I give up – WordPress is easy and great for blogging, but impossible as a CMS

I’ve had success, but since WP does quite a bit of auto formatting (both w/ a function named wpautop, and also the tinymce editor — if you’re using the visual editor — does its own mangling of code, even if it’s specified in the tinymce code window). I found it problematic to attempt to insert raw html, javascript, or other code into pages/posts without it ending up trashed (mangled by WP!)

What I ended up doing was using a plugin named templatedia to store code that I didn’t want altered by WP (javascript, raw html, etc), and then used templatedia template tags within posts/pages to insert the code stored in template items into the content. But, if I recall, I even ended up needing to modify the templatedia plugin somewhat to leave the specified code exactly as I specified it.

I do know where you’re coming from however. It can be done. But, getting WP to leave your code alone is the most difficult part.

I know how you feel…I like the look and feel of WordPress. But there’s so much more CMS functionality to Joomla. But, in my hands at least, Joomla looks like the illegitimate poster child from a cross between Amish or Eastern European Industrial design.

I am about to break down and hire one of those inexpensive wunderkinds from India via Elance and have them re-do the site in a warmer look.

Unless someone can recommend an US/Canada based developer for competitive rates.

denovo

I am going to be bridging Joomla! themes for use with WordPress, I started with Firenzie by Rocket Theme. You would just upload all your Joomla! theme files into the theme folder, then add the 8 or so files I would do. functions.php, home.php and the likes.

http://www.joomlatowordpress.com

If you have a nice Joomla theme, which are more CMS feel to them, I most likely can bridge it, at least get it very close, but you have to have the original theme files, I wont supply the theme files, just the bridge files.

My beef with Joomla, besides the fact that it’s not the most intuitive piece of software around and is overkill for most web sites, is that even if you manage to create a tableless theme/design, Joomla always sneaks its own little tables in there and that is maddening.

If you are interested in WP as a CMS and haven’t thrown in the towel yet, or chewed all your fingernails off and still haven’t pulled all your hair out .. try some of those magazine type themes.

There are a couple of nice, well written free themes you can find here:

Structure:
http://justintadlock.com/archives/2007/12/09/structure-wordpress-theme

Options:
http://justintadlock.com/archives/2008/02/24/options-wordpress-theme

Both by designer Justin Adlock. I have no affiliation with Justin, I just like his work and have played around with both themes. Quite customizable and there’s some great code in there that helps mold WP more to what you want.

Don’t give up yet. Remember that WP has some great plugins, the best ever, and is very very search engine friendly right out of the box not to mention the SEO specific plugins it has. Don’t know if you can say that about Joomla, Drupal, etc.