Table Of ContentBuilding Websites with
ExpressionEngine 2
A step-by-step guide to ExpressionEngine: the
web-publishing system used by top designers and
web professionals.
Leonard Murphy
BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
Building Websites with ExpressionEngine 2
Copyright © 2010 Packt Publishing
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First published: September 2010
Production Reference: 1160910
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
32 Lincoln Road
Olton
Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK.
ISBN 978-1-849690-50-8
www.packtpub.com
Cover Image by Asher Wishkerman ([email protected])
Credits
Author Editorial Team Leader
Leonard Murphy Aditya Belpathak
Reviewers Project Team Leader
Sarah Peterson Lata Basantani
Bob Sutton
Project Coordinator
Sneha Harkut
Acquisition Editor
Douglas Paterson
Proofreader
Lesley Harrison
Development Editor
Swapna Verlekar
Production Coordinator
Alwin Roy
Technical Editor
Kartikey Pandey
Cover Work
Alwin Roy
Copy Editor
Leonard D'Silva
Indexer
Monica Ajmera Mehta
About the Author
Leonard Murphy was one of the earliest adopters of ExpressionEngine when it
was first released in 2004, and was the author of a series of free tutorials that helped
other new users see what ExpressionEngine had to offer. The tutorials were a hit,
and over the years, ExpressionEngine became more and more popular. So in 2008,
Leonard expanded his tutorials into the first edition of Building Websites with
ExpressionEngine. Two years later, with the release of ExpressionEngine 2, Leonard
is back with a completely revised new edition.
I would like to thank everyone who helped me with this book (and
the companion first edition). The staff at Packt (including Sneha,
Swapna, Kartikey, Lata, and Douglas) has been especially patient
with me as I juggled the demands of work, writing, and a new baby.
There are countless others at Packt that I don't work with directly
but that I also know have contributed to this book—thank you all.
Next, I'd like to give a big thank-you to my technical reviewers:
Sarah Peterson and Bob Sutton. It is thanks to their meticulous
and honest feedback that the book is as good as it is. Any errors, of
course, remain completely and utterly my fault.
I'd also like to acknowledge EllisLab and the wider
ExpressionEngine community—I'm proud to be able to contribute to
the community and appreciate all the support and encouragement I
receive. Special thanks must go to Mark Bowen and Ron McElfresh.
Next, I would like to thank my readers: I especially want to thank
those who take the time to get in touch and let me know what they
like or don't like, those who submit errata, as well as those who take
the time to post about my book on their own website or in a review
on Amazon. One of the great joys of writing a book is hearing from
people from all over the world, and from all professions.
Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank my wife,
Megan. There are not too many women who, in the final stages of
their first pregnancy, would want to hear their husband say "Honey,
right after you give birth, I was thinking I'd write a book…"
About the Reviewers
Sarah Peterson is a Data Processing Specialist at Summit Credit Union in Madison,
WI. She holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Information
Science, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her interests lie
in database design, report-building, and analyzing data to make it meaningful. She
enjoys helping others to understand technology and use it to enhance their lives.
I would like to thank my parents, Karen and Larry Peterson, for their
unwavering support, and my roommate, Melissa, for accompanying
me to the coffee shop while I was working on this book. I would also
like to thank Leonard for the opportunity to contribute to this edition.
Bob Sutton is a U.S.-based web developer and content management software
expert and owns Villagewerx, www.villagewerx.com, a web agency specializing in
original, accessible designs, crisp copy, compelling calls-to-action, and measurable
ROI. A member of the EllisLabs community since 2002, Bob implemented his first
commercial ExpressionEngine website in 2004 and advises clients ranging from
businesses and institutions to social advocacy groups and political organizations.
During his prior 24-year career with leading developers of corporate IT systems,
Sutton managed marketing and consulting practices serving global banking, media,
and services companies, and lent enterprise sales expertise to emerging software
innovators, including Oracle Corporation and Verity. He has written and spoken
extensively on topics related to data management software and search/information
retrieval technologies. An avid sailor and fisherman, Bob shares numerous inshore
and offshore prizes as a racing navigator/tactician.
Nearly everything I've learned about ExpressionEngine started with
a kind word from Lisa Wess or a knowing wink from Sue Crocker,
longtime EllisLabs forum leaders. To them and to many others in the EE
Community, I'm much obliged for your generosity and encouragement.
Dedicated to Dexter
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Chapter 1: Introduction to ExpressionEngine 7
What is a content management system? 7
Introducing ExpressionEngine 9
How does ExpressionEngine compare? 11
The business case 12
The technical case 12
Who is this book intended for? 13
Who is this book not intended for? 13
What can you expect from this book? 14
New in this edition 15
Further reading and resources 15
Chapter 2: Getting Installed 19
What do you need to get started? 20
Assumptions 20
Setting up the ExpressionEngine database 21
Downloading the ExpressionEngine files 22
Uploading the ExpressionEngine files 23
Installing ExpressionEngine 24
Logging into the control panel 29
Creating user-friendly URLs 31
Hiding the index.php in ExpressionEngine URLs 32
Renaming index.php in ExpressionEngine URLs 34
Summary 35
Chapter 3: The ExpressionEngine Tour 37
Agile Records 37
Inside the control panel 38
Tab Manager 40
