Preface

As of February 2007, there are 13,241 PHP scripts listed at hotscripts.com. Of these, 641 are content management system (CMS) scripts, all with the ability to manage your online content and make your site dynamic. Out of these 641, e107 has been voted second in popularity in a recent survey. It's growing legion of fans like it for its ease of installation, powerful diverse features, well written code, and built-in security features.

E107 doesn't have a flashy name and you can't install it through a control panel such as Fantastico DeLuxe, which is probably why it is not the number one CMS. Nevertheless, downloading and installing e107 is a very easy straightforward process. One of the things that make e107 unique is its modularization. Many CMS take the one-size-fits-all approach and for smaller businesses in particular, they are a waste of resources. As opposed to this, e107 has a core program with many additional features available by activating a plugin (an additional set of scripts). This gives you the control to determine what features you need for your particular site.

While this book was written with entrepreneurs, small office/home office, and small businesses in mind, it will prove to be a great resource for anyone wishing to use e107. I would also like to stress that while targeted towards small business users, e107 is perfectly suited for personal sites as well as large corporations. This book is a primer to get you started and familiar with using e107. It is not a complete reference. However, it does contain references to resources for learning those features not covered in the text.

Don't panic if you have never created a database or installed a script, or have no knowledge about file permissions. In this book we will work together, step by step, to create a website for a small business. The book is a quick-paced tutorial and contains lots of screenshots so you need not try to second-guess what you should be seeing in your browser. This book will get your e107 up and running quickly and save your hundreds if not thousands of dollars in web-design and maintenance fees.