Other CMS Modules

Harris CMS pride ourselves on offering a wide range of CMS modules which expand the system and seamlessly integrate with client's websites. Listed below is just a selection of these, the type of modules available are only limited by the requests made from Harris CMS customers.

Advertisement and Banner Ads

Clients can place one or more banners adverts onto a website. The ads are controlled via the CMS, where users can set which adverts to show (one or many in rotation), which pages, the image or flash files associated with each banner advert and the URL (website address) each advert points to. Impressions and click-through numbers are saved and reporting available on advert performance via the module.  

Cross Selling Modules

Areas of the site are dedicated to cross selling; where dynamic content from other pages or modules is shown. Both the type of module and its content can be defined on a per-page basis. For example a CMS user may wish to show the latest 3 news articles for 'widgets' alongside the main content for a page about 'widgets'.

Downloads and PDF Documents

A downloads module is available which allows clients to upload documents such as PDF files, Word Documents, Media files and other file types. Downloads are then show to users either on a special 'Downloads' page or via the CMS modules. Downloads can be protected and only served to the user when logged in or meeting another criteria. PDF files can also be generated - allowing users to download forms, files and certificates in high-quality PDF format, all dynamically generated by the CMS.  

Directories

The website CMS directory module has three elements. Firstly, a directory is shown on the website - it can meet any requirement but a traditional example is a Business Directory, where business details are listed by category and via a keyword search. Second element is the ability for website users to sign up, create and manage their entry on the directory. The third element is a module in the Harris CMS to allow superusers to manage the directory - be it approve new entries, create the category structure or modify existing entries. The module can also be tied in with a payment gateway, so membership to the directory is via a paid subscription or other financial model.

Dynamic Site Maps

A site map comes in two forms - a visible 'list' of all pages on the site, formatted for site users - and an xml-formatted sitemap which is created to display the full site structure to Search Engines, so they are aware of the site hierarchy and can visit any pages they deem to be important or currently missing from their database. As Harris CMS sites are designed to be changed as often as the website users require, sites require a dynamic site map which automatically changes when items such as pages, products, categories and news are altered.
 
Email Marketing

Harnessing email marketing is important for some sites. Harris CMS has a module which enables the capture and verification of email addresses from site users, retention in a database and the ability for webmasters to download the database for use in their own email marketing tools. Also included is an e-shot engine, allowing site owners to send email newsletters to users via the CMS.

Estate Agency, Property, Houses for sale or rent

Selling property online has been a real boom area for the Internet. Several Harris CMS customers have used the Estate Agency module to list properties for sale and rent. The module has many features, including the ability for websites to allow users to register and add their own properties after paying a subscription or fee.

Events

The Harris CMS Events module allows the website owners to populate a list of upcoming events and display them on the website. Features include a highlighted calendar, details such as time, date, duration, venue and website address, and the ability to enquire further. The events module also has a RSS feed option to allow other websites and users to pull events from the site and use in their own applications.

FAQ's and Profiles

It is quite handy to allow users to interact with a company website and the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) module allows users to post a question, and see a list of previous Q&As in a formatted and helpful manner. Questions are answered via the CMS with any feedback also emailed to the correspondent. The Personal Profiles module gives companies or organisations the means to show the people behind their brand, to include a headshot and biography of each profile and several options for how to contact each person. The structure can be mapped out on the site in order of job, department or hierarchy in the company.

Multi-Lingual & Multi Site

Often a website isn't a single entity - many Harris CMS customers have the requirement to show a site in more than one language, or to have several sites all run off the same CMS to save time and minimise costs. There are two approaches to this - the "Top Down" approach mainly for multi-lingual sites, where the site structure is the same for every language and each element of the site has a per-language option (or can be hidden on a case-by-case basis). The other approach is a "Per Site" approach where each site has an independent page structure but shares a common database for modules such as news or downloads. Clever use of Apache configurations, URL rewriting and Mod Rewrite allows different URLs or domain names to be used all from one codebase.

Recruitment and HR (Human Resources)

Posting the latest jobs and allowing users to post their CVs in response can save companies both time and money. The very first implementation of the Harris CMS HR module on a live website generated a positive applicant within one week - saving the client £6,000 in recruitment fees. The module allows Harris CMS users to display jobs both full time, temp and placements, but to also store all submissions, their details and their CV files if uploaded by the applicants.

Universal Parameters and Settings

Not a module as such, but for Harris CMS sites certain elements which appear across the site such as telephone number, main email address and company name are stored in the database and managed via the CMS. This extends depending on the type of site i.e. for E-Commerce sites this can include the rate of VAT and Payment Gateway information. This means that content will not needed to be manually changed throughout the site.  

User Management

Many websites have the feature of allowing users to register, after which they gain access to something, be it a new area of the site, downloads, a website portal or just about anything. The User Management module allows clients to set up both the areas and pages which are 'protected' and the members themselves. It can also be tied into a payment gateway to allow users to pay to become part of a member’s area.

Video upload and conversion

Youtube has set the trend for what can be done with video on the web. The technology behind such sites is also available to Harris CMS customers, where videos of any file type can be uploaded, converted, and displayed and streamed on a website in a custom video player.