Summary of Features

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Easy Installation
Installation of XOOPS is straightforward and easy to follow. The installation wizard walks through every step of the process. With proper server permissions and configurations, only a database username and password are needed to start using XOOPS.
To install XOOPS for the first time, you'll need to have the minimum following server software pre-installed:

·   HTTP Server (Apache or IIS)

Note, XOOPS only officially supports Apache

·   PHP 4.1.0 and higher (4.1.1 or higher recommended)

·   MySQL Database 3.23.XX

Figure 4. XOOPS has a Web-based install wizard that leads you through the installation process.


Database-driven
XOOPS uses a relational database to store content, manage data and maintain a dynamic website. XOOPS works best with MySQL, an open-source relational database available in many web hosting companies.


Modular, Object-Oriented Design
The power of XOOPS lies in the modular implementation of its features - it is written in an object-oriented manner. This allows for better scalability, extensibility and customization.

XOOPS consists of:

·   the 'core' XOOPS program, which provides the basic operating and administrative framework

·   a series of official modules that serve the basic needs of a dynamic site

·   as many optional modules as you might want to provide additional functionality.

New functions can be added through a simple module installation process. This modular approach makes XOOPS highly customizable. You only need to install those modules you find useful and you can remove them at any time - there is no need to burden your site with unnecessary code and your site can be configured to have just what you need.



Figure 5. Module installation and deinstallation is an easy process in the admin side of XOOPS.


Layout and Theme Management System
The layout of a XOOPS website is controlled through a system of blocks, columns, and themes. Modules come with a set of pre-defined blocks to display their output on screen. The column (horizontal placement) and vertical position of each block can be set through the administrative interface:

·   Horizontal placement is set by assigning blocks to a particular column (XOOPS supports up to five columns in a layout).

·   Vertical order is set by assigning each block a 'weight' (order) from 1-99.

·   Page layout can be set independently for each module, and is handled outside of the code, in a template set.

The administrative interface also allows for the creation of custom blocks, which can be PHP code or even HTML.



Figure 6. It's very easy to define the position of every block available in the system.


The 'look' or 'skin' of a XOOPS site is controlled by a powerful graphical theming system that allows a site's designer to work directly in HTML. Both admins and users (with proper permissions) can change the look of the entire web site with just a click of the mouse. More than a hundred themes are publicly (and freely) available and multiple themes can be installed in the same site. The system incorporates Cascading Style Sheets for easy customization.



Figure 7. Using the template manager, a site's administrator can edit the HTML templates that drive the site's aspect.


Smarty Template Engine
Smarty (http://smarty.php.net) is a template engine for PHP that has been incorporated to the core of XOOPS since version 2.0. This allows site administrators to design their sites with very minimal knowledge of PHP. Using basic HTML, Cascading Style Sheets and Smarty tags, site designers can customize themes and templates within minutes. Smarty tags allow website programmers to develop short scripts to use site and user data (e.g. site name, site slogan, site url, username, and user id) inside their HTML theme and template files. Smarty also implements a caching system that stores themes and templates for quick retrieval. This greatly speeds up the loading of any XOOPS site.


Group-based Permission and Access
XOOPS incorporates a member registration system – you can optionally require people to sign up to your site in order to have access to certain areas or functions. For example, most sites require people to join before they are allowed to contribute news or post messages in the forums.
Access and administration rights to a XOOPS website are set through a flexible permission system based on 'user groups'. The default groups include anonymous users, registered members and webmasters, but of course you can define as many groups as you need to manage your site. Each group can be given a unique set of access rights governing:

·   Which blocks can be seen

·   Which modules can be accessed

·   Which modules can be administered

·   Which aspects of system administration can be modified

Custom groups can also be created through the groups administration page.



Figure 8. For every group you have, you can assign all kinds of rights in your XOOPS system.


Great Search Function
The XOOPS search engine sorts search results by module --so the nature of each result is clearly identified as, for example, a news story, download, event or other item.



Figure 9. Search results are sorted by module so you always know where you'll be taken.


User Management
XOOPS provides built in tools for easy user management. These include the ability to search for users by various criteria, send email and private messages to users through a template-based messaging system. In your site, users have the rights that pertain to the group they're assigned to.



Figure 10. Sending mail to your users is an easy process, and you can address them one group at a time, if you want.


Multi-byte Language Support
XOOPS can support multi-byte character sets 'out of the box'. The language of the user interface can be changed by installing additional language packs. Currently available packs include Dutch, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese (both simplified and traditional).
The language files are easily located and modified due to the modular nature of XOOPS. Creating additional language packs for modules is as simple as copying a language folder and translating the text strings.


Built in Image Manager
Images can be categorized and uploaded directly into the images manager through a browser. The image manager opens in a separate window with one click of a button, enabling easy insertion of images into news articles and other content. There is an extensive permission system controlling image dimensions, file size and access of user groups to different categories.



Figure 11. The image manager allows you to upload pictures that you can later use in your news items, for instance.


Friendly, Supportive Community
XOOPS is backed by a friendly and supportive user community through the XOOPS main website (http://www.xoops.org) as well as through the complementary sites for modules (http://modules.xoops.org) and themes (http://themes.xoops.org). If you need assistance or advice you can consult other users through the community forums – there are a lot of helpful people there. There are also more than a dozen official support sites around the world for support of non-English speaking users.
To get a taste of the friendliness of the XOOPS community, just browse around the forums for a while.


Organized Development Process
XOOPS is very much a 'live' product. XOOPS is being actively developed and extended through an organized process that includes public consultation with members of the XOOPS community. Eight teams have been established to ensure that the system evolves in a coherent and consistent manner. The teams are:

·   Core development

·   Module development

·   Theme development

·   Quality control

·   Community support

·   Documentation

·   Community relations

·   Product development

The development teams and XOOPS community at large are continually improving the system and adding to its functionality, with emphasis on the production of high quality code.

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