N2 CMS 2.5

N2 is a lightweight CMS framework to help you build great web sites that anyone can update.

N2 is based on ASP.NET features such as membership providers and existing web controls sitemap.

It also introduces a number of data binding utilities designed to simplify the introduction of content onto the ASPX page template.

The edit interface is quite easy to use, even for the less technically savy.

The edit mode provides an overview in a tree pane and preview in another pane.

This mode enables complete administration of the web site without relying on the templates.

There is a mode where page parts can be dropped onto zones directly on the page. Existing parts can also be dragged around and sorted.

Content can be edited directly while navigating the site. Pages can also be created and deleted without entering edit mode. While this isn't as powerful as the edit mode it's an easy way to manage content.

Besides helping to edit and bind data to templates N2 also makes it very easy to define content and do stuff with it programmatically.

N2 allows separation between the model and the presentation. The database only contains content data. The model is defined in code using inheritance and attributes. The presentation is done using ASP.NET.

Here are some key features of "N2 CMS":

N2 Core Engine:
· Easy to develop: define content using .NET classes and attributes (no boring point and click web interface)
· Very intuitive editor interface
· Leverages on ASP.NET 2.0 (use sitemap, membership, ASPX templates, authorization, etc.)
· Database agnostic (MS SQL, MySQL and more thanks to NHibernate)
· Supports hierarchically organized content items with unlimited depth
· AJAXy drag'n'drop content into regions
· Completly free - 0$
· Extendable editor UI
· Sites are developed in Visual Studio (no UI for modifyng styles and templates, nice!)
· Support multiple types of content, everything from articles to blog comments
· The model is stored as source code in your source control, not in a database
· Map parts of the tree structure to alternative domains
· Caching, ASP.NET output caching or database object caching
· Supports authorization using standard .NET providers
· Upgradable
· Allows access control over individual content items using roles
· Search engine friendly urls
· Multiple sites with one installation
· ASP.NET data binding utilities
· Lightweight library, can be plugged into an existing ASP.NET application
· Link helper
· Tree helper
· Permission model
· Content regions
· Online installation wizard
· Open Source (LGPL license)
· User friendly user interface
· WYSIWYG content editor
· Files and link picker
· File manager
· Extendable object model
· Extendable service model
· Built on a solid stack: .NET, NHibernate, Castle's Windsor Container, jQuery, TinyMCE
· Edit with Internet Explorer and Firefox (and probably others) for Windows, Mac and Linux
· Not tied to the page templates: freely design templates/functions
· Supports scripting including jQuery, prototype and MS AJAX
· Documented API
· Easy to get started with
· Full source code freely available
· Promotes separation of business logic and presentation
· Integrate using .NET user and custom controls, subscribe and react to events, extend the object model, replace core services, implement custom attributes and more
· Supports .NET languages including C# and VB.NET
· Built with a unit test suite and resonable code coverage
· Includes some useful custom server controls
· Supports interlinking items making the tree hierarchy into a graph

N2 Editor Interface:
· Versioning with unlimited rollback
· Content localization support
· Authorization editing
· Content localization
· Create page wizard
· User manager
· Export and import content data and files
· Track relations (links in html text)
· Installation wizard
· Trashcan
· Globalization and page translations support

N2 Functional Templates:
· Web standards aware, XHTML, accessible, search engine friendly markup
· Scheduled publishing
· Start page
· Text
· Redirect
· News
· Custom data entry form
· Events calendar
· FAQ
· Photo gallery
· Polls
· RSS subscription
· Search engine
· Teaser part
· News listin part
· Two column layout part
· Text part
· Random image part
· Social bookmarking
· Google urching tracking
· Calendar item
· Horizontal menu
· Vertical Menu
· Several available themes
· Change layouts
· Web site statistics
· Membership and user provider
· User registration & Login parts

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Boilerplate CSS & HTML5
· Advanced theming with css comipilation (concrete, dark, roadwork, terracotta, cloudy)
· Template-first! development style