Textpattern is a PHP-based open-source content management system that is popular with both bloggers and website owners. The system is flexible and can be used for a very wide variety of purposes. Like other open-source CMS options, such as WordPress and Drupal, Textpattern has a strong online community with plenty of resources available. Here you’ll find the most comprehensive collection of resources, tutorials, plug-ins and more for Textpattern.
You may also be interested in these related posts:
1. Official Resources
Textpattern is well documented, and these official resources are tremendous resources for new and experienced developers alike. You’ll find answers to most of your questions, and you can get acquainted with the Textpattern community.Textpattern Home Page The official home page, where you can download the latest version of Textpattern.
Why Textpattern? An Interview with the Authors of Textpattern Solutions Digital Web Magazine did this interview last year. If you’re considering using Textpattern or just want to learn more about it, the interview is worth the read.
Textpattern Support Forum If you have any problems with Textpattern, you can post a question in the forums or simply check to see if your question has already been answered by someone else.
Textbook The Textpattern wiki, Textbook, is a great resource for all kinds of Textpattern documentation and resources.
Frequently Asked Questions Here are the most common questions about Textpattern and, of course, the answers as well.
2. Community Resources
In addition to assembling the official resources, the online community has contributed and collaborated on these resources:Textpattern.org Textpattern.org is a great source for templates, plug-ins, tips, tutorials and more.
xPattern Textpattern programmers and designers can join xPattern. xPattern is an open-source fork based on the 4.0 dev branch of Textpattern. Its goal is to improve the application to better fit the needs and desires of the community at large.
CodeSnippets At CodeSnippets, developers can share all kinds of source-code snippets, including a decent selection for Textpattern.
3. Beginner’s Resources
If you’re new to Textpattern or new to developing and designing for Textpattern, these resources are excellent starting points. They will help you quickly become comfortable with the system and its essential functions.Textpattern First Steps If you’re new to Textpattern, try following this article/tutorial to get a better grip on how it functions.
Textpattern Manual This is a great resource for new users of Textpattern, and it’s also something you may want to bookmark for when you have a question in future.
Alphabetical Tag Listing Another useful resource to have at your disposal, especially if you’re new to Textpattern.
Textpattern Tags This resource is a “manual for impatient users.” This resource will help you become more familiar with various TXP tags.
Textpattern Semantics If you’re new to working with Textpattern, this is a handy resource that briefly explains some essential details.
Textpattern Solutions Textpattern Solutions is a book, not just for beginners, that can make learning Textpattern easier than visiting a number of different websites to get similar information.
Understanding Textpattern Building Blocks This is a rather detailed article that will help you understand the basic building blocks (tags, pages, forms, etc.) if you’re unfamiliar with Textpattern.
Textpattern Building Blocks Mechanics A follow-up to the previous article that takes you a step further and helps you get started with your own Textpattern-powered website.
Textpattern CMS or Blog? This article looks at the issue of using Textpattern as both a CMS and a blogging platform.
4. Tutorials
Taking your knowledge of Textpattern development a step further is very achievable with the amount of tutorials and articles available from other developers. This is a collection of some of the best places to find tutorials and a sampling of individual tutorials on various topics.Tutorials from Textpattern.net Textpattern.net includes a selection of tutorials that are arranged by category.
TXP Tips A tutorial website with over 30 tips that are mostly brief and quick to read.
Your First Textpattern Theme A good tutorial for those who are interested in learning more about creating a theme or template for Textpattern.
How Do I Manage Static Pages? One of the frequently asked questions by Textpattern users is answered by Textpattern.
Managing Static Pages If you’re using Textpattern as a CMS instead of just for blogging, you’ll want to set up static pages.
Textpattern: Flexible Article Placement If you want more control over static pages, this tutorial can help (be sure to read to the end because the original post has been updated).
Using PHP Code in Textpattern This article shows what you need to know to get that PHP code to work on Textpattern.
Setting Up a Thumbnail Gallery This tutorial shows you how to use a plug-in to create a simple thumbnail gallery.
Using Textpattern to Manage an E-Commerce Website Textpattern can be used for much more than just blogging. This article/tutorial looks at how the CMS can be used to power an effective e-commerce website.
Anatomy of a Textpattern Plug-In This four-part series is “a PHP developer’s guide to writing Textpattern plug-ins.”
