What java based CMS can manage existing pages' content?

Question

We have an existing and running java web application, currently the pages' content is static but the pages are still jsp files, they have look and feel designed specifically. My customer now wants to use CMS to manage the update of content like news, events with the minimal changes to the jsp code, I tried opencms and haven't found yet it can do that. As much as I know pages are needed to create through opencms ade in opencms world. The layout,look and feel must follow the pattern of opencms , that being said many block contents on pages.Is there any kind of CMS which can match my requirements out of the world?

Motorboating

Please tell more about the technology stack of the current website. Only jsp with custom servlets? Or using a framework like Spring with it? It's possible to do it with OpenCms in some ways. We've integrated OpenCms & SpringMVC framework before. But need to know the architecture of your current website more. – Nedanedda

> "The layout,look and feel must follow the pattern of opencms" - OpenCms does not require a certain look and feel. You can design the pages any way you like, entirely up to you. – Nedanedda

A strongly related question: #13629722 - The background for the question is the same, but I trys to solve it in an other way. – Drais

Answer 1

OpenCms and Magnolia are leading open source java-based CMS. They can do it, but of course there is some effort to it, which depends on the architecture of your current website.

If you're only, and really only, using JSPs in your current website, then you can just dump the JSPs into OpenCms, and that's it. Then you have the website within OpenCms, of course not yet editable, and then integrate the editable elements step by step, using structured content elements (XSDs). The process can't be described briefly in an answer here as it's quite complex, it definitely takes a bit of OpenCms experience to do it, as it's harder than building a OpenCms based website from scratch.

If your current application uses a framework like Spring, then there are additional steps to it. We've integrated Spring with OpenCms before and it works.

I assume most java CMS will allow what you need, but it will take a bit of effort in all of them. Additionally, if you're using jars in your current application, you need to check that there are no conflicts between those and those of the OpenCms version you're using.

Alternatively, you can just create your own small CMS functionality by implementing FCKEditor / CKEditor, if your CMS requirements are very basic.

Please provide some more details about your current technology stack / frameworks, etc. Then it's easier to answer in more detail.

Update (2015):

As of 2015, I meanwhile moved from OpenCms to Magnolia, and would recommend that very much. Documentation is great an they explicitly have a module for Spring integration named Blossom. https://documentation.magnolia-cms.com/display/DOCS/Blossom+module.

Nedanedda

Hello Mathias: We will definitely use spring as mvc framework, yes ,I tried very hard today to find a few opencms books on the internet,they are older version of 6. I understand what you are saying, as much as I know, to make editable area we have to create a template and then a jsp using the template. My another question now is how to use spring controller in a spring based web app integrated with opencms, don't know how to make opencms work with controllers,and how to add dynamic content(got from db) to jsp, there are so many jsp tags out there, just no idea which ones can do. thank you~ – Motorboating

The latest book about OpenCms development is for version 7: packtpub.com/opencms-7-development/book - which is actually ok to work with. As for the Spring integration, please take a look at my posting in the OpenCms mailing list: old.nabble.com/… and download the zip with document and demo I linked there. – Nedanedda

I just updated my answer accordingly as well, added the links that might be helpful to you. Take a look at the zip file especially, if you're going for Spring. – Nedanedda