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ProcessWire Things to Spice up a WP User's Life?


MarcC
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I have a new client that has basically been forced to have their site converted from WordPress to ProcessWire. It's a bit of a long story, but I am feeling some resistance from some of the in-the-trenches editors who will be working with the new ProcessWire site.

I think they'll be happy with the general usability of ProcessWire after I show them how it works, but I'm concerned that they are used to WordPress and view this as a loss for them because WordPress is a widely-known name.

Is there anything neat that ProcessWire could provide that I can add to the site (back end or front end) to make them feel more like this is an improvement? Just want to tip the scales in favor of ProcessWire a bit.

(I thought about telling them they could add an additional software package to their C.V.s ;-))

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This is a hard one because for me one of the greatest things about PW is its simplicity. But for WP power users this doesn't count because they know WP well enough and feel that something was stripped away from them and they don't have the power they used to have (even though they never used the features they are missing as an editor in PW).

I would show them the multi language features which are absolutely over the top. It is so easy to edit PW multilanguage sites...

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Quick search, lister pro maybe? Page path history (moving and renaming pages without worrying broken links or redirects at all), image abilities with croppable images...

But most importantly good use of page relations. Build the site in a way that they never have to update same information in more than one place.

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Interesting. How exactly were they forced to have the site converted?

If they want Wordpress why not just let them have it? If they are forced to use Processwire for the reason that Processwire provides a particular feature that Wordpress doesn't then I would think the answer lies there.

If there are constructive and genuine beneficial reasons for moving over to Processwire then the improvements should be naturally clear to see.

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the greatest things about PW is its simplicity.

I wouldn't  describe it that way but instead would describe it as: its versatility.

Show them the uncluttered tabbed admin with the versatile "page" concept,

the versatile use of any possible template, the versatile use of cms or cmf,

the ease in maintenance for any webdeveloper they might have in the future, etc.

And last but not least mention how many times wp was in the news last year

with plugin attacks. And wp is again in the news with a zero-day leak in a

famous plugin hitting around half a million users. Out of respect I won't post

a link but it's easy to find. It's no use anyway to discuss popularity over quality.

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Show them the uncluttered tabbed admin with the versatile "page" concept,

the versatile use of any possible template, the versatile use of cms or cmf,

the ease in maintenance for any webdeveloper they might have in the future, etc.

And last but not least mention how many times wp was in the news last year

with plugin attacks. And wp is again in the news with a zero-day leak in a

famous plugin hitting around half a million users. Out of respect I won't post

a link but it's easy to find. It's no use anyway to discuss popularity over quality.

On one hand I have to agree with you because all your statements are true, on the other hand I'm not so sure if these poitnts are of any interest for an editor. These are all things that are important for the admin/developer. But an editor doesn't really care if it's hard for you to develop feature x or how often you have to patch the cms because of security issues...
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Processwire is a significant upgrade from WP.  ProcessWire has a full and ever expanding landscape of tools that make things just work. Whomever is "forcing" them to migrate to ProcessWire is a very smart and knowledgeable manager or owner.  The technical aspects of why ProcessWire is significantly better shouldn't need much work or research on anyone's behalf. 

We as Developers need to really believe in the web tools that we are using, otherwise what is the point?  In my humble opinion, making a business or technical case for using ProcessWire is just too easy.

Anyway, WP is great for Blogs --- until you have to maintain the website.

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But an editor doesn't really care if it's hard for you to develop feature x or how often you have to patch the cms

because of security issues...

It's those kind of editors with that kind of attitude who usually end up with things like wp.

And I don't agree with you because if you explain it to them then you give them a choice.

It is them who are going to pay for the patches, repairs and down time. If they don't care

about that l wouldn't like to be part of it.

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We as Developers need to really believe in the web tools that we are using, otherwise what is the point?  In my humble opinion, making a business or technical case for using ProcessWire is just too easy.

Partially disagree. Our top priority is making the user feel as little friction, ever, in their workflow. It doesn't mean they shouldn't adapt sometimes, but still, be extra attentive to their problems. This is an opportunity to learn how to make PW (or your implementations) better.

As a community of devs, we need the users to ask for it and love it. I don't want no customer complaining to their contacts how I forced a crappy solution on them — I want them to talk about how awesome their new website is and how the never need to call me cause WP or whatever else is acting up again!

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First, Thank You for your comments. No problem with disagreeing, however my point is that if a developer is using ProcessWire as a solution, they should have confidence in and knowledge of the product.

Maybe what I don't fully understand is, if you are a professional Solution Provider, I would sincerely hope that you aren't ever providing crappy solutions.  This would be the case regardless of what software you are developing with.  That is a situation where the skill of the developer determines the outcome.  It's never crappy software that's to blame, it's always a lack of focus that leads to a crappy implementation.

In my humble opinion (and remember this is my opinion), ProcessWire as a tool for developing websites has more to offer (on a technical basis) a client than Wordpress. You have more control over the front-end and back-end development processes.   You have an enormous variety of field types that can be customized. With ProcessWire, the limitations are few and the benefits are many.

Yes, Wordpress is more popular and will most likely always be that way.  I appreciate Wordpress' status and pedigree.  I believe they have much to offer just not at the technical level that ProcessWire does.

Serious web development (once again in my humble opinion) should be about creating workable solutions for your clients.  We discuss the requirement with our clients and end up giving them a solidly built self-maintainable website.  They only get the good website (in their opinion) when we listen, appreciate and respond to their needs.  You are right, they are the final say in whether it works for them.

Thanks again for giving me your perspective. I agree with many things you say.  This forum has people from all over the world, with a variety of skill-sets and opinions.  For me, that is a good and healthy situation. I honestly believe we are all here working with the ProcessWire project because this tool is unique and fun to work with.

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Just an update on this: I met up with the client's team for some training and it went really well. They seemed to enjoy learning ProcessWire, picked it up really fast, and I think everybody understands that it's just a bit of an unusual situation that led to WordPress being replaced in this case. On top of that, the main WordPress user is a really nice guy, was pretty open to learning more, and seemed impressed with ProcessWire. On top of that, apparently he'll be leaving his role soon anyway.

I did add some candy to the deal with a few new features that they noticed right away, and they told me they appreciated the way the site is set up.

In sum: I really appreciate the tips, everybody.

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