I recently discovered this amazing (in my opinion) program, which is a great way to build your site!

When I first "got into" website creating I thought that Content Management Systems were the best thing ever. However I soon discovered that they are for the most part not very flexible. You are limited to the things you are able/unable to do. Plus its not "your own". I don't know about you but I really wanted to create something amazing without utilizing the easy way out. I was getting frustrated, I knew basic HTML and PHP but not enough to make a site from scratch, so what could I do?

Well it wasn't long after that in which I discovered Textpattern. This is an amazing program! Like a Content Management System, this allows you to enter in your content in a "web-based" form. But this is much different than any Content Management system. Unlike the traditional CMS this enables you to control your site easily and have complete control, but it makes it easy. Heres how it works:

It allows you to install a pre-made template or make your own. Once installed (or created and uploaded) you have complete access to the files (meaning you can edit all of them) in the admin control panel. This unlike CMS's does not come with a built in Login System, which again (i feel) is a good thing. It allows you to make the site yourself easily.

Anytime you want to make a page, you don't just click a button type text and hit "create" like traditional CMS's. You actually have to work with some code but it makes it easy!

This thing is jammed packed with really cool features (with plugins availble!). I've not even breached the surface of this awesome tool. Stop listening to me, find out for yourself: TextPattern

You say you wanted to make a content managing system on your own, and yet you're using this program. That doesn't make sense.

Also,

If you actually did know the basics you'd be able to make a site from scratch. Then when you have increased your knowledge in programming, you might be able to make your own CMS.

Making a CMS really is not very difficult using PHP and MySql. All you have to do is first make a login system that is secure which is simple and can be found on any forum for a working example and then you just make a few admin pages that allow you to add content. From there you just change your pages layout code so it reads from the database instead of just the content from the HTML file

i dont' really believe in the idea of using a program to generate your own website, that's is too cheap and pointless. Making things from scrap made me feel like i have accomplished something. Even though i suck at making sites and i'm still learning how to improve it.

I agree with this, all the CMS generated type sites I have seen seem to have a 'mass produced' feel to them. If you create something yourself from scratch it is your design, not someone elses design you have modified. Doing it from scratch is also the best way to learn, don't be afraid of mistakes, learn from them and don't be afraid to experiment. By learning to code this way you will also develop your own 'style' as you learn and it will evolve with the more you learn.

To me, creating a web site is not unlike creating a work of art, not everyone will like your design ideas and that's what makes us all different. To have someone critisize your design is a good thing, it means they have taken the time to form an opinion on what you have created. Even if you don't agree with everything they say, there might be some points you hadn't considered. Don't be afraid to ask for other people's opinions and help.

Kinda went off on a tangent there, sorry about that.

Hand coding works the best for me. It gives you unlimited control of the end product. It forces you to read about and learn the code. Nothing against the programming packages out there, but the hand-coding works for me... I have been learning lots from the content here at trap17.I have been reading all the html/css stuff I can find lately.

This is a great forum and there are lots of helpful members... thanks to them all.

your title says it's alternative to a CMS but right on the hompage, like 1st or second sentence it says it's a flexible cms.