- Part One
- Part Two
- Part Three
- Part Four
Textpattern Comments Tutorial In this tutorial, you’ll read about several plug-ins that can enhance the comment functionality, and some code samples are provided as well.
Podcasting with Textpattern This tutorial takes you through the process of setting up an iTunes-friendly podcast with Textpattern.
How to Setup a Textpattern Playlist Jon Hicks shows how he displays his Last.fm playlist in his sidebar.
A Better Textpattern Search This tutorial shows you how to improve the standard Textpattern search functionality.
Moving a Textpattern Install to a New Host Changing hosts can be a hassle, but this tutorial gives you instructions that are specific to Textpattern.
5. Templates/Themes
Textpattern users are fortunate to have a large number of themes and templates freely available for their use. If you’re a designer or developer, you can modify these themes or study them as you learn more about building your own. The list below features many of the best places to find Textpattern themes.Textplates Textplates ran a competition for developing Textpattern templates, and the submitted templates are available for free downloading.
Textgarden This website hasn’t been updated in a long time, but it does offer a number of downloads of free themes.
The Bombsite A sizeable collection of Textpattern themes is offered here.
SiteGround Ten Textpattern templates are available at SiteGround.
Textpattern Templates There are three templates available for free downloading at Textpattern Templates, including versions of the popular WordPress themes Blogging Pro and Misty Look.
Themes from Textpattern Resources Textpattern.org has over 100 free themes to choose from.
Textpattern Admin Theme Jon Hicks developed this alternative admin theme.
More Admin Themes Nemoorange.com offers seven different admin themes for downloading.
6. Plug-ins
Like other content management systems, Textpattern comes out of the box as a lean version that can be adapted or added to by using plug-ins. The list below includes the best places to find plug-ins, as well as some useful plug-ins to use in your own projects.Plug-Ins from Textpattern Resources Textpattern.org provides over 500 plug-ins for Textpattern users.
Wilshire One A very large collection of plug-ins of all kinds is available here.
8 Essential Plug-Ins for Textpattern This article from Sitening discusses eight plug-ins that have proven to be extremely useful in its experience.
Best Textpattern Plug-Ins and Hacks Rob from Wilshire One lists his favorite plug-ins and hacks. This article is older than the others listed here but still has some useful content.
Recommended Plug-Ins HicksDesign provides a list of recommended plug-ins.
Plug-Ins from Utter Plush More than 15 plug-ins are available from Utter Plush.
SEO Plug-Ins for Textpattern GraphicPUSH provides a list of plug-ins for working with meta data, URL structures and other SEO-related issues.
SimplePie Plug-In for Textpattern Allows you to use SimplePie and Textpattern together to display feeds.
pap_xpoll Easily add a poll to your Textpattern website with this plug-in.
vdhflickr This plug-in allows you to display your Flickr photosets as a gallery directly on your Textpattern-powered website.
Popular_Category_Cloud Add a category cloud to your Textpattern website.
Mg_recent_comments Make a few changes to the standard <recent_comments> tag offered in Textpattern.
Mg_page_title Reverse the order of website name and page name in the titles of permanent link pages.
htn Antispam Adds a hidden field to your forms to help identify spam.
Akismet This popular anti-spam plug-in is also available for Textpattern.
Popular Articles Uses the txp_log table to identify the most viewed articles in the past month or year.
7. Textpattern Design Inspiration
If you’re building a blog or website using Textpattern you may want to see what others are doing with the platform. The resources below will provide you with design inspiration specific to Textpattern.WeLoveTXP A design gallery that specializes in websites powered by Textpattern. The website currently features almost 700 websites.
CMSShowcase CMSShowcase currently includes more than 60 inspirational designs built on Textpattern.
TXP Magazine TXP Magazine includes a gallery of more than 20 inspirational designs.
CSS Based The Textpattern tag at CSS Based includes over 20 exemplary designs.
CSS Glance There are currently 19 Textpattern websites on display at CSS Glance.
8. Compared to Other CMS Platforms
How does Textpattern stack up against WordPress, ExpressionEngine and Drupal?ExpressionEngine vs. Textpattern Jon Hicks compares the two options and looks at the strengths of each.
WordPress vs. Textpattern A quick breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
Textpattern vs. Drupal The Textpattern forum has an interesting dialogue comparing the two.
(al)