I’m really having some difficulty wrapping my brain around Perch. After some trial and error, I am able to make it work, but I feel like the CMS is controlling me, rather than me controlling it.
Quite frankly, the reason I began using Freeway Pro is so I wouldn’t have to code. Now, my use of Perch is kind of defeating that goal. Perch tech support has been very helpful, but I feel like I’m missing some prerequisites that will enable me to better understand the concepts being used.
Are there any simple books or online courses that will help bring me up to speed on all of this?
Certainly agree Perch is quite intimidating and quite why I don’t really know. Their website and videos seem to make it a lot more complicated than I’m sure it actually is. Lots of placing items in their ‘Apps’ folder and so on and then files have to be rejigged and styled. And your thinking - but I only want simple text and inline image sections, with a nice gallery and perhaps a simple blog, grrr. Once up and running I’m sure its fine.
I just wish everything was as simple as Pulse, if somewhat limited in what it can do but so tempting to use for every cms request.
Don’t forget WebYep. Free system, inexpensive (and elaborately documented) Action from Max to make it all very Freeway-friendly. It runs on text files rather than a MySQL database, so it makes for an even simpler install than Pulse or Perch.
Walter
On May 28, 2012, at 3:34 PM, RavenManiac wrote:
I’m really having some difficulty wrapping my brain around Perch. After some trial and error, I am able to make it work, but I feel like the CMS is controlling me, rather than me controlling it.
Quite frankly, the reason I began using Freeway Pro is so I wouldn’t have to code. Now, my use of Perch is kind of defeating that goal. Perch tech support has been very helpful, but I feel like I’m missing some prerequisites that will enable me to better understand the concepts being used.
Are there any simple books or online courses that will help bring me up to speed on all of this?
Yes, I was at a point today where I was thinking about abandoning Perch in favor of Pulse, but then I discovered that the Perch login and control panel can be customized with your own logo, which was cool enough to keep me interested—obviously, my ego at work there.
I totally agree with you on the video tutorials. While Rachel does a really nice job, all of the cut and pasting of code is enough to make one nauseous.
I can’t begin to tell you how many times I had to pause and repeat a section of the video so I can figure out what the heck she is trying to do. Plus, I also found out that some of their video tutorials are using outdated examples, which makes the instructions even more confusing, since the examples you receive are different from what they are using in their videos.
I probably should invest a little more time in WebYep. I think what lured me to Perch was what Nathan was able to do, plus I think Perch’s website and tutorials are, for the most part, very good at explaining what you need to do. I was also told that Perch is fairly robust, so it won’t be as limiting as my skill set improves.
In the end, I just want to learn one CMS, so I need to pick which one.
On 28 May 2012, 8:16 pm, waltd wrote:
Don’t forget WebYep. Free system, inexpensive (and elaborately documented) Action from Max to make it all very Freeway-friendly. It runs on text files rather than a MySQL database, so it makes for an even simpler install than Pulse or Perch.
As someone who has used Perch several times I can appreciate the “huh?” moments you’re feeling. But look, if you’re new to this kind of stuff then of course it’s going to be confusing at times but you just need to give it some time to sink in. I for one told you that Perch was not a point-n-click CMS and that you would need to work with code. It does make sense once you grasp the fundamentals of how it works and if you plan on using a more robust CMS like EE or Joomla in the future then Perch is a good one to cut your teeth on.
I agree the docs are not stellar but there’s enough there to get you started. I read through them several times myself. Be patient and stick with it.
Don’t feel bad, I’ve been using PHP since 1999, and I got stuck in several places while recently implementing a Perch site. What I know, and you haven’t had the bruises to learn yet, is how to debug in several languages. It’s not all that useful to you to see an empty white page or a cryptic error message, while I can read the error and get at least a clue where to look for the problem.
I think that Perch is extremely well executed, although deliberately limited in a few places. (They’ve chosen performance at run-time over developer ease, especially when it comes to nesting templates.) If it was an open-source application, I could contribute a few gems of mine to their cause – my recursive template parser, for one. But as it sees wider use, and therefore exposure of bugs, I am confident that it will grow into a really powerful system.
One thing you can do for yourself is to buy the Luke Welling/ Laura Thomson book PHP and MySQL Web Development (SAMS publishing). That is the gentlest introduction I know into a subject that is as deep as you care to go with it. Get a good text editor, like the free TextWrangler from BareBones Software, and just work through the first four chapters or so. You will learn enough right there to get handy with what Perch is doing, and it will open your mind to a wider world, and give you more tools to work with in solving your clients’ problems.
Walter
On May 28, 2012, at 4:18 PM, RavenManiac wrote:
Yes, I was at a point today where I was thinking about abandoning Perch in favor of Pulse, but then I discovered that the Perch login and control panel can be customized with your own logo, which was cool enough to keep me interested—obviously, my ego at work there.
Thanks Todd. I’ve pretty much decided to stick with Perch for the time being. I’ve invested way too much time in getting where I am. Plus, it’s nice knowing there are other Perch users on this forum for those days when I find myself saying “huh?” or “#@$&?”.
On 28 May 2012, 8:28 pm, Todd wrote:
As someone who has used Perch several times I can appreciate the “huh?” moments you’re feeling. But look, if you’re new to this kind of stuff then of course it’s going to be confusing at times but you just need to give it some time to sink in. I for one told you that Perch was not a point-n-click CMS and that you would need to work with code. It does make sense once you grasp the fundamentals of how it works and if you plan on using a more robust CMS like EE or Joomla in the future then Perch is a good one to cut your teeth on.
I agree the docs are not stellar but there’s enough there to get you started. I read through them several times myself. Be patient and stick with it.
I’m thinking of getting that book Walter, so thanks for reminding me.
With regard to Perch, when I first started using it I too was a little daunted, although I knew I had to start using a CMS as nearly all my clients are starting to request one. In my case WebYep wasn’t right. I haven’t tried Pulse to any significant degree, so cannot comment on that CMS.
I chose Perch because I could use it on an existing Website and could allow client they’re own login without giving admin access. It also had the right apps out-of-the-bag that I needed at that time.
After taking the plunge I fired off questions both here (to Todd), on the Perch forums (to Drew and Rachel) I spent time trying it all out, making mistakes and correcting them. The best advice I can give is what Todd said - whichever CMS you want to use, you need to give it time to allow it to sink in. It does take time to get any application or process working the way you want it to.
Well, you and Todd have inspired me to stay the course, so hopefully it’ll begin to gel soon.
I think the most frustrating part of learning this, or any new application, is spending hours trying to do one seemingly simple thing. When that happens, it really sucks the productivity out of my day.
