# Ikiwiki for regular websites

[[Ikiwiki]] can be used to administrate regular websites.

## Introduction

Websites built with ikiwiki is more complex than plain static websites,
but simpler than most web-based content management systems (CMS).

One of the benefits over using static webpages is that text content can
be edited independent of the webdesign.  This means, that...

 * The editor (e.g. owner of the website or a secretary) need not bother
   the web designer with text-only changes.
 * The editor can start adding text content even before the visual
   design is finalized.

One of the benefits compared to using most other CMS or wiki engines is
that most pages are served as static html.

## Roles

Wiki sites classically is public.  Anyone can both read the site and
edit its pages.

A regular website is meant to only be edited by som website
administrator.

Ikiwiki offers the possibility to separate different administration
tasks.  You need not be a webdesigner to edit text content, and you need
not be limited by the user-friendly text editing interface as a web
designer.

[[graph height=8 width=8 src="""
{
	/* roles */
	reader [shape=house, label="Reader"]
	editor [shape=house, label="Editor"]
	designer [shape=house, label="Designer"]
	{rank=same; reader editor designer}

	/* targets */
	webpages_static [label="website"]
	webpages_wiki [label="admin website"]
	{rank=same; webpages_static webpages_wiki}

	/* input data */
	txt [shape=plaintext, label="text"]
	media [shape=plaintext, label="graphics"]
	tmpl [shape=plaintext, label="templates"]
	{rank=same; txt tmpl media}

	iki_engine [shape=box, label="web engine"]

	/* paths */
	reader -> webpages_static [dir=back]
	editor -> txt -> iki_engine -> webpages_wiki
	designer -> media -> iki_engine
	designer -> tmpl -> iki_engine
	iki_engine -> webpages_static
}
"""]]

## Reader

The reader gets served a static website:

[[graph height=8 width=8 src="""
{
	reader [shape=house, label="Reader"]

	webpages_static [label="static pages"]

	reader -> webpages_static
}
"""]]

The website can have a search routine added.

The reader then interacts both with static pages and with a search
engine, dynamically generating search result pages:

[[graph height=8 width=8 src="""
{
	reader [shape=house, label="Reader"]

	/* targets */
	webpages_static [label="static pages"]
	webpages_searchresult [label="search results", style=dotted]
	{rank=same; webpages_static webpages_searchresult}

	search_query [shape=plaintext, label="search query"]

	search_db [shape=box, label="search index"]

	/* paths */
	reader -> webpages_static
	reader -> search_query -> search_db -> webpages_searchresult
}
"""]]

## Editor

In addition to the main website, an additional website is generated,
with the main feature of Ikiwiki - [[wiki]]-like text editing - enabled:

[[graph height=8 width=8 src="""
{
	editor [shape=house, label="Editor"]

	webpages_wiki [label="wiki pages"]

	content_form [shape=plaintext, label="edit form"]

	/* stored data */
	txt_stored [shape=box, label="text content"]
	media_stored [shape=box, label="graphics files"]
	tmpl_stored [shape=box, label="html templates"]
	{rank=same; txt_stored media_stored tmpl_stored}

	/* paths */
	editor -> webpages_wiki
	editor -> content_form -> txt_stored -> webpages_wiki
	media_stored -> webpages_wiki
	tmpl_stored -> webpages_wiki
}
"""]]

Whenever the wiki pages are edited, the static pages are also rebuilt:

[[graph height=8 width=8 src="""
{
	/* roles */
	editor [shape=house, label="Editor"]

	/* targets */
	webpages_static [label="static pages"]
	webpages_wiki [label="wiki pages"]
	{rank=same; webpages_static webpages_wiki}

	/* input data */
	content_form [shape=plaintext, label="edit form"]

	/* stored data */
	txt_stored [shape=box, label="text content"]
	media_stored [shape=box, label="graphics files"]
	tmpl_stored [shape=box, label="html templates"]
	{rank=same; txt_stored media_stored tmpl_stored}

	iki_engine [shape=box, label="html renderer (ikiwiki)"]

