History

jSeblod CCK was developed by the French team of engineers in Seblod society. The development began in September 2007. Customers of Seblod use for over a year jSeblod CCK. It required a lot of work and investment. It is now concluded, although new versions are scheduled regularly and already planned on a year.


Suitability

We try to think about a tool suitable with all Joomla extensions and not a simple other Content Manager like others CCK. Our dream was a CCK for all Joomla extensions like it was included in the Joomla core, and we have realized our dream. You can use jSeblod CCK with all Joomla extensions (components and modules) which include Joomla plug-in system, you can see an example with Virtuemart http://www.hiddencabin.com.

The jSeblod CEK (Content Edition Kit) button can be accessed everywhere the Joomla Editor is displayed. And the Joomla editor is used by all Joomla components. jSeblod CCK is even compatible with most others CCK.


Joomla Content Manager

The Joomla Content Manager is one reason to Joomla success story. We wanted a CCK specially integrated with Joomla Content Manager to be suitable with all Joomla extensions around the Joomla Content Manager and a CCK which can be use on existing website (which use Joomla Content Manager).

With other CCK, you can not use all improvements on Joomla Content Manager made by Joomla core team. You are trapped in one solution. If you have already a website, you must change completly how you manage your content. It's many work to switch a website on Zoo or K2. That's why jSeblod CCK use Joomla content database table and is alone to use the Joomla Content Manager interface with the Content Edition Kit.


Easy to use

jSeblod CCK, like the Joomla Content Manager, can be used by everybody.  With the jSeblod CEK, the Content Editor Kit, the end user fill easily his content with a userfriendly interface (AJAX). This is very simple for the end user, he don't need to see other complex functionnalities.  For the management of Joomla articles, the user continues to use the content manager for Joomla. It remains on the same interface and has no work to do to learn a new one. Either the user uses the button "CEK jSeblod" in editing his article, the editing interface an article is directly replaced by the form that they must fulfill (fullscreen mode). You will see soon the WYDIWYS for jSeblod CCK and it will be more easy than the jSeblod CEK button (fullscreen mode is even easier, but only for Jommla Content Manager). 

To further simplify, you can display your content and your forms immediately without creating a template. jSeblod CCK has an automatic content display mode and comes with an auto form template, thus both automatically manage all the fields of your content type.


Templates, powerfull of views like Drupal CCK but more...

Some jSeblod team members work many years on XML/XLS technology which allow to have in on side the content and in the other side the display. jSeblod CCK allow you to display the same content with an infinity of displays. And you can display selected part of your content. It's very usefull when you have a complex content type with a lot of fields (100). It's easy to create this content because you have a single interface to fill it and you can display part of this content where you want on your website. That's why we don't render the Joomla! article before storing them in the jos_content table, but we do it on the fly, using the jSeblod CCK content plug-in.

To select a template for a view, for example for Joomla category view, you can assign directly a template to one or more category view. You can too assign a template to a Joomla link menu and soon to any Joomla extensions with URL assignment.


Manage many Content Types, Content Fields and Templates

The jSeblod CCK administration interface is build to manage many content types quickly. There is a lot of shortcuts and filter options.

We do a CCK to manage thousands content types. That's why you can organize all jSeblod CCK elements (Content types, content fields and templates) in categories. 

You can use an existing field in many content types without building it again, like others CCK. When you have create a title field, it's often the same in other contents. That's why the content type edition interface is thinked to select fields and not to build field (you will see soon a shortcut to add a new field directly on content type interface edition). The content type edition interface allow you to manage and order many fields (200 and more) in one content type, that's why we have not chosen a drag and drop interface that is convenient to manage a dozen fields but who is unable to manage hundreds of fields.


Content Fields

jSeblod fields are not only simple form input but much more.

All fields are builded to be generic, so you can use them in a lot of situations. We decided not to create specific field as a field review or vote, since CCK jSeblod fits Joomla, it allows the reuse of hundreds of extensions managing these features. You enjoy the best extensions for Joomla these features and can choose those that suit you best. Our team has worked many on the fields. You can now use a little less than thirty and we have about twenty others which are also very interesting. You must devote some time to use the power of the many fields of CCK.

For example, dynamic dropdown list or Joomla article field are powerfull. All Joomla article parameters can be a simple jSeblod CCK field and so you can convert the field type of a parameter Joomla article, for example, transform the "publish" radio field in a dropdown field.

A powerfull field concept will be out on September, the External Joomla Article. You will be able to link articles and to display some field values from an article in a other article with templates (two deep level, link an article to an other article which can be linked to an other article). 


Templates

jSeblod CCK is the only one to have a successful management templates. You can add and edit your templates directly into Joomla. We have developed a new concept that allows a designer, once its template is done to automatically create the content type related to its template and all the fields. The time saving is very important. You can make dynamic content for one of your templates in 30 seconds.
The template engine of jSeblod CCK uses the template engine of Joomla. So you can integrate into the template jSeblod some PHP, Javascript, CSS and even special codes Joomla (like those used to call a module in a template). The templates jSeblod CCK can also call any value of an attribute of a field, for example, the value of the label, if a field is mandatory or not.
And of course, the templates CCK can manage the display of content or form. The customization of the forms is possible both on the web site and administration.


About Joomla 1.6

The integration of jSeblod CCK in Joomla can continue to enjoy all the changes in Joomla. Thus the transition from version 1.6, all your articles will have new rights management (without changing jSeblod CCK). In the same way, you can use the new category management in multi-levels of Joomla 1.6 (jSeblod CCK use already multi-level categories from Joomla 1.6 to organize Content Type, Content Fields and Templates).

CCK which have included multi-level categories will be redundant in relation to Joomla 1.6 and a lot of work to be done to make them compatible with the new management rights.


Others Joomla Content Manager

You certainly know "Content Templates", which sets the default content of a Joomla article. jSeblod CCK is also manages the fields as a Joomla article and default values of fields, with one click you load a default content for your articles.

You certainly know "Mass Content", a jSeblod CCK template will be out in September to make the same but with all other jSeblod CCK features.