Kentico CMS 6 has been out for a while now and developers are loving it! With the largest release in Kentico’s history comes a ton of new features and functionality. I’ve created several sites using the new version and have found a few key settings that will help in any Kentico project.
Here are a few of the items I really love:
Object versioning for Media Files
Location:
Site Manager / Settings / Versioning & Synchronization / Object Versioning / User object versioning for “Media files”
In the past one of the key drawbacks to media libraries was the inability to have versioning and history. This new setting allows media files to be versioned like any other content and gives developers a new avenue to maintain files. This simplifies content corrections and adds another level of security fo the site content.
Enabling / Disabling the Products Tab
Location:
Site Manager / Settings / E-Commerce / User interface / “Product” tab enabled
Kentico has an extremely broad range of functionality out of the box and most sites will rarely use every feature. Often, UI elements are irrelevant to the site users and this setting allows a big one to be removed if not in use. Additional tabs in the CMS Desk can confuse some editors and this allows administrators to quickly hide unnecessary functionality. This setting removes the Product tab all together which makes a lot more sense ot editors when site does not use ecommerce.
Debug EVERYTHING!
Location:
Site Manager / Settings / System / Debug / Debug everything everywhere
Debugging is an important part of fine tuning and configuring a site. This one settings allows administrators to quickly see EVERYTHING that is going on behind the scenes. From SQL queries to cache items, page load times to header info. Everything is displayed in a logical, easy to read layout that allows admins to find the information they need quickly and easily. This information is essential in pinpointing problems and inefficiencies and having a simple checkbox to enable is awesome.
Note: Be sure to NOT leave this setting on as it will carry a lot of overhead on the site and impact performance!
Watermarks
Location:
Site Manager / Settings / System / Files / Watermark
At the core of every site is content. Keeping that content secure is essential for some clients and the new “Watermark” functionality allows companies to keep their intellectual property safe and secure. Kentico will automatically overlay the specified watermark over your images to leave any would-be content thief dead in their tracks.
Resource Manipulation
Location:
Site Manager / Settings / System / Performance / Resources
With the introduction of every changing JS libraries like jQuery, Lightbox, Colorbox, Floatbox, and any other kind of box, sites are getting increasingly more functional. With this functionality comes an overhead of delivering client side code the user. The new Resources settings allow files to be compressed and “minified”, which improves performance and reduces the amount of information delivered to the client. Checking the box instantly results in faster page loads and smaller downloads, both of which help your site deliver its content faster.
CAPTCHA Crazy
Location:
Site Manager / Settings / System / Security & Membership / Protection / CAPTCHA Settings
Anyone who has made a site knows there are hoards of hackers/spammers out there just dying to flood the site with ridiculous garbage. CAPTCHA was created to help fend off these attacks by thwarting bots from posting automatically to forms. Kentico’s new CAPTCHA stings allow you to customize the input settings and keep you content clean and idiot-comment free. 3 settings allow you to choose the input that works best for your site.
New Document Order
Location:
Site Manager / Settings / Content / Content Management / General / New Document Order
Every company has a specific format they need their content. As new content is added, editors need to know how it will display and be ordered on the site. The “New Document Order’ settings allows administrator to control how new documents are ordered win the tree and keep a consistent look and feel to the site.
These settings a just a few of the great new features in Kentico CMS. As I develop, I'm always finding news ways to extend the architecture and solve problems. I recommend you go through the Site Manager settings as well and see what's under the hood that can help your site be great!
Happy hunting!