gpEasy CMS 1.7a4
More significant feature enhancements have been added to gpEasy 1.7 and are now available in the fourth alpha release. Note, version 1.6.3 is the most recent stable version of gpEasy and is also available for download.
Menu Levels and Custom Output
With this release, users will now have more options for creating menu arrangments to their liking. Available menu depth was increased from 3 levels to 5, and custom menu output options were added to the existing preset output options.
Admin Content
The integrated nature of gpEasy administration makes for a simplified experience for the majority of users. For some user's themes however, the admin content can't be displayed correctly. New features allow the admin content to optionally float above a user's theme or remain docked in the theme.
gpEasy CMS 1.7a3
The third and potentially final alpha release of gpEasy is out. You can download the cutting edge improvements or stick with version 1.6.3 and upgrade later.
More Layout Manager Improvements
The layout manager is a central part of gpEasy that needs to be as easy to use and functional as any other part of the software. We've made it easier to add new content areas, added edit links to the draggable areas and fixed a few bugs.
User Permissions
The User Permissions administration received a redesign and improvement that adds the file editing permission.
gpEasy 1.7 Alpha 2
The second alpha release of version 1.7 adds a number of features that were in high demand by users.
Layout Manager
The features within the Theme Manager and Theme Content Manager were combined and slightly changed to create the new Layout Manager. Previously, users could only create a single arrangement for each of their themes. With the new design, users can create multiple layouts from the same theme. The File Manager was also updated to show users which layouts are currently in use.
File Details
The ability to assign different title options (menu title, html title and meta data) was finalized without compromizing the easy of use for beginners. These options are availble to users from the File Manager or the Admin Toolbar and can be used for user generated files or "Special" files.
Permalinks
Removing "index.php" from gpEasy permalinks just got easier. A new "Permalinks" script was added to automate the .htaccess file creation. Manul .htaccess creation has also been simplified and new installations of gpEasy will attempt to automatically enable mod_rewrite.
Ongoing Development and Support
A special thank you to the users who have been actively involved in the forums. Code development has taken some of the focus away from the forums but they have not been forgotten. Plans are also in the works for forum upgrades to better serve the community.
Languages
Recent developments have resulted in the addition of a number of language values. Most translations have been maintained, but a few (Arabic, Portuguese and Galician) are out of date and may be dropped from the distribution. If you're interested in helping translate gpEasy, please see the documentation.
gpEasy 1.7 Alpha 1
The first alpha version of gpEasy 1.7 has been released. The most significant feature enhancement is the ability to update gpEasy from within your installation. Users will no longer need to download new packages and upload them to their servers. Instead, they will be notified when a new version is available, and with the click of a few buttons have a new version installed.
In version 1.7, we've also introducin a standard data structure to page files allowing us to add meta data. Per page meta descriptions and keywords have been added as of this release.
1.7a1 is an alpha release and has not been fully tested.
Update, June 2010
Things are getting busier for gpEasy, which is very exciting! I'm seeing more traffic to the site, more downloads and more registered users. gpEasy has also been getting more mentions around the web including a recent feature on KillerStartups.com and an article on MakeUseOf.com. We really appreciate media coverage because it helps spread the word about gpEasy and allows more time to be focused on development.
If you haven't seen them already, check out what's being written about gpEasy CMS on KillerStartups.com and MakeUseOf.com. And better yet, go to the article on KillerStartups.com and cast a vote for gpEasy!
gpEasy CMS 1.6.3
Version 1.6.3 of gpEasy CMS is now available. This release does not make any major changes, but it does fix a few potential security holes, addresses some usability issues and adds the language files for Slovenian and Turkish.
The Simple Search plugin was also recently updated to include page and blog titles in the searchable text.
Version 1.6.2
There was a typo in version 1.6.1 that resulted in some users seeing 505 error messages. As a result, we are pushing out version 1.6.2 as a bugfix release.
I apologize for any difficulties the bug caused
gpEasy CMS 1.6.1
The finishing touches have been made and gpEasy version 1.6.1 is now ready for download. Among the changes found in version 1.6.1 are additional options for Colorbox display (made possible by Stefan Benicke), increased control of menu labels (apostrophes and question marks are no longer stripped) and better SEO capabilities with the option to supress usage of 'index.php'.
Rounding out the changes are some tweeks to the editable area outline displays, modified user language options, some style changes and a couple of bug fixes.
Looking ahead, new releases of the Simple Blog and Simple Search plugins will be available shortly. Simple Blog will allow commenting and Simple Search will include the option to search Simple Blog content (many thanks again to Stefan). Other recent addon developments include the addition of the MyGuestbook and Minishop plugins.
gpEasy 1.6 Released
After months of preparation and five release candidates, gpEasy 1.6 is ready and available for download. Version 1.6 puts finishing touches on the user interface and back-end for better usability, enhanced features and increased security.
Most recently, some Javascript and CSS changes were made to fix the compatibility with custom themes. Additionally, session functions were updated to properly handle the "Remember Me" option and changes to user permissions.
gpEasy CMS 1.6RC5
This version adds a number of features and addresses some usability issues. Added to gpEasy are a preview option in the edit dialog, contact form configuration options and the... ability to rearrange the galleries index. The multi-site plugin has been updated for better compatibility, CKEditor was upgraded to 3.2, and the Javascript code was fixed to allow nested editable areas.
This is the final planned release candidate for version 1.6.