WebGUI Content Management System

WebGUI is a powerful, open-source content management system and web framework built with Perl. It provides a comprehensive platform for building dynamic websites, managing content, and handling user interactions with a focus on flexibility and extensibility.

About

• Version: 7.10.32
• Status: Stable
• License: GNU General Public License v2
• Copyright: 2001-2009 Plain Black Corporation, and contributors
• Website: http://www.plainblack.com

Features

• Modular Architecture: Pluggable asset and component system
• User Management: Comprehensive user authentication and group management
• Content Management: Flexible asset-based content system
• Workflow Engine: Built-in workflow automation
• Search Capabilities: Full-text search and indexing
• API-Driven: RESTful API support
• Internationalization: Multi-language support
• Commerce Ready: E-commerce functionality with payment processing
• Session Management: Robust session handling and security
• Caching: Multiple caching strategies (CHI, FastMmap)
• Database Abstraction: Works with MySQL/MariaDB

System Requirements

Required Software

• Perl: 5.8 or higher
• Apache: 2.0+ with mod_perl 2.0 and mod_apreq2
• MySQL/MariaDB: 5.0.10 or higher
• ImageMagick: 6.0 or higher

Recommended Modules

A comprehensive list of Perl dependencies is installed via cpanm (see Dockerfile for details).

Quick Start Installation

1. Prepare Environment

# Install Perl 5.8+
# Install Apache 2.0 with mod_perl and mod_apreq2
# Install MySQL/MariaDB 5.0.10+
# Install ImageMagick 6.0+

2. Configure Apache

Add to your Apache configuration:

LoadModule apreq_module modules/mod_apreq2.so
LoadModule perl_module modules/mod_perl.so
PerlSetVar WebguiRoot /data/WebGUI
PerlCleanupHandler Apache2::SizeLimit
PerlRequire /data/WebGUI/sbin/preload.perl

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName www.example.com 
    ServerAlias example.com
    DocumentRoot /data/domains/example.com/www
    SetHandler perl-script
    PerlInitHandler WebGUI
    PerlSetVar WebguiConfig www.example.com.conf
</VirtualHost>

3. Database Setup

# Create database and user
mysql -e "create database WebGUI"
mysql -e "grant all privileges on WebGUI.* to webgui@localhost identified by 'your_password'"
mysql -e "flush privileges"

# Load schema
mysql -uwebgui -pyour_password WebGUI < docs/create.sql

4. Configuration

Edit etc/WebGUI.conf to match your database and environment settings:

# Database connection
<database>
    driver=MySQL
    DSN=DBI:mysql:WebGUI:localhost:3306
    username=webgui
    password=your_password
</database>

# Logging
<logging>
    configFile=/data/WebGUI/etc/log.conf
</logging>

5. Start Services

# Start MySQL/MariaDB
mysql.server start

# Start Apache
apachectl start

Docker Deployment

WebGUI includes Docker support for easy containerized deployment:

# Build Docker image
docker build -t webgui:latest .

# Run with docker-compose (see distribution/docker-compose.yml)
docker-compose up -d

The Docker setup includes:

• Debian-based container with all dependencies
• Apache 2 with mod_perl
• MariaDB client
• ImageMagick for image processing
• Nginx reverse proxy configuration (distribution/nginx/)

Project Structure

├── lib/                    # Perl modules (main codebase)
│   ├── WebGUI.pm          # Core handler
│   ├── WebGUI/            # WebGUI framework modules
│   ├── WGDev/             # Development utilities
│   └── Spectre/           # Job scheduler
├── sbin/                   # System utilities and scripts
├── t/                      # Test suite
├── etc/                    # Configuration files
├── docs/                   # Documentation
├── distribution/           # Docker and deployment configs
├── www/                    # Web content (uploads, extras)
└── share/                  # Shared resources (nginx config, SQL)

Key Directories

Directory	Purpose
lib/WebGUI/	Core WebGUI framework modules
lib/WebGUI/Asset/	Content asset classes
lib/WebGUI/Form/	Form field types
lib/WebGUI/Operation/	Admin operations
sbin/	Command-line utilities for administration
t/	Automated test suite
etc/	Configuration files
docs/	Installation and reference documentation

Development & Testing

Running Tests

# Run the complete test suite
perl t/00_compile.t
perl t/Account.t
perl t/Config.t
# ... and many more

# Run specific test
perl t/MyTest.t

Available Utilities

• sbin/wgd - WebGUI development tool
• sbin/spectre.pl - Job scheduler daemon
• sbin/upgrade.pl - Database upgrade utility
• sbin/testEnvironment.pl - Environment validation
• sbin/findBrokenAssets.pl - Asset consistency checker

Configuration Files

Main Configuration

• etc/WebGUI.conf - Primary configuration file
• etc/WebGUI.conf.original - Original configuration backup

Logging

• etc/log.conf - Logging configuration
• etc/log.conf.original - Original logging backup

Virtual Host Configuration

• etc/www.example.com.conf - Example virtual host config
• distribution/webgui/www.example.com.conf - Docker example

Database Schema

The database schema is initialized using:

• docs/create.sql - Initial database schema
• docs/upgrades/ - Version upgrade migration scripts

Documentation

Detailed documentation is available in the docs/ directory:

• install.txt - Installation instructions
• changelog/ - Version history and changes
• credits.txt - List of contributors
• legal.txt - Legal information
• license.txt - GPL v2 license text
• templates.txt - Template documentation

For more information, visit: http://wiki.webgui.org

Key Components

Asset System

WebGUI uses an asset-based system for content management where all content types (pages, images, documents, etc.) are assets with configurable properties and workflows.

Workflow Engine

Automated workflow management for content approval, publishing, and state transitions.

Session Management

Robust session handling with security features and configuration options for user tracking.

Commerce

Built-in e-commerce capabilities including:

• Product catalogs
• Shopping carts
• Payment processing (PayPal, Authorize.net)
• Tax calculation

Search

Full-text search capabilities with indexing for quick content discovery.

License

WebGUI is released under the GNU General Public License v2. See docs/license.txt for full license text.

Credits

WebGUI was created and is maintained by Plain Black Corporation, with contributions from many developers and organizations worldwide. See docs/credits.txt for a complete list of contributors.

Support & Community

• Main Website: http://www.plainblack.com
• Email: info@plainblack.com
• Wiki: http://wiki.webgui.org
• Installation Guide: http://wiki.webgui.org/installation-options

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure:

• All tests pass (perl t/*.t)
• Code follows Perl best practices
• Changes include appropriate documentation
• Pod comments are included for public APIs

Troubleshooting

Database Connection Issues

• Verify MySQL is running: mysql -uwebgui -p -e "SELECT 1"
• Check credentials in etc/WebGUI.conf
• Verify database user has appropriate privileges

Apache/mod_perl Issues

• Check Apache error log: /var/log/apache2/error.log
• Verify mod_perl and mod_apreq2 are loaded
• Ensure WebguiRoot path is correct

Missing Dependencies

• Use the Dockerfile as a reference for all dependencies
• Install via cpanm: cpanm Module::Name
• Run: perl sbin/testEnvironment.pl

Additional Resources

• Plain Black home: http://www.plainblack.com
• WebGUI Wiki: http://wiki.webgui.org
• Test suite: t/ directory with comprehensive test coverage
• Configuration examples: etc/ and distribution/ directories