	/* paths */
	editor -> content_form -> txt_stored -> iki_engine -> webpages_wiki
	media_stored -> iki_engine
	tmpl_stored -> iki_engine
	iki_engine -> webpages_static
}
"""]]

## All

Here's a graph of the interaction between the various parts of ikiwiki itself
and different kinds of users:

[[graph height=8 width=8 src="""
{
//	rankdir=LR
//	rotate=90
	center=1

	/* roles */
	reader [shape=house, label="Reader"]
	editor [shape=house, label="Editor"]
	designer [shape=house, label="Designer"]
	{rank=same; reader editor designer}

	/* targets */
	webpages [label="static pages"]
	webpages_wiki [label="wiki pages"]
	webpages_searchresult [label="search results", style=dotted]
	{rank=same; webpages webpages_wiki webpages_searchresult}

	/* input data */
	search_query [shape=plaintext, label="search query"]
	txt_editor [shape=plaintext, label="Markdown text"]
	txt_designer [shape=plaintext, label="Markdown text"]
	media [shape=plaintext, label="graphics files"]
	tmpl [shape=plaintext, label="html templates"]
//	{rank=same; search_query txt_editor txt_designer tmpl media}

	/* user tool */
	browser_reader [label="web browser"]
	browser_editor [label="web browser"]
	browser_designer [label="web browser"]
	vcs_txt_local [shape=egg, label="Git repository"]
	vcs_tmpl_local [shape=egg, label="Git repository"]
	fs_local [shape=egg, label="filesystem"]

	/* user interface */
	txt_form [shape=box, label="web text editor (ikiwiki)"]
	search_form [shape=box, label="search form (ikiwiki)"]
	{rank=same; search_form txt_form}

	/* storage types */
	search_db [shape=egg, label="search index (Hyper Estraier)"]
	vcs_txt [shape=egg, label="VCS repository (Git)"]
	vcs_tmpl [shape=egg, label="VCS repository (Git)"]
	fs [shape=egg, label="filesystem"]
//	{rank=same; search_db vcs_txt vcs_tmpl fs}

	/* stored data */
	txt_stored [shape=plaintext, label="version-controlled Markdown text"]
	media_stored [shape=plaintext, label="graphics files"]
	tmpl_stored [shape=plaintext, label="version-controlled html templates"]
//	{rank=same; txt_stored media_stored tmpl_stored}

	/* engines */
	iki_engine [shape=box, label="html renderer (Ikiwiki)"]
	search_engine [shape=box, label="search engine (Hyper Estraier)"]
	{rank=same; iki_engine search_engine}

	/* groupings */
	subgraph cluster_clitools {
		label="commandline editing"
		style=dashed
		txt_designer
		tmpl
		media
		vcs_tmpl_local
		vcs_txt_local
		fs_local
	}
	subgraph cluster_webtools {
		label="web editing"
		style=dashed
		txt_editor
		search_query
		{
			rank=same
			browser_reader
			browser_editor
			browser_designer
		}
	}
	subgraph cluster_storage {
		label="server storage"
		style=dashed
		vcs_tmpl
		vcs_txt
		fs
		search_db
		txt_stored
		tmpl_stored
		media_stored
	}

	/* paths */

	reader -> search_query -> browser_reader -> search_form -> search_engine -> webpages_searchresult
	search_db -> search_engine
	search_db -> iki_engine [dir=back]

	editor -> txt_editor -> browser_editor -> txt_form -> vcs_txt -> txt_stored -> iki_engine -> webpages
	iki_engine -> webpages_wiki

	designer -> txt_designer -> browser_designer -> txt_form
	txt_designer -> vcs_txt_local

	vcs_txt_local -> vcs_txt [dir=both]

	designer -> tmpl -> vcs_tmpl_local
	vcs_tmpl_local -> vcs_tmpl [dir=both]
	vcs_tmpl -> tmpl_stored -> iki_engine

	designer -> media -> fs_local
	fs_local -> fs [dir=both]
	fs -> media_stored -> iki_engine
}
"""]]

----

See also the simpler graphs focusing on [[roles|ikiroles]] and on the [[design|ikidesign]].