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Composite C1 4.2 - Faster and more Intuitive Content Management

mike-johnston Profile

Simplified editing. Improved WYSIWYG experience. Ready-to-use mobile-first starter sites. Editing on iPad. The list of enhancements to Composite's .NET open source CMS, Composite C1, continues to grow with each release. Version 4.2 takes this to a completely new level.

Build richer web experiences

This release has specifically focused on improving an editor's experience by making the content creation and editing process faster, more intuitive and ultimately more satisfying. The outcome is a much richer web experience for visitors on the website.

“We take the author experience extremely seriously and aim to make our CMS as simple and user-friendly as possible for them. If we improve their processes and the way they go about creating and maintaining content we cut down on the time it takes to complete a task. More than that, we hopefully provide them with a satisfying experience. They can trust we've always got their best interests at heart, which we do,' said Composite Founder and Product Manager, Marcus Wendt.

Locate elements that need updating easier

Made possible thanks to a simplified interface for changing C1 Function settings and ‘pixel perfect' previews of C1 Functions in the Visual Editor. This makes it straight forward to locate dynamic content elements that need updating. Editors will see a simple form when tweaking settings.

Enjoy a better WYSIWYG experience

Because version 4.2 is able to analyse a website's HTML templates and CSS it doesn't matter where an editor places content in the Visual Editor – column width will automatically be sized to match the live site. Editors are shown how sentences will wrap, rich in-content elements will be sized and images will fit.

“It's important editors get a realistic idea of how their content will appear when it's published on their websites. That's why we focused so heavily on this aspect in the version 4.2,” said Composite CEO, Oskar Lauritzen.

Begin with a mobile-first starter site

Composite recently launched Venus (http://venus.c1.composite.net/), a ready-to-use mobile-first starter site that can be easily adapted. Created with the express purpose of providing web professionals with an easy-to-use starting point for their web projects, Venus is one of many similar sites – based on the latest version of Bootstrap, LESS and ASP.NET Razor – that will be rolled out in the near future.

“The beauty of Venus – and the starter sites in the pipeline – is that you don't have to be a gun developer to create a website. We've done all the hard work for you. Venus comes with step-by-step instructions that enable you to adapt and customize it however you like. Marketers will love it and feel empowered as they work their way through it,' said Composite CEO, Oskar Lauritzen.

Edit on an iPad

Although users have been able to use Composite C1 on other tablets (Windows 8 devices such as Microsoft Surface and Android devices) it's only with the release of version 4.2 this can now be done well on iPad.

“You should be able to update your Composite C1 website from whatever device you want. More often than not these days it's not a desktop or even a laptop, but a tablet. It's very pleasing to us that we can now offer this facility on iPad,” said Composite Founder and Product Manager, Marcus Wendt.

Two more cool things available with this release

About Composite

Based in Copenhagen and Kiev, Danish software company Composite has been making content management software since 1999. The precursor to C1 was a commercial product. In 2010, after a total rewrite, a decision was made to distribute the new version, Composite C1, as open source.

Today Composite C1 is a free open source content management system built for marketing and web professionals looking to create new websites for companies using the latest Microsoft technologies.

Composite C1 is recognized for being an easy-to-use professional system that fulfils the needs of hardcore developers, but remains accessible to editors. Out of the box users have access to a fully functional CMS and the option to add free packages such as an SEO-assistant and social add-ons or commercial packages including newsletter services and event calendars.

Composite C1 consistently receives a top rating on the .NET Open Source portal CodePlex.

More than a thousand users from all over the world install Composite C1 every month. Total installs currently sit at almost 46, 000.