I always wanted to have my own database driven website, and starting one from scratch, was beyond my time limit. So I went hunting some free CMS (Content Management System), and came across many, until I decided to stick to Postnuke for my website.

Introduction to the PostNuke CMS
Postnuke is a free CMS (Content Management System), which is based on PHP. It makes use of the ADODB database abstraction layer and connects to many Database Management Systems like mySQL, SQL, PostGRESQL, and many others.

PostNuke development is Open Source allowing robust, modular and secure feature-rich software. It has a development community with over 120 active developers who contribute their time and knowledge to the project for free.

Some features of the PostNuke CMS
Since the primary purpose of PostNuke is to easily maintain dynamic content, it has many default features which cater for that. Users can submit content which are approved by the admin before publishing. Administrators can set permissions and create groups to distribute work loads. And the latest PostNuke version contains a WYSIWYG editor to allow users to have more control over their content.

PostNuke is extremely easy to customized even for those who are not well versed with HTML. Customisation of all aspects of the website's appearance is possible through themes, including CSS support. It is suitable for any type of website is that it is flexible, and expandable, in the sense that it is easily customized and maintained through modules, themes and blocks which can easily be fitted to it very with little configuration.

PostNuke Modules
Postnuke comes with an elegant module system, that allows new functions and features to be implemented into the site. Some built-in modules are: banner ads manager, poll, downloads, FAQ, Lost Password, Reviews, Search, Web Links and many others.

Additional ‘bells and whistles’ chosen by the administrator can be easily fitted on the PostNuke engine. Say you want to have a phpBB forum installed on your PostNuke site, you just have to download the module and upload it to your host and then within 3 mouse clicks, you can have a fully working forum.

There are already 100s of third party modules, ranging from match-making system to image galleries. If you want to include other scripts to your PostNuke site, you can use PostWrap which is a PostNuke module in itself to bind that script with your PostNuke site or make reference to the PostNuke API to build your own custom module.

PostNuke Themes
Themes are what control the look and feel of the PostNuke site that is its colours, fonts, graphics, and layout of the site. PostNuke already comes with some themes included and there are tons of other themes that have been created by talented designers and are freely available for use. Some of these themes are editable in Dreamweaver, or there are some utilities that help to build PostNuke themes. Changing a site theme can be done within a mouse click, and you can also allow your visitors to change a particular theme, or you can apply different themes for different categories of your site.

PostNuke Blocks

Blocks are those small boxes or code sections that resolve around the site and controls the site layout and content as shown above. Blocks can easily be activated/deactivated, or moved around the site through the admin panel. About 20 blocks are already built into the system, like who’s Online, Poll, User login, news feed and others blocks which are easily customized. Some modules come with their blocks, like forum modules comes with their ‘Last Forum Post’ block and are easily implemented on the site. Other blocks are available for free download at postnuke.com

Administration
Administrating a PostNuke website is made easily by its user friendly admin panel, from where everything can be controlled. Each section is the admin panel contains its own ‘Online Manual’ which makes the site maintenance and configuring easier. Administrators, can approve submitted articles by users, manage the users, configure the blocks and modules and the list is endless.

User
Registered users, can have their own account on the site (see screenshot below), and post comment with their username, or submit reviews and articles or change the site theme (if option is activated by the admin). Users can submit links and downloads which the administrator can organize into categories for display on their site. They can also private message other site members, or interact with the other site modules like members diary, if the latter is installed. Some users may find their first visit on a PostNuke site frustrating, but will get use to it with time.

Conclusion
PostNuke can make great web solutions and all depends on the art of customising it. Some sites that are powered by PostNuke are: http://www.warcade.com and  http://www.ebook.com . PostNuke has the advantage of being fully customized through its module, theme and block system. It is free, and in addition to it, it has a great community, where documentation, support and downloads are available. For more information about PostNuke, visit: http://www.postnuke.com