Working with Evolution CMS Templates in an IDE Instead of the Manager

As soon as a project becomes larger than a quick site, editing templates only in the manager starts to feel like a trap.

The original post argued for a more mature workflow: store template fragments in files, open them in an IDE, and treat the codebase as code rather than as scattered manager snippets.

Example include pattern

[[include? &file=`assets/template/head.html`]]

Why teams moved this way

files are easier to version and diff
large edits are safer in an editor built for code
shared workflows become much clearer when templates live in a real project structure

The post also pointed at tools such as VersionX and diff plugins. The underlying idea remains solid today: if template logic matters, it deserves proper tooling, revision history, and an editing environment built for developers.

Source: Evolution CMS on GitHub.

Newer post

MODX Installer: Early Notes on a Simpler Installation Flow

A historical ecosystem note on the early installer direction for MODX Evolution and the effort to make first-time setup less intimidating.

Older post

CacheExtender 0.5: More Control Over How Evolution CMS Caches Pages

A historical ecosystem note on CacheExtender 0.5 and why cache-control helpers mattered for high-traffic or highly dynamic Evo projects.