 2008 @ 2:08 pm
I like the simplicity. Played around a little bit with the sample files and was impressed. Any plans on adding a level of categorization for the admin interface? I know you’re trying to keep it simple but it might be useful to allow content to fall into categories on the admin side. For sites with a lot of content the drop-down list may get a bit cluttered.
David Baxter said,
Wrote on January 18, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
Hey Scott, glad you like it. Simplicity, as you mentioned, is the key ingredient. Both the design and functionality adhere to this.
But simplicity doesn’t mean I want to skimp in features. As long as a feature fits in with the general theme of the app, then I am all for it. The idea you mentioned sounds like a good one. Most sites might only have one category, but big ones could benefit from being able to divide them up.
I have not gotten worked through what the next release will hold. I only know that there will be one and the more suggestions people have the better it will be.
This is the exactly the kind of feedback I am hoping I get a lot more of, so please keep it coming.
David
Scott Topiol said,
Wrote on January 18, 2008 @ 5:13 pm
Yeah, as far as categorization goes I figure you could probably allow users to categorize according to the pages on their site. So if someone has an “About” page then the related content blocks would fall under an ‘About’ category, ofr instance. Obviously if some content is reused over several independent pages that could get tricky and some of the ways I envision being able to resolve it would start to make the interface kinda complex (i.e. blocks belonging to multiple ‘categories’ in a linking format).
David Baxter said,
Wrote on January 18, 2008 @ 5:43 pm
That’s a cool idea…buckets is essentially what you are talking about.
It is very feasible that you will have several blocks that make up a single page (like I do on the download page in the sample). Grouping them together could make things easier for larger sites.
Great idea.
David
Sean said,
Wrote on January 19, 2008 @ 11:10 pm
Hey just into your CMS through DZone.com, it looks very promising. I’m actually learning to how to programme in C# and ASP.NET right now so I’m looking forward to diving into your source code. Hopefully one day I may be good enough to even contribute
Thanks for going Open Source 
Krish said,
Wrote on January 21, 2008 @ 8:38 am
Hi David,
I am loving the design flexibility of Novella, this is the most challenging thing for me when it comes to adapting a CMS Novella solved this issue for me, for clients who just want simple 10-30 page corporate website Novella is a perfect match now. For large content sites Scott’s suggestion is cool.
BTW
I have used your contact form on Devmade and wrote about drag and drop design elements and stuff, got excited a bit with Novella kind of adrenaline rush!!
David Baxter said,
Wrote on January 21, 2008 @ 10:28 am
Hey guys, I can’t thank you enough for your support. If you use it on a public site, let me know, I would love to see it in action.
Krish, I am afraid there might be something wrong with my contact form. I would hate to miss your email, so could you email it to me directly at david at visionaryonline dot com?
Thanks!
David
Krish said,
Wrote on January 22, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
Hello David,
I have sent an email to you this afternoon
hope you will not find it off topic! thanks.
Krish.
Bebandit said,
Wrote on March 3, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
Hey, Thanks for the project. Once I got hold of this code, my mind started expanding all the features that would be cool.
1)Make these blocks into webparts so that the user can decide where they go (portal style).
2)Have the images area list the available images in the uploads folder.
3)Make it able to drop in other AJAX features….
4)To many to think of….
It is really an awesome project and I am curious about the ways you and others are using this.
Thanks again!
Bebandit